Inadequate planning and design toolbox talk

What it is

Hazards that go unrecognised or uncontrolled because the work, site conditions or design were not planned, assessed or consulted on beforehand.

Controls to check, most effective first

1. Consider safety in design before work starts, and ask designers and engineers to remove or reduce hazards at source.
2. Plan the job in steps before starting, including access, equipment, sequence, emergency arrangements and who does what.
3. Assess the risks for the task and site conditions, and review the assessment when conditions or the scope of work change.
4. Consult workers, other contractors and the person in control of the site, and share the plan with everyone who is affected.
5. Do a pre-start walk-through and update the hazards at the start of each shift, noting anything that has changed.
6. Monitor hazards throughout the job, and stop work to reassess if something unexpected comes up.

Where it comes up on the job

Work steps from SafetyDocs templates that deal with inadequate planning and design:

• Personal InjuryHarm from lack of planningFrom Hoarder Cleaning Plan

Questions for the crew

1. Where could inadequate planning and design come up on this job today?
2. The most effective control is: “Consider safety in design before work starts, and ask designers and engineers to remove or reduce hazards at source”. Can we do that here? If not, why not?
3. Which controls for inadequate planning and design are missing or not working on this site?
4. When would you stop work because of inadequate planning and design, and who would you tell?
5. How do we report a hazard, a near miss or an incident on this job?