Workflow Template
Toolbox Talk Workflow
Enables a supervisor to record and run a pre-work toolbox talk: capture topic, work context, hazards/controls and attendees; deliver the talk; log questions and action items; mark each attendee acknowledged or absent (absent workers get a briefing task before starting work); assign action items to an owner and notify the supervisor when complete.
For organisations operating under health and safety legislation and site-specific risk management frameworks, demonstrating that pre-work toolbox talks were delivered, understood, and acted upon is a core compliance obligation. This workflow gives supervisors and frontline safety teams a structured way to record the talk topic, work context, hazards and controls, and attendee acknowledgement, while routing absent workers to a mandatory briefing before they begin work. Site supervisors, HSE managers, and compliance teams gain a consistent, auditable record of every briefing and any resulting action items through to completion.
Business Outcomes
- Supports more consistent delivery of pre-work safety briefings across sites and crews
- Helps reduce the risk of untrained or unbriefed workers starting work by routing absentees to a required briefing task
- Improves traceability of hazards, controls, and attendee acknowledgement for audit purposes
- Speeds up action item assignment, ownership, and close-out notification to supervisors
- Makes it easier to demonstrate toolbox talk compliance during inspections or incident reviews
Workflow Steps
Steps
- 1Create Toolbox Talk Recordcreate record
Registers the toolbox talk submission as a record.
- 2Set Status: Scheduledupdate record
Marks the toolbox talk as scheduled prior to delivery.
- 3Deliver Toolbox Talkcreate task
Supervisor delivers the talk, records questions raised, notes any action items, and records attendee acknowledgement.
- 4Set Status: In Progressupdate record
Marks the talk in progress and persists the delivery outcomes to the record.
- 5Route on Attendee Acknowledgement
Checks whether all attendees acknowledged the briefing or if any were absent.
attendance_status: "Some Absent"→Brief Absent Worker Before Work Startsattendance_status: "All Acknowledged"→Route on Action Items RaisedDefault→Route on Action Items Raised - 6Brief Absent Worker Before Work Startscreate task
Assigns a task to ensure any absent worker is briefed on hazards and controls before starting work.
- 7Route on Action Items Raised
Checks whether any action items were raised during the talk and require follow-up.
has_action_items: "Yes"→Create Action Item RecordDefault→Set Status: Completed - 8Create Action Item Recordcreate record
Registers the action item raised during the toolbox talk as its own record.
- 9Set Action Item Status: Openupdate record
Marks the action item as open and persists its description and owner email to the record.
- 10Assign Action Item Ownercreate task
Assigns the action item to an internal owner to complete the required follow-up work.
- 11Set Action Item Status: Completedupdate record
Marks the action item as completed once the owner finishes the follow-up work.
- 12Notify Supervisor Action Item Completesend email
Notifies the supervisor by email that the action item raised during the toolbox talk has been completed.
- 13Set Status: Completedupdate record
Marks the toolbox talk record as fully completed once all follow-up has been handled.
Fields
- Supervisor Name*
- Supervisor Email*
- Toolbox Talk Topic*
- Work Context / Task Description*
- Key Hazards Identified*
- Controls / Mitigations*
- +10 more fields
Forms
Toolbox Talk Briefing Setup
7 fields
Data Views
Toolbox Talks
talk_topic, supervisor_name, talk_status, attendance_status +1 more
Action Items
action_item_description, action_item_owner_email, action_item_status
Dashboard Widgets
Recommended integrations
Setup the following integrations to extend workflow capability.
Send email in the workflow
AWS SES
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FAQs
How is this audited within assess.one?
Every toolbox talk record captures the topic, hazards, controls, attendee list, and acknowledgement status with timestamps as the workflow progresses through each status change. Action items raised during the talk are similarly tracked from creation to completion, giving supervisors and compliance teams a full audit trail. This history can be reviewed at any time to support internal audits, inspections, or incident investigations.
Who has access to toolbox talk records and action items?
Access is configured inside assess.one based on role, so supervisors, HSE managers, and designated action item owners can be granted the appropriate level of visibility or edit rights. Organisations can restrict record creation to supervisors while allowing broader read access for compliance reporting. Permissions can be adjusted as team structures or site responsibilities change.
How does this integrate with existing notification tools like email or Slack?
Notifications such as the alert sent to a supervisor when an action item is completed are configured directly within assess.one's integration settings, connecting to email or Slack without any separate development work. Teams can extend these notifications to other steps in the workflow, such as when an absent worker's briefing task is created. This keeps supervisors informed in the channels they already use day to day.
Can the workflow be customised for different sites or crews?
Yes, the steps, roles, and approval logic in this template can be adjusted directly within assess.one to reflect site-specific hazards, terminology, or reporting lines. Organisations can add extra fields, change routing rules for absent workers, or introduce additional review steps before publishing. Changes take effect immediately once published, without any separate implementation project.
Who needs to be involved in running this workflow day to day?
Supervisors are typically responsible for creating the toolbox talk record, delivering the briefing, and recording attendance and action items. Action item owners are assigned to close out specific tasks, and their completion triggers a notification back to the supervisor. HSE or compliance staff may be given read access to monitor trends and verify completion across sites.
What happens if a worker is marked absent from the toolbox talk?
When an attendee is marked absent, the workflow automatically routes them to a briefing task that must be completed before they are permitted to start work. This step is designed to help maintain consistent hazard awareness across the whole crew, not just those present at the original talk. The briefing task is tracked in the same record, supporting a complete view of attendance and compliance.
How are action items tracked and closed out?
If action items are raised during the talk, the workflow creates a dedicated action item record with an initial 'Open' status and assigns it to a named owner. Once the owner marks the item complete, the workflow updates the status and automatically notifies the supervisor. This closed-loop process helps ensure raised hazards or follow-up tasks are not left unresolved.
How long does it take to get this workflow live?
The template is ready to use, so a supervisor or safety administrator can review and publish it within minutes rather than running a lengthy implementation project. Once published, the workflow is immediately available for supervisors to start logging toolbox talks. Any customisation to steps or notifications can be made before or after publishing without delaying rollout.
Does this workflow support compliance with health and safety obligations?
The structured capture of hazards, controls, attendance, and follow-up actions is designed to help organisations demonstrate that toolbox talks were conducted and acted upon, which supports broader health and safety compliance efforts. It does not replace legal or regulatory advice specific to a jurisdiction or industry. Organisations should confirm the workflow's configuration aligns with their applicable obligations.
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