Tailgate Safety Talks

Going by many different names, these are a staple of safety programs with public works agencies across the country, as well as safety-conscious contractors. Supervisors and crew leaders can hold them as often as they find helpful. They can be held weekly or monthly or in connection with a new activity or season. They are intended to be short and focused so that, over time and together with existing practices and policies, they help build a culture of safety within local agencies. The intent of this program is to provide supervisors with packages of materials, targeted towards a broad array of public works equipment and practices, that will make it easy for them to carry out these important talks.

The idea of a tailgate safety talk is to take a discrete activity, practice, or piece of equipment and drill into it quickly in a way that is relevant to what local agencies are doing or are likely to encounter.