During a major event, the pace is fast, the crowds are large, and the work is demanding. In these conditions, a quick pre-shift safety talk can make a big difference for your team. These quick, focused conversations help reinforce safe work practices, refresh workers’ awareness of hazards, and strengthen communication, especially among new and young workers who may hesitate to speak up and ask questions. When delivered well, a safety talk sets the tone for the entire shift and demonstrates your commitment as an employer to keeping everyone safe.

But safety talks won’t achieve their full potential when they are inconsistent or delivered in a one-way, lecture style format. Workers can quickly tune out if the discussion feels repetitive or disconnected from the work they’re about to do. To have a real impact, safety talks need to be dynamic, interactive, and tailored to the moment. With a few simple shifts in approach, you can turn safety talks into an essential tool for engagement and injury prevention.

6 ways to deliver better pre-shift safety talks

1. Strengthen your soft skills

Supervisors play a critical leadership role, and the way a message is delivered is just as important as the message itself. Training your supervisors in communication, coaching, and motivation can help them build trust, connect more effectively with staff, and deliver safety messages that resonate.

2. Hold a safety talk at the start of every shift

Consistency matters, especially during a high-pressure event. Beginning each shift with a quick safety talk reinforces that safety and operations go hand in hand. It also keeps communication open and ensures that workers start the day focused on the right behaviours. 

3. Keep groups small

Large crowds make interaction difficult. Breaking staff into smaller groups allows for more personal, two-way dialogue, encourages questions, and makes it easier for supervisors to gauge understanding.

4. Prepare relevant topics in advance

Develop a list of topics tied to the work being done that day: crowd management, heat stress, violence and harassment prevention, equipment uses, housekeeping, or material handling. For recurring topics, vary the angle or activity to keep the message fresh. Over time, you should aim to cover key tasks and hazards one by one.

5. Change up the format

Use different approaches to keep workers engaged. Short trivia games can help assess knowledge in a fun, nonpunitive way. Demonstrations, such as reviewing the items in a spill kit or walking through line-of-sight challenges around equipment, provide hands-on learning for your team. Brief videos can introduce a topic and capture attention. Storytelling, including near misses or success stories, helps workers understand real-world consequences and solutions.

6. Involve workers

Invite your team to suggest topics or lead a short discussion. When workers participate actively, they take greater ownership of safety, and the talk becomes more meaningful for the whole group.

Need help getting started?

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Safety Resources

• 4 tips to engage your team in workplace safety - Struggling to keep safety top of mind in your workplace? Use these tips to engage your workers and build a strong health and safety culture.
• 15 tips for getting safety messages across to young workers - Stats show that young workers are more likely to get injured or killed at work compared to their more experienced coworkers. Here are 15 things to consider when training young workers.

The information in this article is accurate as of its publication date.