Tailgate (or Toolbox) talks are short informational meetings held with employees to discuss a work-site related safety topic.

The term tailgate meetings comes from the practice of meeting around the tailgate of a pickup truck on site.

The goal of holding tailgate talks is to inform employees of specific hazards associated to a task and the safe way to do a job. Tailgate talks also serve as a reminder to employees of what they already know while establishing the supervisor’s credibility and conscientiousness about his or her responsibilities for safety.

The following is a list of tailgate talks that you can take and use on your job-site. Each Everyday Safety tailgate talk comes with a sign-in sheet which allows supervisors to document who heard the briefing.

If you have issues accessing any of the information, please contact us at clrp [at] cornell.edu (clrp[at]cornell[dot]edu) or 607-255-8033. 

• How to Give a Tailgate Talk (pdf)

All Tailgate Talks

• 3 Points of Contact (pdf)
• 6 Tips for Chainsaw Safety (pdf)
• A Dozen Spring Clean-Up Safety Tips (pdf)
• AED Safety (pdf)
• Aerial Lifts Safety (pdf)
• Aggressive Drivers (pdf)
• Backing Safety (pdf)
• Back Pain (pdf)
• Back to School (pdf)
• Be Alert to Moving Equipment (pdf)
• Bee Stings (pdf)
• Blood Safety (pdf)
• Carbon Monoxide Safety (pdf)
• Chainsaw Safety (pdf)
• Check For Ticks, Prevent Lyme Disease & Other Tick-Borne Illnesses(pdf)
• Clean Truck (pdf)
• Cold Weather Driving (pdf)
• Cold Weather Precautions (pdf)
• Cold Weather Slips (pdf)
• Combustible Dust Safety (pdf)
• Common Sense (pdf)
• Compressed Air Safety (pdf)
• Confined Space Safety (pdf)
• County Vehicle Safety (pdf)
• Deadly Dozen (pdf)
• Dealing with Stress (pdf)
• Demolition Safety (pdf)
• Disposable Glove Removal (pdf)
• Drain Pipe Installation (pdf)
• Driver Operator Safety (pdf)
• Driver Safety (pdf)
• Electrical Safety (pdf)
• Fire Extinguisher Safety (pdf)
  • Safety Shorts: Overview and Use of Fire Extinguishers (video)
• Fire Safety (pdf)
• First Aid Kits (pdf)
• First Aid for Chemical Burns (pdf)
• Ground Bees (pdf)
• Hearing Protection (pdf)
• Heavy Equipment Safety (pdf)
• Hand & Arm Vibration (Pdf)
• Hand Tool Safety (pdf)
• Hazards of Solvents (pdf)
• Heat Stress Safety (pdf)
• Hygiene in the Workplace (pdf)
• Job-Site-Housekeeping (pdf)
• Ladder Safety (pdf)
• Lightning Safety (pdf)
• Lock Out Tag Out (pdf)
• Lyme Disease (pdf)
• Make Safety a Habit (pdf)
• Mower Safety (pdf)
• Oil Spills (pdf)
• Pinch Points (pdf)
• Poisonous Plant Safety (pdf)
• Portable Generator Safety (pdf)
• Proper Footwear (pdf)
• Rabies (pdf)
• Recognizing/Reducing Risky Behavior (pdf)
• Roadside Cleanup (pdf)
• Safety Alarm Fatigue (pdf)
• Safety Awareness (pdf)
• Shape Up Your Workplace (pdf)
• Stay Fit For Snow Fighting (pdf)
• Staying Safe While Assisting With A Car Crash (pdf)
• Stretching 101 (pdf)
• The Sun and your eyes (pdf)
• Teamwork (pdf)
• Thunder and Lightning Safety (pdf)
• Tire Explosions (pdf)
• Tree Felling Safety (pdf)
• Tree & Brush Trimming Safety (pdf)
• Trenching Safety (pdf)
• UV Safety (pdf)
• Voluntary Respirators (pdf)
• Wellness Habits (pdf)
• Wood and Brush Chipper Safety (pdf)
• Working Along the Roadway (pdf)
• Working Near Water (pdf)
• Workstation Ergonomics (pdf)