Material handling and storage toolbox talk

Everyone runs this talk as a lifting-technique talk. The injuries that put people off work come at least as often from how material was stacked as from how it was picked up — and a collapsing stack hurts whoever is walking past, not just whoever built it.

← All toolbox talks

Run the talk

• Material stored in tiers gets secured so it cannot slide or collapse. Stacked neatly is not the same as secured.
• Think about what is under the stack. On a roof or a deck, the question is what the surface will carry.
• Height matters. A stack that is stable at waist height is a different thing at shoulder height.
• Walkways stay walkways. Material in the route is the thing people trip on carrying something heavy.
• If you break a bundle down, restack what is left properly before you walk away.

Ask the crew

• Which stack on this site would you least like to walk past?
• Where are we storing material today, and what is holding it?
• Is anything sitting in a walkway right now?

Check before you leave the huddle

• Walk the storage areas and check tiered material is blocked, racked or secured.
• Confirm elevated storage suits the surface it is sitting on.
• Clear material out of access routes and walkways.

The requirements behind it

From SiteSafetyDocs clause bank 2026.08.28-ai3. The talking points above are prompts for a conversation; the rows below are the requirements. Each row condenses the cited provisions — follow the citation for the exact regulatory text. Rows marked practice are recognised good practice, not a CFR duty.