This PPE toolbox talk covers the two cheapest pieces of protection on the job: hard hats and safety glasses. It's written to be read aloud at the start of a shift; with the discussion, it runs about five minutes.
How to run it: read the talk out loud, work through the three questions with the crew, and have everyone sign the sheet. The print button includes a crew sign-in page as the second sheet.
The talk, ready to read
Head protection is required where anything overhead can fall, swing, or fly, which on most jobs is everywhere work happens above shoulder height. Eye protection is required where chips, dust, sparks, or splashes are being made: cutting, grinding, nailing, chipping, pouring.
A hard hat only works as built: shell plus suspension, snug, nothing stuffed between them. Cracks, deep gouges, or a hat that took a real hit mean replacement. The shell absorbs one good impact and it's done, even if it looks fine.
Safety glasses beat 'I was careful' every single time. Most eye injuries happen to people standing near the work, not doing it; the grinder doesn't care whose eye the spark lands in. Side shields or wraparounds for flying-particle work; goggles when it splashes.
If lenses are so scratched you take them off to see, they've stopped being PPE. Replace them.
Talk about it on your job
- What's making chips, sparks, or dust on this job right now?
- Anyone's hard hat taken a hit or riding without its suspension?
- Where do bystanders stand too close to grinding or cutting?
The rule behind this talk
29 CFR 1926.100(a) requires head protection wherever there is a possible danger of head injury from impact, falling or flying objects, or electrical shock and burns. 29 CFR 1926.102(a)(1) requires eye and face protection when machines or operations present eye or face injury hazards. This talk is practice guidance to go with the standards, not a substitute for them.
Crew sign-in: Hard hats and safety glasses
| Name (print) | Signature |
|---|---|
Talk: sitesafetyhq.com/toolbox-talks/ppe/ · Keep this sheet with your safety program records.
The sign-in sheet, minus the paper chase
SiteSafetyHQ handles OSHA recordkeeping for small crews today: injuries reported from a phone, the recordable call answered with the rule cited, Forms 300/301/300A filled, deadlines watched. Weekly talks with crew sign-offs captured on the same phone are shipping next, and every plan will get them.
No card, no demo call. Flat $39 to $199/mo by company size.
Sources (checked August 4, 2026): 29 CFR 1926.100 (head protection) · 29 CFR 1926.102 (eye and face protection) · osha.gov/personal-protective-equipment. Original text informed by public-domain OSHA and NIOSH material.
SiteSafetyHQ is an independent product, not affiliated with OSHA. Practice guidance, not legal advice. A five-minute talk is not complete training; your company remains responsible for the training and protections your specific work requires.