Record a toolbox talk — what was discussed, any safety alerts, an optional checklist — and get your crew to sign on that they attended, either on your device or their own phones via a QR code or link.
Who can use it — You need "view toolbox talks" permission to see the list, and "manage toolbox talks" permission to create one, run it through its stages and open sign-on. Nobody needs a permission to sign from the QR code or link. See Roles & Permissions for how access is set.
Where to find it — Safety & Compliance → Toolbox Talks in the sidebar. Wording for repeat topics lives in Administration → Toolbox Talk Templates.
How a toolbox talk moves through its stages
Every toolbox talk goes through four stages, in order. It can't skip a stage or go backwards:
- Draft — you're still filling it in.
- In Progress — the meeting has started.
- Signatures Open — content is locked, the sign-on QR code and link go live, and invited attendees are asked to sign.
- Finalised — the meeting is closed and sign-on stops.
Setting one up
Click New toolbox talk and work through the tabs. In a workspace that's never run one, the empty list also offers starter topics and Start a blank talk.
- Meeting Setup — first, Start from a template: pick a topic and, while the talk is empty, its wording loads into the three boxes on the next tab, along with the Title (if blank) and the template's checklist (if it has one). Once those boxes have content, picking another template leaves them alone. Press Load template to replace them; it asks first. Then the Title, the Project (both required), and an optional Scheduled for date and time.
- Discussion & Alerts — Discussion Points, Safety Alerts / Incidents Reviewed and General Notes / Worker Feedback. At least one needs content before the meeting can start.
- Attachments — up to 10 photos or PDFs (10 MB each), such as SDS documents or safety memos, each with an optional caption.
- Attendees — pick Internal Attendees from people in your workspace. They're asked to sign and must sign before you can finalise.
- Optional Checklist — turn on Include a checklist to attach a checklist template, such as a PPE confirmation, for the supervisor to complete.
Save Draft saves the talk as a Draft. Nothing is locked yet.
Running the meeting
From the talk's page, work through the header actions in order:
- Fill Checklist (if one is attached) — available in Draft or In Progress. The supervisor answers it once, not per attendee.
- Start Meeting — moves the talk to In Progress. It needs a title and content in at least one of the three sections.
- Open Signatures — moves the talk to Signatures Open. It's blocked if an attached checklist isn't fully answered. This locks the content, creates the QR code and link, and asks every invited attendee to sign. They're notified in the app; whether it also goes by email depends on your notification settings.
- Finalise & Close — closes the meeting. It's blocked while any invited internal attendee hasn't signed, or the checklist is incomplete. The confirmation shows internal signed and invited counts, external signed counts, and anything outstanding.
Content and attachment lock
Once signatures open, discussion points, safety alerts, general notes and attachments can't be added, changed or removed, and Edit disappears. This keeps what attendees are signing from changing afterwards.
How workers sign on
Once signatures are open, a Sign-On Lobby appears at the top of the talk with a QR code ("Scan to sign on"), Copy link and Open sign-on. The link lasts 7 days. If it expires, use Regenerate sign-on link, which issues a new code and stops the old one working.
There are four ways to sign:
- On their own phone — a worker scans the QR code or opens the link, with no login needed. They see the discussion points, alerts, notes and attachments, tick that they've read and understood, enter Full Name and Company, sign (or use Type my name instead), can add Anything to raise? and an optional location, then tap Sign On. An invited worker already signed in on that phone sees a tick confirming they're signing for themselves; untick it if someone else is using the phone.
- Pass the Device — opens a sign-on screen on your device, with the menus hidden, showing the content and a Sign now button beside each invitee. Add external attendee covers subcontractors and visitors. If the device loses connection, signatures queue on it and sync once it's back online. Hand back to supervisor exits.
- Sign Now — an invited person signed in to SubGrade can sign from the To Sign tab or the talk's page.
- Add manual attendee — on the talk's Attendees tab, while signatures are open. It opens a side panel for transcribing paper sign-on sheets or anyone without a phone, with a name, company, signed-at time and a drawn signature. To use a photo of a paper signature, open No pad? Upload a photo of their signature.
The Attendees list shows how each signature arrived, such as Scanned QR or Entered by supervisor. While signatures are open, Remove deletes a duplicate or mistaken row, including its signature.
Tracking attendance
The Workflow & Attendance panel shows the current step (1 of 4 through 4 of 4) plus Internal Invited, Internal Signed, Internal Pending, External Signed, Concerns Raised and Internal Completion. Concerns are anything people entered under Anything to raise?, so read them before you close the talk.
The list has three tabs: To Sign (talks waiting on you), My History (talks you've signed) and Conducting (talks you're running).
Tips & common mistakes
- Can't start the meeting? You need a title and at least one of Discussion Points, Safety Alerts or General Notes.
- Can't open signatures? Every question on an attached checklist needs an answer.
- Can't finalise? Every invited internal attendee must sign, and the checklist must be complete. The confirmation tells you what's outstanding.
- Typo after signatures opened? You can't fix it, because content locks at that point. Get it right before Open Signatures, or cover it in a follow-up talk.
- Old QR code stopped working? Links expire after 7 days. Use Regenerate sign-on link. Anyone with the old link loses access.
- Someone without a phone? Use Pass the Device, or Add manual attendee for a paper sheet.
- A finalised talk can't be deleted. Its register is the evidence of who attended.
Connected pages
- SWMS — Safe Work Method Statements, the project-level safety documents toolbox talks often reference.
- Plant Risk Assessments — machine-specific risk assessments, signed separately.
- SDS Register — chemical safety data sheets you may want to attach to a talk.