Struck-by hazards toolbox talk
Struck-by injuries come from three directions: vehicles and mobile equipment, falling loads and dropped tools, and flying particles from cutting or grinding. One of OSHA’s “Focus Four” construction killers, struck-by incidents are mostly a visibility problem — the operator didn’t see the worker, or the worker didn’t see the load path.
Vehicles and mobile equipment
The deadliest version is a worker on foot in an equipment travel path. OSHA requires reverse signal alarms on earthmoving equipment with an obstructed rear view (1926.602(a)(9)(ii)) and on dump trucks and similar vehicles (1926.601(b)(4)) — but an alarm is a warning, not a force field. Make eye contact with the operator before crossing a travel path; if you can’t see the operator’s eyes, they can’t see you at all.
Falling and flying objects
- Never walk or work under a suspended load, and never let a load swing over the crew. Riggers and signal persons own the load path — everyone else stays out of it.
- Tools working at height need tethers, toe boards, or debris nets below. A cordless drill dropped from a scaffold arrives with serious force.
- Cutting, grinding, chipping, and nailing throw particles — that’s why eye and face protection under 1926.102 applies to bystanders in the area, not only the person on the tool.
- Compressed air and powder-actuated tools get respect: they launch fasteners and fittings like projectiles when misused.
Make yourself seen
High-visibility clothing, staying out of marked equipment corridors, and spotters for every backing operation in a congested area. On this site, name the choke points: where do trucks back up, where do pedestrian routes cross equipment routes, and who reroutes foot traffic when a pick is happening overhead?
Discussion questions
Ask these out loud and wait for real answers — the discussion is the part of the talk crews remember.
- Where do people on foot cross equipment paths on this site, and can we reroute or barricade any of them?
- When a load is in the air, who is responsible for keeping the area below clear — and does everyone know who that is today?
- Have you ever been surprised by equipment backing toward you here? What would have prevented it?
Sign-in sheet
Wrap up with the sign-in sheet — name, signature, date, topic “Struck-by hazards.” Attach it to today’s daily report so the training record lives with the day it happened.
OSHA references
- 29 CFR 1926.601 — Motor vehicles
- 29 CFR 1926.602 — Material handling equipment
- 29 CFR 1926.102 — Eye and face protection
Standards linked to the official osha.gov text. This talk is general safety guidance, not legal advice — your site conditions, state plan, and company program govern.
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