Hand Hygiene and Illness Prevention

Talking points

1. Gastrointestinal illness and flu spread quickly on construction sites through shared surfaces — tool handles, steering wheels, portable toilet door handles, and water cooler buttons.
2. Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before eating, drinking, or smoking, and after using the restroom. This is the single most effective way to prevent illness on a jobsite.
3. Hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol) is a good supplement but does not replace soap and water. It is less effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.
4. Do not share personal items — water bottles, food, cigarettes, vape devices, or PPE — especially during cold and flu season or during disease outbreaks.
5. If you are sick — vomiting, diarrhea, fever — stay home. Working while contagious puts the entire crew at risk and reduces your own ability to work safely.

Ask the crew

Are our handwashing facilities adequately stocked and accessible — and is everyone using them before meals?

Standards this talk is built on

• Section 5(a)(1)

A toolbox talk is a short safety briefing. It supports the training a standard requires; it does not replace it.

Sign-in sheet

Print this page to collect signatures, or run the talk in Jobsite and workers sign in on their phones.

© Jobsite. Free to read aloud, print and use in your own crew's safety meetings. Republishing, reselling or bulk-copying these talks is not permitted.