Pre-task planning: turn the job into clear steps

Leader: review the source and site procedures before presenting. Adapt this briefing to today’s task and the crew’s language and training needs. This is an original educational talk, not OSHA-issued training or certification.

Start the conversation

The crew knows it must install a feeder, but the assignment includes delivery, access, pulling, terminations, and handover. A useful pre-task discussion makes those steps and their hazards visible.

Key talking points

• Break the assignment into manageable steps with the workers who will perform it. For each step, identify the hazards, controls, responsible people, and conditions needed before proceeding. A generic form is a starting point, not a substitute for discussing today’s actual installation.
• Electrical job example: material handling may be the first major exposure even though the completed task involves electricity. Include delivery, staging, access, and cleanup instead of focusing only on the final connection. Ask the apprentice to describe what they expect to do first.
• Confirm the limits of each person’s authorization and training. Identify tasks that require qualified personnel, competent-person involvement, specialized equipment, or another employer’s coordination. Do not let an unclear responsibility become an assumption that someone else has handled it.
• Use a drawing or simple sketch to discuss the work area. Mark the access route, electrical boundaries, nearby operations, and material locations. Ask workers to point out conflicts that may not appear in a written task description.
• Agree on stop-and-review triggers, such as unexpected equipment, changed conditions, missing controls, or a revised scope. Make it clear who receives the concern and who approves a revised plan. Reporting a change should be part of doing the job correctly.
• Check understanding through a brief explanation from the crew rather than only asking whether everyone agrees. Invite questions in a language and format workers understand. A signature shows that a discussion was recorded; it does not prove that the task is safe or that the worker is qualified.
• Close the loop after the work. Record what changed, what control worked well, and what should be improved before the next similar task. Assign follow-up actions and owners. Practical lessons from the crew should inform the next briefing rather than disappear when the paperwork is filed.

Ask the crew

1. Which step is missing from our initial plan?
2. What change requires us to pause and review?

Before work starts

Have the crew explain the first work step, its controls, and the person responsible before starting.