Toolbox Talks
Utility Locating & Mark-Out Protocols – Toolbox Talk
Just because you’ve worked the site before doesn’t mean it’s safe now.
- Includes step-by-step leader guide and discussion points
- Worker sign-in sheet included — audit-ready
- PDF and Word format — print as-is or customise
- Any supervisor can run it — no safety background needed
- Instant download after purchase
Written by certified COR auditors · Trusted by Canadian contractors for 17+ years · Secure Stripe checkout · Instant delivery + re-download any time from your purchases page
About this talk
Just because you’ve worked the site before doesn’t mean it’s safe now.
Underground utilities shift, fade, get missed, or go unmarked altogether.
A single misstep with a shovel or drill can cause explosions, electrocution, or multi-million-dollar damages. This Toolbox Talk is essential for supervisors, foremen, and crews who need to treat utility locating as a critical control, not just a formality.
What you get
1-page Toolbox Talk Overview
1-page Supervisor Guide
1-page Printable Sign-In Sheet
Why this one and not a free handout
- Reinforces legal obligations and expiry timelines for locate tickets
- Features real-world prompts to review site-specific markings
- Focuses on both public and private utility risks, often overlooked in free talks
Who it is for
- Excavation Crews, Foremen, Utility Contractors, Safety Coordinators
- Construction, Directional Drilling, Landscaping, Municipal Projects
- COR / SECOR programs, OH&S compliance, CSA Z247, Alberta Damage Prevention
Written to
- CSA Z247
- Cited on the original product page
Common questions
Before you buy
What people ask us about the Utility Locating & Mark-Out Protocols – Toolbox Talk.
What is included in the Utility Locating & Mark-Out Protocols toolbox talk?
A ready-to-run safety meeting on utility locating & mark-out protocols, written for Canadian worksites and formatted so a supervisor can pick it up and deliver it without preparation. It includes a leader guide with the discussion points to work through. It also includes a printable sign-in sheet for recording who attended.
How long does the Utility Locating & Mark-Out Protocols toolbox talk take to run?
Most crews get through a talk in ten to fifteen minutes, which is what a pre-shift or tailgate meeting can absorb without cutting into the work. The material is written to be read aloud and discussed rather than presented.
Does this count as evidence in a COR, SECOR or ISNetworld audit?
The completed sign-in sheet is the record an auditor generally looks for as evidence that the talk happened and who was there, so keeping the signed sheets on file is what gives the talk its value at audit time. A toolbox talk is hazard communication, though, not formal training - it does not replace certification or competency training where a regulation or a prime contractor requires it.
What format is it, and when do I get it?
It is a digital download in a print-ready format, available immediately after checkout. Print as many copies as your crews need - the licence covers use inside your own company.
Can we add our company name to it?
Yes. The talk is meant to go into your own safety program, so you can add your company name and issue it as your own record.
Who should deliver the Utility Locating & Mark-Out Protocols talk?
Whoever runs the pre-shift meeting - normally a supervisor, foreman, or a competent worker familiar with the task. The guide is written so the person delivering it does not need to be a safety professional.
From the team that wrote it
A toolbox talk is one piece of a program.
Talks like this one prove your crew was trained on the day. The rest of the evidence - the manual behind it, and the training records an auditor asks for - is what we build.