Floor Openings & Holes Toolbox Talk

Project: ____________ · Date: ____________ · Led by: ____________

A piece of plywood lying flat on a deck looks like scrap. If it's covering a hole and it isn't secured and marked, it's a trapdoor — and workers die every year stepping onto covers that slid, flipped, or were never rated for their weight.

Why it matters

Holes get created by one trade and killed by another: the plumber cuts the penetration, the laborer sweeps around it, the electrician steps in it. Whoever makes the hole owns protecting it — and everyone owns leaving covers alone.

Key points — cover all of these

1. Any floor hole 2 inches or bigger gets covered or guarded the moment it's made — not at cleanup, not end of shift.
2. Covers must support at least twice the maximum expected load — worker, equipment, and materials.
3. Secure the cover so it can't slide, and mark it 'HOLE' or 'COVER' so nobody lifts or moves it casually.
4. Larger openings and shafts get full guardrails: top rail, midrail, and a toe board if people work below.
5. Never remove a cover or rail without a plan to protect the opening while it's exposed — and put protection back before you walk away.
6. Report every unprotected opening immediately — don't assume the trade that cut it is coming right back.

Ask the crew

The answers are the point — this is where today's real hazards surface.

• Where are today's floor openings and penetrations on this job — can we name them all?
• Who is cutting new openings today, and do they have covers and markings staged before they cut?
• Has anyone ever found a cover that was just loose plywood? What did it take to notice?

The one thing today

If you make an opening today, protect it before you leave it — even for a minute.

Reference: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(4); 1926.502(i) (covers)

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