What does "do a take 5" mean?

I Googled the phrase "do a TAKE 5" and the first result I got was with respect to safety training.

It pertains to making a risk assessment of the area:

  1. Stop, step back and think
  2. Identifying the Hazard(s)
  3. Assess the level of Risk
  4. Control the Hazard(s)
  5. Proceed safely

So "doing a take 5 prior to undertaking work" would mean doing a risk assessment before undertaking work.

This makes more sense than taking a five minute break, which would be expressed as "We always take five before starting work.", and never "do a take five" which sounds very unidiomatic with respect to break taking.


In business-speak, "do a take 5" is a specific meeting technique. According to the Harvard Business Review:

Do a "Take 5": For the first five minutes of a virtual meeting, everyone should take turns and talk a little about what's going on in their lives, either personally or professionally. This will help "break the ice" and set the right mood for people to listen and connect with one another.

In your context, it is probably something similar, where workmates and-or clients share something about themselves or their goals before working on a project together.