A safety block that includes a drive member on a lower face for attaching a socket or other tooling for applying torque to a screw, bolt, nut or other fastener. The safety block has a pair of drive pockets in an upper face of the block on opposed sides of a drive axis that passes through the drive member. The pair of drive pockets are sized and arranged to accept a square-shaped driver of a separately-provided wrench or breaker bar, to permit applying opposed, co-directional torque upon the socket or other tooling, thereby obviating the need to use a breaker bar or similar makeshift arrangement for breaking loose nuts and bolts in the field or on machinery.