NEBOSH International General Certificate Paper-1

Questions and Answers

Health & Safety Foundations

An organization has been found to have inadequate standards of workplace health and safety.
Identify the costs that the organization may incur as a result. (8)
The direct costs include:
• loss of production;
• plant damage, replacement and cleanup activities;
• sick pay, recruitment and/or rehabilitation costs;
• enforcement actions and fines,
• civil claims from the injured parties and higher insurance premiums.
There are also indirect costs:
• related to poor staff morale and high staff turnover
• and the damage to the organization’s reputation,
• loss of orders, production delays,
• time spent for subsequent investigations;
• subsequent decrease in its profitability.

Identify possible influences on an organization’s health and safety management standards. (8)

•regulatory and enforcement authorities,

•and individual governments,
•industry based standards of good/safe practice;
•shareholder demands and expectations;
•trade union demands;
•insurance companies;
•production demands,
•the competence and experience of the workforce
•and finally the commitment of members of senior management themselves in setting
•and enforcing high standards for their company.

Outline reasons for promoting and maintaining good standards of health and safety in the
workplace. (8)

The reasons for promoting and maintaining good standards of health and safety in the workplace are
the moral, legal and financial.
•The moral reason includes the responsibility of the employer to protect workers, others and
neighbors, from occupational hazards and risks.
•The legal reasons are focused on to protect employees and others, by issuing prohibitions and
fines.
•The financial reasons include the financial losses incurred with accidents and their investigations;
such as production loss, employee absence, and high insurance premiums.

a) Explain, giving an example in EACH case, the circumstances under which a health and safety
inspector may serve:
1.an improvement notice (3)
2.a prohibition notice. (3)
• A health and safety inspector serves an improvement notice when there is a breach of relevant
statutory provisions.
Example: the absence of manual handling assessments absence of PPE.

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• A health and safety inspector serves a prohibition notice if there is a risk of serious personal injury.
Example a dangerous machine lacks the necessary safeguards.

(b) State the effect on EACH type of enforcement notice of appealing against it. (2)
The effect of an appeal against an improvement notice is to suspend the notice until the appeal is
held, whereas a prohibition notice continues in force during this time.

Outline the key elements of a health and safety management system. (8)

The key elements of the health and safety management system include
•Policy, which is the top management commitment with a clear statement of intent, setting the
main health and safety aims and objectives of the company.
•Organization includes the allocation of responsibility to appropriate members of staff, with the
emphasis on achieving competency, control, communication and consultation.
•Planning and implementation involves carrying out risk assessments, the setting of standards and
targets and the introduction of appropriate control measures to achieve them.
•Proactive and reactive monitoring systems would need to be introduced to provide data on the
achievement or non-achievement of the objectives and targets set.
•Review and audit should be carried out to check whether the planned arrangements are being
implemented and to consider options for improvement and to set new targets where necessary.

An organization has had an increase in the number of manual handling accidents and associated
ill-health. Identify sources of information that may be available to help reduce the risks to the
workers. (8)
Sources of information that may be available to an organization to reduce the number of manual
handling accidents include
International
agencies such as:
• the ILO;
• national enforcement agencies such as the Health and Safety Executive,
• EHS,
• Local Municipality guidelines;
•employers organizations and Trade Unions;
• national and international standards such as ISO;
• information from manufacturers,
•professional health and safety bodies such as IOSH; and
•consultation with the workers.

Promoting Health and Safety

Outline the general content of the THREE sections of a health and safety policy. (6)

The three sections of a policy are

• the 'statement of intent', which both demonstrates management's commitment to health and
safety and sets goals and objectives for the organization, then to
• the 'organization' section, the purpose of which is to allocate health and safety responsibilities
within the company, to ensure effective control, competency, cooperation and to set up lines of
communication, and finally,
• the 'arrangements' section which sets out in detail the systems and procedures to implement the
of policy such as controlling hazards, provision of PPE, emergency procedures, monitoring, plant and
equipment etc.

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Explain why the health and safety policy should be signed by the most senior person in an
organization, such as a Managing Director or Chief Executive· Officer. (2)

The signature of the most senior person in the organization would demonstrate management
commitment, responsibility for health and safety in the organization, to set, approve and review the
policies and to ensure the resources for effective implementation of health & safety.

( a) Explain the purpose of the 'statement of intent section of a health and safety policy (2)

The 'statement of intent' section of a health and safety policy is designed to demonstrate
management commitment to health and safety in terms of aims and objectives, example,
commitment to improve trainings, reduce the incidents etc.

(b) Outline the circumstances that would require a health and safety policy to be reviewed. (6)
The circumstances to review the policy include:
•Significant changes in the organization;
•The introduction of new machinery or new processes or work methods;
•Following changes in key personnel;
•Following changes in legislation;
•Following an accident, and after a sufficient period of time has elapsed.

a) Outline why it is important for an organization to set health and safety targets.(2)

•to give evidence of management commitment,

•to motivating staff by providing them with goals and rewards;
•to act as an evidence during the audit
•and reviews and for benchmarking against other similar organizations.

(b) Identify health and safety targets that an organization could set. (6)
Identified targets such as;
•reductions in the number of accidents and defined incidents;
•an improvement in the reporting of near miss incidents or minor accidents and
•an improvement in inspection and audit scores;
•a reduction in actions taken by the enforcement authorities and in the number of civil claims;
•a reduction in sickness absence and absenteeism;
•reduced insurance costs;
•an increase in the degree of worker involvement
•and additionally in the number of workers trained in health and safety.

State the legal requirements whereby employers must prepare a written statement of their health
and safety policy.
The law requires that the written health and safety policy should include the following three
sections:
•A health and safety policy statement of intent which includes the health and safety aims and
objectives of the organization;
•The health and safety organization detailing the people with specific health and safety
responsibilities and their duties;
•The health and safety arrangements in place in terms of systems and procedures,
•The law requires employers to prepare and review the health and safety policy on a regular basis.

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Outline the various methods for communicating the contents of a health and safety policy to a
workforce.
•displaying the policy on prominent notice boards throughout the workplace,
•through induction and refresher training sessions,
•'toolbox' talks which are conducted at
•the workplace, directly by email, intranet, newsletters or booklets etc.

Identify possible influences on an organization’s health and safety management standards. (8)

The possible influences on an organization’s health and safety management standards include
•regulatory and enforcement authorities,
•industry based standards of safe practice;
•shareholder demands and expectations;
•trade unions;
•insurance companies, production demands, economic down turn;
•stakeholders, the competence and experience of the workforce,
•influence of society, and finally management commitment.

There has been deterioration in the health and safety culture of an organization.
(a) Define the term 'health and safety culture. (2)

Safety culture is defined as the product of individuals, groups, attitudes, perceptions, competencies
and dominant patterns of behaviors that determine the commitment to health and safety
management.
(b) Identify the factors (issues) that could have contributed to the deterioration.(6)
Factors (issues) that could have been identified included:
•lack of leadership and commitment;
•the lack of effective communication with the workers;
•poor supervision;
•the blame culture;
•production demands;
•lack of monitoring systems,
•lack of consultation and workers involvement;
•poor working environment;
•high staff turnover;
•job insecurity.

Outline how induction training programs for new workers can help to reduce the number of
accidents in the workplace. (8)
•By making the workers aware of the hazards and risks in the workplace;
•By introducing them to the safe systems of work, make them aware of emergencies;
•By making them aware of any restricted areas;
•Making them in the correct use of tools and equipment,
•Use and maintenance of protective equipment,
•How to report defects and incidents,
•Helping the workers to take a positive attitude to health and safety.

(a) Identify FOUR types of health and safety information that could be displayed on a notice board
in a workplace. (4)
The types of information include:
•the health and safety policy of the organization;

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•health and safety objectives and targets;
•performance against the targets;
•first aid information, emergency evacuation in the event of a fire;
•health and safety posters of campaigns; signs on diversions;
•and a copy of the Employer's liability insurance certificate.

(b) Identify how the effectiveness of notice boards as a method of communicating health and
safety information can be increased. (4)

The ways of increasing the effectiveness of notice boards include keeping them in a common and
prominent area of the workplace such as the staff room or canteen;
•dedicating the boards to health and safety matters;
•keep them up to date;
•giving consideration to ethnic groups and special needs people;
•displaying the information by the use of colour and graphics,
•identification of responsibility to keep them up to date.

Give reasons why a verbal instruction may not be clearly understood by an employee. (8)
The reasons include:
•high levels of noise,
•interference from personal protective equipment and other distractions;
•the use of too much technical jargon, language or dialect issues,
•ambiguity of the message,
•learning difficulties, lack of interest,
•the instruction is complex or lengthy.

Outline ways in which the health and safety culture of an organization might be improved. (8)

Health and safety culture of an organization might be improved by

•establishing and implementing a sound health and safety policy;
•by management commitment;
•by consulting employees on matters affecting their health and safety;
•and providing effective supervision and training,
•giving priority to health and safety,
•establishing effective communication with the workforce,
•and providing good welfare facilities.

a) Explain the meaning of the term 'competent person? (2)

The competent person is defined as a person who possesses skills, knowledge, experience and
training; he is capable of carrying the job in a safe manner.

(b) Outline the organizational factors (issues) that may cause a person to work unsafely even
though they are competent.(6)
The organizational factors (issues) include;
•management or peer group pressure,
•a poor safety culture in the organization,
•a lack of resources' or equipment,
•lack of roles and responsibilities,
•inadequate supervision and
•poor working conditions and poor communications.

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Give reasons why it is important to use a variety of methods to communicate health and safety
information in the workplace. (8)
The reasons include,
•people respond differently to different situations,
•overcome language barriers;
•to motivate workers,
•to involve workers with feedback;
•to display policy in a specified format;
•and to offer evidence when required, to facilitate disabled people etc.

Organizing Health and Safety

Outline the factors (issues) that should be considered when assessing the health and safety
competence of contractors. (8)

The factors (issues) when assessing the health and safety competence of contractors include:
•the contractor's previous experience with the similar work;
•quality of policy,
•the preparation of risk assessments and method statements;
•the management of sub-contractors;
•the level of training and qualifications of staff;
•the contractor's accident and enforcement history;
•membership of professional bodies;
•and suitable references.

(a) Explain the difference between consulting and informing workers in health and safety issues.
(2)
(i)Informing is a one way communication process, for example providing information to workers
on hazards, risks and control measures.
(i)Consulting is a two way communication process in which the employer listens and takes feedback
of workers before a decision is taken.

(b) Outline the health and safety issues on which employers should consult their workers. (6)
The issues may include:
•During the preparation of risk assessments,
•when planning for the health and safety trainings,
•the introduction of any new control measure at the workplace which affect workers health and
safety;
•changes in organizational structure; the introduction of emergency procedures;
•welfare issues;
•incentive schemes
•and the introduction of new policies such as smoking and alcohol etc.

(a) State the circumstances under which an employer must establish a health and safety
committee. (2)
An employer must establish a health and safety committee when one is requested, in writing, by two
or more trade union-appointed safety representatives.

(b) Give SIX reasons why a health and safety committee may prove to be ineffective in practice. (6)
•Lack of management commitment;
•poor communications;

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•no agenda and/or minutes of the meetings being produced;
•an uneven balance between management and employee representatives;
•improper mixture of members;
•poor chairmanship;
•no access to the decision-making processes;
•infrequent meetings;
•inappropriate topics for discussion;
•and no access to health and 'safety expertise.

Outline the specific factors (issues) that should be considered when assessing the risks to
employees working on night shifts. (8)
The factors (issues) to be considered include;
•lighting,
•heating,
•welfare and first-aid provision,
•and emergency arrangements;
•the effects of fatigue, lack of sleeping and the increased likelihood of human error;
•the number of hours worked and the period allowed for recovery between shifts; communications;
•the level of supervision provided and access to specialist advice if required;
•and the possible increased risk of violence on night workers.

Outline the main health and safety responsibilities of an

employers;(4)
The main health and safety responsibilities of an employer are to:
•Provide and maintain safe plant and equipment,
•To carry out risk assessments and to introduce safe systems of work;
•To ensure the safe use, storage, handling and transport of articles and substances;
•To provide adequate welfare facilities, and
•To provide information, instruction, training and supervision for employees,
•To cooperate and consult with employees.
workers. (4)
As for workers, their responsibilities include
•Taking reasonable care of themselves and their fellow workers and
•To stop unsafe acts and conditions;
•Cooperating with their employer;
•Reporting accidents and dangerous situations to their employer or other nominated member of
management;
•To comply with site rules and procedures, not using the alcohol or drugs during the working hours.

Identify EIGHT health and safety hazards relevant to the role of a long distance delivery driver (8)

Health and safety hazards relevant to the role of a long distance delivery driver include:
•the duration of the journey and the hours of driving;
•issues connected with the route to be followed and the different road conditions;
•the weather and other environmental factors (issues) ;
•inadequate vehicle maintenance and the possibility of breakdown;
•the manual and/or mechanical handling of the goods being carried and other hazards associated
with them such as exposure to chemicals;
•physical hazards such as exposure to noise and vibration;
•lone working with a possible absence of communication and supervision;
•the lack of emergency procedures including the provision of first aid;

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•security hazards including the possibility of violence and psychological hazards such as stress.

a) Give two reasons why visitors to a workplace might be at greater risk of injury than an
employee.
Visitors to a site whether authorized or not are often more at risk than employees because:
(i)they are unfamiliar with the workplace processes,
(ii)the hazards and associated risks they present;
(iii)they may not have the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE);
(iv)they will have a lack of knowledge of the site or premises layout;
(v)unsigned or poorly lit;
(vi)they are not familiar with the emergency procedures or means of escape;
(vii)they may be particularly vulnerable if they suffer from a disability or are very young.

(b) Outline measures to be taken to ensure the health and safety of visitors to the workplace
Many of these problems could be overcome by;
(i)Visitors signing in and being provided with a site escort;
(ii)Providing appropriate PPE and identity badges;
(iii)Providing simple induction procedures with a short video and information on site rules, hazards
and emergency procedures;
(i)Clear marking of walkways and provision of warning signs.

Two organizations share the same workplace. Outline how they could co-operate to achieve good
health and safety standards. (8)
(i)hold regular meetings, share information
(ii)and risk assessments and avoid carrying out incompatible processes;
(iii)prepare and agree joint site rules for the workplace for example for assembly points and smoking
areas;
(iv)set up joint procedures for the management of visitors and contractors;
(v)agree on procedures for the management of traffic and the movement of vehicles;
(vi)carry out joint inspections and monitoring of the workplace;
(vii)draw up joint emergency procedures;
(viii)agree a policy for the management of waste and obtain advice on health and safety matters
from a shared consultant.

Risk Assessment

(a) Identify the key stages of a workplace risk assessment. (5)

•The key stages involved in

•identifying the hazards at the workplace with safety inspections, incident data, HAZOPs etc;
•identifying the persons at risk including operators, maintenance staff, cleaners, visitors etc;
•evaluating the risks such as likelihood and probable severity of the harm;
•assessing the adequacy of existing control measures and deciding whether additional measures
were required;
•recording the significant findings and
•Finally reviewing risk assessment and revise if necessary.
(b) Outline THREE reasons for reviewing a risk assessment. (3)

The reasons for reviewing the risk assessment include:

•changes in the processes, work methods or materials used;
•the introduction of new or the modification of existing plant;

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•a change in legislation;
•changes of key personnel, when the results of monitoring of accidents, ill-health.

With respect to undertaking general risk assessments on activities within a workplace:

Outline the key stages of the risk assessment process, identifying the issues that would need to be
considered at EACH stage; (10)

(i)The 1st stage is to consider the activities undertaken at the workplace and to identify the
significant hazards involved.
(ii)The 2nd stage is the identification of people exposed to the hazards, ex: operators, maintenance
staff, cleaners and visitors, young or disabled workers.
(iii)The 3rd stage is evaluation of the risks taking into account the likelihood and severity of the
harm, the frequency and duration of the exposure of the employees, determine the existing control
measures are adequate and more need to be done.
(iv)The 4th stage involves recording the significant findings of the assessment in a written form,
(v)the 5th stage is a review and revision of the assessment at regular intervals.

(a) Explain the criteria which must be met for the assessment to be 'suitable and sufficient'; (4)

A risk assessment should identify all significant hazards and risks arising from the activities, identify
all the persons at risk including employees, other workers and members of the public, evaluate the
adequacy and effectiveness of existing control measures, be appropriate to the nature of the work
and valid over a reasonable period of time.

(b) Outline the factors (issues) that the employer should take into account when selecting
individuals to assist in carrying out the required risk assessment. (6)
The factors (issues) include;
(i)the individuals' past experience and training in hazard identification and in carrying out risk
assessments,
(ii)their experience of the process or activity carried out in the workplace and their knowledge of the
plant and equipment involved,
(iii)their ability to understand and interpret regulations, standards and guidance,
(iv)their communication and reporting skills,
(v)an awareness of their own limitations and;
(vi)their attitude and commitment to the task.

a) Define the term 'hazard'. (2)

Hazard, as per OHSAS 18001, is defined as the source or situation which has potential to cause harm

(b) Define the term 'risk'. (2)

Risk is defined as the probability/likelihood that the potential would be realized and its severity in
terms of injury, damage or harm
.
(c) Identify FOUR means of hazard identification that may be used in the workplace. (4)
Four means of Hazard identification include;
•carrying out inspections, observations and safety audits;
•job safety analyses and risk assessments;
•the study of incident data, hazard operability studies, reference to legislation
•and its accompanying guidance and manufacturers' documents such as safety data sheets;

(a) Explain the meaning of the term 'risk'. (2)

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The risk is the product of the probability or likelihood of the occurrence and the severity of the
occurrence of an unwanted event;

(b) Identify SIX hazards that might be considered when assessing the risk to the health and safely
of a mufti-story car park attendant.
•fumes and/or dust;
•impact or crushing by moving vehicles;
•fire (particularly in relation to fuel);
•extremes of ambient temperature;
•the possibility of being subjected to violence;
•noise from, for instance, car alarms;
•slips, trips or falls (exacerbated perhaps by oil and stairs);
•biological hazards from the presence of vermin, human waste and hypodermic needles;
•Ergonomic hazards caused by the need to stoop or twist in what might be a restricted workspace.

Give the reasons why hazards to the health of workers may not be identified during a workplace
inspection. (8)
The reasons include:
•the nature of the hazard may not be well understood, Ex: contact with biological agents;
•a lack of measuring equipment, ex: for noise;
•the effects may be chronic rather than immediate;
•the hazard not being visible , ex: radiation;
•over familiarity as, for example, from exposure to sunlight;
•the workers not available during the inspection;
•the unwillingness of individuals to admit the defects in safety;
•low priority to health and safety;
•the person carrying out the inspection concentrating on the more immediate hazards;
•and the lack of competency of the inspector.

Principles of Control

An organization is introducing a new work activity that requires a safe system of work.
Explain:
(i)Why it is important to involve workers in the development of a safe system of work; (4)

It is important to involve workers in the development of a safe system of work because of their
knowledge of the particular working environment involved, their ownership of the system and
encourage workers to use and follow safe system of work, it emphasize management's commitment
to health and safety, it shows a clear method of communication to the workers.

(ii)Why it is important for safe systems of work to have written procedures. (4)

It is important to have procedures to contain complex information, to ensure correct

sequence of operations, to aware of the procedures, for audit purposes, it acts as an evidence in
defending an enforcement action or a civil claim, a requirement of the organization’s quality
assurance procedures.

a) Identify FOUR types of emergency that would require an organization to have an emergency
procedure. (4)
Four emergencies which require emergency procedures include;
•evacuation in case of fire,

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•for accidents,
•for dangerous occurrences such as a chemical spillage,
•and in the event of explosions.

(b) Explain why visitors to a workplace should be informed of its emergency procedures. (4)

Visitors should be informed of the emergency procedures so that they could react appropriately in
the event of an emergency, to prevent visitors obstructing workers and putting them at risk, the
moral responsibility of the organization for the safety of visitors and the duty of care it might owe
them under law.

Explain why personal protective equipment (PPE) should be considered as a last resort in the
control of occupational health hazards. (8)

Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be considered as last resort when all hierarchy of
controls have been failed. Other reasons Include that PPE may not provide adequate protection
because of such factors (issues) as poor selection, poor fit, incompatibility with other types of PPE,
contamination, and misuse or non-use by employees. In addition, PPE is likely to be uncomfortable
and relies for its effectiveness on a conscious action by the user. In certain circumstances, its use can
actually create additional risks for instance, warning sounds masked by hearing protection.

Identify EIGHT sources of information that might usefully be consulted when developing a safe
system of work. (8)
The eight sources of information include
•statutory instruments,
•approved codes of practice and guidance such as HSE,
•manufacturers' information,
•European and other official standards,
•industry or trade literature,
•results of risk assessments,
•accident statistics and health/medical surveillance records,
•the employees involved,
•enforcement agencies and other experts.

(a) Give the meaning of the term 'permit-to-work'.(2)

A permit-to-work is a formal and controlled document authorized by the client to protect personnel
working in hazardous areas or carrying out high risk activities.

Identify THREE types of work that may require a permit-to-work, AND give the reasons why in
EACH case.(6)
•confined space work where there is a danger of being overcome by fumes or gases or by a shortage
of oxygen;
•work on live or high voltage electrical equipment where there would be a danger of electrocution;
•hot work involving welding or cutting operations, where the risk of sparks may ignite nearby
flammable materials;
•Maintenance work on dangerous process plant or production machinery where it may not be
possible to keep the normal standards of protection in place and work at heights.

(a) Identify TWO main purposes of first-aid treatment.(2)

The two main functions of first-aid treatment are, the minimization of the consequences of injury,
and the treatment of minor injuries that do not need medical attention.

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(b) Outline the factors (issues) to be considered when carrying out a risk assessment of first-aid
requirements in a workplace.(6)
•the number of trained first-aid personnel and first-aid facilities
•the distribution and composition of the workforce
•the types of hazard and level of risk present;
•the past history of accidents and their type, location and consequences;
•the proximity of the workplace to emergency medical services;
•the special needs of travelling, remote or lone workers;
•the need to train the first aid personnel in special procedures;
•and the ability to provide continued cover over different shifts and for sickness, leave and other
absence.

Identify reasons why workers may fail to comply with safety procedures at work. (8)

•inadequate resources whether of tools, equipment or employees;

•ill-considered procedures;
•a perceived lack of commitment to health and safety by management and emphasis on other
priorities such as production;
•the lack of adequate information and training and a perceived lack of consultation;
•a poor safety culture within the organization;
•fatigue, illness and stress;
•lack of concentration because of boredom and repetitive work tasks;
•poor working conditions;
•mental and/or physical capabilities not taken into account;
•inadequate supervision and a failure to enforce compliance with the procedures;
•peer group pressure;
• a failure to recognize risks and ultimately a willful disregard of the safety procedures.

With respect to the management of risk within the workplace

1.Explain the meaning of the term hierarchy of control, (2)
Hierarchy of control measure is controlling the risks with respect the relative costs, effort and
time of the each control measure against the degree of control which provides. The hierarchy
starts from elimination and ends up with PPE.

Outline, with examples, the standard hierarchy that should be applied with respect to controlling
health and safety risks in the workplace.

The general hierarchy for controlling health and safety risks in the workplace include the possibility
of:
•Eliminating the risks either by designing them out, changing the process or contracting the work
out. The next step would be
•Reduction of the risks for example, the substitution of hazardous substances with less hazardous
substances, and
•Reducing exposure time for example by job rotation. If this were not possible,
•Isolation, using enclosures, barriers or worker segregation,
•Engineering controls such as guarding, the provision of local exhaust ventilation systems, the use of
reduced voltage systems or residual current devices, finally when all above controls failed,
•Provision of personal protective equipment such as ear defenders or respiratory protective
equipment.

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 Monitoring, Audit and Review

a) Outline the importance of monitoring as part of a health and safety management system (6)

•it reinforces management's commitment to health and safety objectives;

•helps in developing a positive health and safety culture;
•assures the compliance with the performance standards;
•identifies the areas for improvement;
•enables in making decisions for remedial measures for any identified deficiencies;
•assists in setting the targets for the future improvement of performance;
•it motivates managers and employees for better performance and continual improvement.

(b) Identify the (i) Active (proactive) (5)

Active measures include safety inspections, safety surveys, safety tours, audits, safety sampling,
health surveillance, behavioral observations, environmental monitoring, benchmarking with other
organizations.

(ii) Reactive measures (5)

Reactive measures include the accident and ill health statistics, reporting of near misses and
dangerous occurrences, reporting of property damage, actions taken by the enforcement
authorities, number of civil claims, analysis of absences and lost time, analysis of costs involved in
the incidents.

(c) Explain why monitoring reports should be submitted to the chief executive or managing
director of the organization. (4)

Monitoring reports should be submitted to the CEO or Managing Director, because, it include the
ultimate responsibility to review the process, he has authority to take appropriate actions, he
authorizes the resources necessary for implementation health and safety system, takes the
disciplinary actions against employees where necessary and motivate staff with rewards.

a) Outline the key features of

1.a health and safety inspection (4)
A workplace inspection involves physical inspection of a workplace, premises, plant and equipment,
tools etc. It is generally carried out by supervisors and safety advisors at regular intervals and use
checklists. The inspection looks for the unsafe acts and conditions and results in short report of its
findings with suggestions for remedial actions to be taken.

1.b health and safety audit (4)

A Safety audit is a systematic and independent examination of an organizations health and safety
system, involving the use of series of Questions and document examination to collect objective
evidence. Audits aim for assessing the effectiveness and reliability of the system. Audits suggest the
corrective action to be taken. It is carried out by trained auditors.

(b) Explain how the findings of an audit may be used to improve health and safety
performance.(12)
The findings of a safety audit may be used in a number of ways to improve health and safety
performance, which include;
•identifying strengths and weaknesses in the management system,
•identifying the compliance and non-compliance with the standards,

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•identifying the remedial actions,
•enables the benchmarking with other organizations,
•assist in the continual improvement of the organization by regular audit intervals,
•assists in allocation and prioritize the resources,
•communicate these findings to the staff and the management,

Outline four proactive monitoring methods that can be used in assessing the health and safety
performance of an organization. (8)
Proactive methods that could have been outlined include,
•Safety Audits which involve comprehensive and independently executed examinations of health
and safety management systems.
•Safety surveys, focusing on specific issues such as manual handling, training programs, firefighting
equipment etc.
•Safety sampling, where specific areas of health and safety are targeted;
•Safety tours involving unscheduled inspections of workplace, generally check issues such as
wearing PPE and housekeeping.

Explain how accident data can be used to improve health and safety performance within an
organization. (4)
The accident data could be used to identify trends, prevent recurrence, identify problem areas, given
the opportunity for remedial actions, data could be used to compare with others, to inform and
stimulate discussion at joint consultation meetings with the workforce and to identify the costs of
accidents.
(b) Explain TWO active (proactive) monitoring methods that can be used when assessing an
organization’s health and safety performance.(4)

Proactive methods that might have been explained included:

•audits -involving comprehensive and independently executed examinations of all aspects of an
organization’s health and safety performance against stated objectives;
• inspections -carried out on a regular basis which identify existing conditions and compare them
with agreed performance objectives;
•safety surveys -focusing on a particular activity such as manual handling, training programs and
workers attitudes towards safety;
•Safety sampling -where specific areas of occupational health and safety are targeted;
•Safety tours -involving unscheduled workplace inspections to check on issues such as wearing of
personal protective equipment and housekeeping;

1.Give the reasons why hazards to the health of workers may not be identified during a workplace
inspection. (8)
The reasons include,
•the nature of the hazard may not be well understood, ex: hazards from contact with biological
agents;
•lack of measuring equipment, ex: for noise;
•effects may be chronic rather than acute;
•the hazard not be visible, ex: radiation;
•over familiarity, ex:, exposure to sunlight;
•workers are not available during the inspection;
•unwillingness of individuals to admit the health problems;
•low priority for health in the organization;
•priority to more immediate and often safety hazards;
• and ultimately the lack of competency of the inspector.

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 Incident Investigation, Recording & Reporting

Outline the benefits to an employer of conducting accident investigations. (9)

The benefits of conducting accident investigation such as

• the prevention of similar accidents occurring in the future;
• facilitating compliance with legal requirements and obligations;
• an improvement in the health and safety performance of the organization;
• an improvement in the morale of the workforce and its attitude towards health and safety;
• the prevention of business loss and the provision of evidence in the event of enforcement action
or a civil claims.

Outline the initial actions that should be taken following a major injury accident at work. (8)

•isolating services, making the area safe;

•providing first aid treatment and contacting the emergency services such as ambulances;
•informing the next of kin;
•notifying the regulatory authority;
•collecting initial evidence such as photographs and sketches and
•the names of witnesses and setting up the accident investigation.

(a) Outline why an organization should have a system for the internal reporting of accidents.(4)
OR Identify four reasons why accidents should be reported and recorded.
•The reasons include
•the compilation of accident statistics,
•identification of trends;
•to satisfy legal requirements;
•for use in civil claims or to satisfy insurance requirements;
•to identify and reduce of loss;
•and to inform the review of risk assessments.

(b) Identify the reasons why workers might not report accidents at work.(4)
•The reasons include
•employees are not aware of reporting procedures;
•peer pressure and a reluctance to take time off from the job in hand;
•job insecurity,
•possible blame by management;
•to avoid receiving first-aid or medical treatment for whatever reason;
•over-complicated reporting procedures,
•lack of obvious management response to earlier reported accidents.

Outline the immediate & long term actions that should be taken following a serious accident at
work?

The immediate action include treat person if safe to do so, ring for an ambulance & send to hospital,
inform dependents, make area safe & cordon off ensuring scene is not disturbed, notify
enforcement authority, speak to any eye witnesses and take photographs, statements and
measurements.
The long term actions include, investigate the accident, identify the immediate and root causes,
recommendations, report the causes to the management, draw the action plan for implementation,
verify the effectiveness of the implementation, communicate the causes to all employees etc.

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Outline the information to be included in the incident investigation report.

•date, time and location of incident;

• details of injured person such as name, position and department;
• details of injury;
• details of person investigated;
• brief details of accident/incident;
• details of machinery, chemicals and tools involved;
• immediate and root causes;
• details of first aid given;
• Conclusions & Recommendations;
• action to be taken with date of completion;
• details of witnesses etc.

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