June 2010 Examiners’ Report NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Healt an! Safet" # IGC1 Question 1
a$ Gi%e the meaning of the term ‘permit-to-work’. &2'
When work has to be carried carried out involving involving hazardous or high risk activities, activities, a permit to work is normally used. This is a formal document, signed by an authorised person and intend intended ed to contro controll the activi activiti ties es by ensuri ensuring ng set proced procedure uress are follow followed ed and by recording the control measures that should be taken. ($ I!en I!enti tif" f" )H )HRE REE E types of work activity that may reuire a permit-to-work. &*' • • • •
!ntry into confined spaces, "ot work for e#ample welding and cutting, Working Working at height, Work Work on high voltage electrical euipment.
c$ Outline the general details that should be included in a permit-to-work. &+' •
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$escription and assessment of the work to be performed including the plant involved, its location and the possible hazards associated with the task. This will determine the need for, and nature of, other relevant con tents of the permit %or e#ample, the isolation of sources of energy and product inlets, &dditional precautions reuired such as atmospheric monitoring, The provision and use of personal protective euipment, The emergency procedures to be followed The duration of the permit. An essential element of a permit to work system is, of course, the operation of the permit itself. 'y means of signatures, the permit should be issued by an authorized person, &ccepted by the competent person responsible for the work. (n completion of the work, the competent person would need to indicate on the permit that the area had been made safe in order for the permit to be cancelled by the authorised person, after which isolations could be removed.
!$ I!entif" the factors which may influence the effectiveness of a permit-to-work system. &,' •
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The information provided on the permit should be based on a full recognition of the hazards associated with the work that is to be carried out. The system will not be effective if there is a failure by those carrying out the work to comply with the terms of the permit,
%or e#ample by failing to isolate plant or drain lines containing hazardous substances *ontrolling ignition sources in a flameproof area. *ompetency of staff performing the task, The standard of the management and monitoring of the system, The comple#ity of the system that has been introduced, !nvironmental considerations and human factors such as stress or fatigue &cceptance of the system by those involved.
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Question 2
I!entif" the possible costs that an organisation may incur as a result of inadeuate standards of workplace health and safety.
+ncrease in accidents and ill-health of the workers. *onseuently the organisation suffers direct costs such as those arising from lost production and time dealing with the subseuent investigations Those arising from plant damage and replacement and clean-up activities )aying those involved during absences as a result of accident or ill-health, having to recruit and train replacement labour *osts arising from the possibility of action by the enforcement authorities or by a civil claim from the inured parties and the inevitable rise in insurance premiums. There are also indirect costs related to poor staff morale which could lead to industrial unrest and high staff turnover $amage done to the organisation’s reputation which could lead to a loss of orders and a subseuent decrease in its profitability.
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Question 3
*ontractors are carrying out a maor building proect for an organisation. Outline how this organisation could reduce the risks to contractors both before and during the building proect. &+' •
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elect a competent contractor taking into account previous involvement in similar types of work, references provided by former clients and the uality of the risk assessments and method statements produced. The organisation should also ensure that the contractor has adeuate resources and has allowed sufficient time to enable the work to be completed safely. (nce the contractor is selected, it would be necessary to share information on the particular risks in the working area for instance the presence of vehicles including fork lift trucks and the danger of falling materials The presence of hazardous materials such as asbestos and the location of services such as electricity, water and gas /eneral site safety rules such as a smoking policy and reference to the host employer’s safety policy
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0euirements for permits to work for certain work activities &ccident reporting procedures emergency procedures 1ocation of welfare facilities including first aid. & period of induction training for the contractor’s workers would be a useful method for alerting them to these matters. %inally, whilst the building work is in progress, there would have to be ongoing cooperation and coordination with the contractor, with regular monitoring of performance in ensuring the health and safety of both the contractor’s and the organisation’s workers and this can best be done by the appointment of a responsible contact person.
Question 4
a. Gi%e the meaning of the term ‘risk’ .N/ i%e a workplace e#ample. &*' The probability2likelihood of an occurrence and its possible conseuences and severity in terms of inury, damage or harm. b. I!entif" the key stages of a risk assessment. &' •
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+dentifying the hazards associated with a particular activity or task performed at the workplace $eciding who might be harmed including operators, maintenance staff and cleaners and groups especially at risk including young workers and the disabled !valuating the likelihood and probable severity of the harm that might be caused &ssessing the adeuacy of e#isting control measures and deciding whether additional controls should be introduced 0ecording the significant findings of the assessment and reviewing it at a later date and revising the findings when necessary.
Question 5
a. Outline what is meant by the terms 3within an organisation45 &i'
‘active 3proactive4 monitoring’ &2' &ctive 3proactive4 monitoring involves taking the initiative before things go wrong within an organisation in respect of health and safety issues and ensuring appropriate health and safety systems and procedures are in place.
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‘reactive monitoring’ &2'
0eactive monitoring is concerned with looking at events that have occurred in order to learn from mistakes and establishing what systems and procedures can and should be put in place to prevent a recurrence$
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b. Explain )3O active 3proactive4 monitoring methods that can be used when assessing an organisation’s health and safety performance. &' •
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+nspections - regular scheduled activities identifying e#isting conditions and comparing them with agreed performance obectives urveys - which focus on a particular activity such as manual handling or workers’ attitudes towards safety &udits - involving a comprehensive e#amination of all aspects of an organisation’s health and safety performance against stated obectives ampling - which targets specific areas of occupational health and safety such as unsafe work practices Tours - unscheduled workplace checks on issues such as housekeeping or the use of personal protective euipment "ealth surveillance - involving health screening by the use of techniues such as audiometry 'enchmarking - where the performance of an organisation in certain areas of health and safety is compared with that of other organisations with similar processes and risks.
Question 6
a. I!entif" reasons why young workers could be at a greater risk of accidents at work. &' • • • • •
1ack of knowledge, e#perience or training The individual’s stage of physical development cou pled with immaturity 6nderdeveloped communication skills (ver enthusiasm The tendency for young workers to take more risks and to respond more readily to peer group influences.
b. Outline control measures that could be taken to minimise risks to young workers. &' •
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*ontrol measures that might minimise the risk include a programme of induction training, careful supervision and mentoring by an e#perienced fellow worker The completion of risk assessments with young persons specifically in mind The provision of clear lines of communication with young workers )lacing restrictions on the types of work and the number of hours to be worked and introducing a programme of specific health surveillance for young workers.
Question 7
Outline the main health and safety responsibilities of5
a. employers &' To provide and maintain a safe workplace including access and egress together with safe plant and euipment 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 a safe working environment with adeuate welfare facilities including first aid To provide information, instruction, training and supervision for workers. To prepare and when necessary to revise a health and safety policy To cooperate with and consult with workers To secure competent health and safety advice and to cooperate with other employers at the workplace.
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b. workers. &' To cooperate with their employer, To take reasonable care for their own safety and that of their fellow workers To report accidents and any dangerous situations at the workplace. hould not misuse any euipment provided for them, hould follow site rules and should not take alcohol or drugs during their working time.
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Question 8
The number of absences due to work-related upper limb disorders in an organisation is increasing. I!entif" the possible sources of information that could be used when investigating this problem. &+' •
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0isk assessments and ob safety analyses where the need for repetitive action has been identified &ccident and ill-health reports together with an analysis of records of ab senteeism Worker records which would provide information on age and any reported disability 0elevant information from safety committee meetings and from supervisors particularly of the complaints they have received The results of surveys, uestionnaires and interviews with workers )ublished information such as guidance from the enforcing authority and2or manufacturers and that available from trade bodies and other employers.
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Question 9
I!entif" documents that may be e#amined when reviewing an organisation’s health and safety management system. &+' •
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"ealth and safety policy together with completed risk assessments and safe systems of work "ealth and safety monitoring records such as of inspections, audits and surveys that have been carried out &ccident and incident data including accident investigation reports and reports on near misses "ealth surveillance records &ny communications received following visits from the enforcement authorities +nsurance company reports 0esults and measurements from environmental surveys 0ecords of the maintenance of euipment together with information on any failures that have occurred $etails of the emergency procedures in place and records of any complaints made by workers.
Question 10
& workplace accident has occurred and an investigation is to take place. a$ Gi%e the meaning of the term ‘immediate causes’. &2'
+mmediate cause5 the most obvious reason why an adverse event happens. )hysical symptoms which can be seen or sensed such as unsafe acts by individuals or unsafe conditions in the workplace. b. Gi%e )3O e#amples of immediate causes that could have contributed to a workplace accident. &2' • • • • •
The failure or breakdown of euipment or the use of incorrect tools The involvement of incompetent or unauthorised personnel The failure to replace guards on machinery %ailure to wear personal protective euipment )oor standard of housekeeping.
c. Gi%e the meaning of the term ‘underlying 3root4 causes’. &2' 6nderlying cause5 the less obvious ‘system’ or ‘organisational’ reason for an adverse event happening.
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d. Gi%e )3O e#amples of root causes that could have contributed to a workplace accident. &2' %ailure to complete risk assessments and introduce safe systems of work • +nadeuate procedures for routine maintenance op erations • )oor standard of supervision • %ailure to provide an acceptable level of training for operations where competence • was reuired %ailure to recognize and manage the presence of stress in operatives arising from • production issues. Question 11
a. I!entif" a range of health and safety targets that may be included in the ‘statement of intent’ section of a health and safety policy. &' • • •
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compliance by the organisation with the reuirements of relevant legislation a reduction in the number of accidents and cases of ill-health the completion of an assessment of all risks in the workplace and its review within a defined time scale the provision to all workers of the necessary information, instruction and training to ensure their competence the maintenance of e#posure levels below defined limits full consultation with the workforce on health and safety issues and the provision of sufficient resources to secure the above targets.
b. /escri(e the purpose of5 &i' the ‘organisation’ section of a health and safety policy &2'
To show a clear allocation of health and safety responsibilities, including specialised 0esponsibilities, for all levels of management and workers in the organisation with the &im of ensuring that the health and safety policy is implemented. 3ii4 the ‘arrangements’ section of a health and safety policy. &2' The arrangements section of the policy details the practical arrangements made for implementing the aims of the health and safety policy in relation to specified identified hazards.
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