Professional Safety Training

&Consultancy

NEBOSH INTERNATIONAL GENERAL

CERTIFICATE

Preparatory Notes
(IGC 1)

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Q1: Barriers to good standard of health & safety.

Complexity of the workplace
Conflicting demands:
Timescales.
Standards.
Budgets.
Behavioral issues:
People failing to act as
desired or making mistakes.

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Q2: Three main reasons why an organization has to manage health &
safety.
Moral
Relates to the moral duty that one person has to another. This is
morally unacceptable that people are killed, injured or made sick
by their work.
Legal
Relates to the framework of laws, an employer has a duty to
provide a safe place of work, safe plant & equipment, safe
system of work, adequate training & supervision, and competent
employees.
Economic
Relates to the fact that accidents and ill health cost money.
When an accident occurs there will be direct & indirect costs
associated with that event.
Q3: Why might the management of an organisation not consider
health and safety to be a priority?
Competes with other business aims:
Requires time and resources.
Seen as a cost to business:
Ignorance of true costs of injury/illness.
Ignorance of legal duties.
Ignorance of hazards.
Q4: An employee has been injured at work. Identify potential, direct
costs of the accident, indirect costs of the accident?
Identify possible costs to an organization following an accident in the
workplace?
Direct costs include:
First-aid treatment, sick pay,
Lost production time.
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Fines and compensation.

Lost or damaged products.
Overtime to make up for lost time.
Indirect costs include:
Lost time for investigation.
Lost morale and damaged worker relationships.
Cost of recruitment of replacement staff.
Lost reputation.

Q5: Employer responsibilities under Article 10 of R164.

Provide and maintain workplaces, machinery and equipment and
use working methods that are safe.
Give necessary instruction, training and supervision in
application and use of health and safety measures.
Introduce organisational arrangements relevant to activities and
size of undertaking.
Provide PPE and clothing without charge to workers.
Ensure that work organisation, particularly working hours and
rest breaks, does not adversely affect occupational safety and
health.
Take reasonably practical measures with a view to eliminating
excessive physical and mental fatigue.
Keep up to date with scientific and technical knowledge to
comply with the above.
Q6: Worker responsibilities under Article 19 of C 155.
Take reasonable care of Their own safety and that of other
people.
Comply with safety instructions and procedures.
Use all safety equipment properly.
Report any situation that they believe could be a hazard and
which they cannot themselves correct.
Report any work-related accident/ill health.
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Q7: what are the Consequences for an employer of Non compliance

with health & safety responsibilities?
Enforcement action:
Improvement.
Prohibition.
Prosecution:
Organisation may be fined.
Individuals may be fined or imprisoned
Q8: Health & safety sources of information?
Internal Sources
Accident records.
Medical records.
Risk assessments.
Maintenance reports.
Safety inspections.
Audit reports.
Safety-committee minutes.
External Sources
National legislation.
Safety data sheets.
Codes of practice.
Guidance notes.
Operating instructions.
Trade associations.
Safety publications.
Q9: What are the key elements of the ILO-OSH health and safety
management system?
Policy:
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Clear statement of commitment to health and safety.

Organising:
Roles and responsibilities for health and safety.
At all levels in the organisation.
Planning and implementing:
Detailed arrangements to manage H&S.
Risk assessments!
Evaluation:
Methods to monitor and review the effectiveness of the
arrangements.
Action for improvement:
Steps to correct issues found in the review.
Audit:
Independent, critical and systematic review of the
management system.

Q10: Why might the health and safety policy of two organisations be
different?
Why isnt there a prescribed, one size fits all approach to
developing a policy?
There is no one correct format or set of contents for a health & safety
policy. The hazards & risks, the size, & the complexity of the
organization may be different. For example the safety policy of a
small, low risk manufacturing company may be different from that of
a large, high risk oil & gas multinational.
Q11: Key elements of health & safety policy?
Health & safety policy is usually found in three parts.
Statement of intent

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Setting overall aims & objectives, complying with law,

achieving standards
Organisation
Shows the lines of responsibilities & accountabilities
Arrangements
Provides the detail on how the organisation manages health &
safety
Q12: What type of targets might be referenced in the policy (and
where)?
The Statement of Intent may also set targets for the organisation to
achieve. Possible targets might relate to:
Accident rates: to achieve a reduction in the accident or illhealth rate.
Active monitoring: to complete successfully a number of active
monitoring activities, e.g. successful completion of 90% of all
supervisor safety inspections over a year.
Completion of key activities such as the completion of risk
assessments across the organisation
Delivery of training to all workers
Development of a consultation process to engage the workforce
Benchmarking against other organisations
Q13: Circumstances which might require a review of policy?
Technological changes
Organisational changes
Legal changes
Changes to the type of work
Audit, investigation or risk assessment suggests the policy is no
longer effective
When required by a third party, such as insurance company or
clients
Following enforcement action

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 After the passage of time

Q14: Things you should check while selecting the contractor?
What would you look for/check when selecting a contractor?

Health and safety policy.

Risk assessments.
Qualifications and training records.
Membership of a professional organisation.
Maintenance and equipment testing.
Previous or current clients.
Accident records.
Enforcement action.
Adequate resources.

Q15: To whom does an employer owe a duty with regard to health

and safety?

Own employees to ensure their H&S

other workers (not employees) e.g. contractors
Visitors
Members of the public

Q16: a) Definition of H&S Culture: The safety culture of an

organisation is the shared attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviours
relating to health and safety.
b) What factors could result in the deterioration of an organisations
health and safety culture and hence safety performance?
Lack of leadership from management.
Presence of a blame culture.
Lack of management commitment to safety.
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Health and safety a lower priority than other issues.

Organisational changes.
High staff turnover rates.
Lack of resources, e.g. too few workers, low investment.
Lack of worker consultation.
Interpersonal issues, e.g. peer-group pressure, bullying.
Poor management systems and procedures.
External influences, e.g. economic climate

c) Indicators used to assess safety culture

Accident records.
Sickness rates.
Absenteeism.
Staff turnover.
Compliance with safety rules.
Worker complaints.
Staff morale.

d) What is peer pressure: Peer pressure is the way that colleagues

(peers) exert influence over others in order to shape their
behaviour.
Q17: a) What three key factors influence a workers behaviour? Give
examples of each.
Job factors task, workload, environment, displays and controls
(interface with equipment), procedures
Organisational factors safety culture, policies and procedures,
leadership, supervision levels, peer pressure, consultation,
communication, training, work patterns (shifts, etc.)
Individual factors attitude, competence, motivation
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b)Definition of perception: the way that people see the world or the
way that people interpret information that they take in through their
senses including sight, smell, hearing etc
c) Suggest reasons why two people may perceive hazards differently?
Sensory impairment/disability, senses impaired by PPE or background
noise, etc, illness, stress, fatigue, drugs/alcohol, previous experience,
training and education.
d) Ways of improving worker perception of hazards?

Use surveys or discussions groups

Safety awareness campaigns, toolbox talks
Training programmes
Highlighting hazards, e.g. use safety signs
Adequate lighting
Removing distractions such as noise

Q18: a) what is training?

The planned, formal process of acquiring and practising knowledge
and skills in a relatively safe environment.
b) Various circumstances require the provision of training?
New employees- induction training
Job change- new hazards following a change in job
Process change- new hazards associated with new ways of
working
New technology- new hazards associated with plant &
machinery
New legislation- implications of the new legislation

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c) Which factors to be considered to develop training programme or

training need analysis?
The type and function of the organisation
The hazard and risk profile of the organisation for example, if
woodworking machinery is used, training in its safe use should
be provided.
The accident history of the organisation may indicate that there
are areas where awareness is lacking or training is needed
There may be statutory training requirements, e.g. for firstaiders, which need to be fulfilled.
The level of training previously provided, together with the
detail of which employees have been trained and when.
d) What should include in health and safety induction training
programme for new starters?

Health and safety policy.

Emergency procedures.
First aid.
Welfare facilities.
Safe movement.
Accident and incident-reporting.
Consultation arrangements.
Safety rules.
Personal protective equipment.
Safe working and permits.
Risk assessment system.

Q19: a) What types of emergency situation might an organisation

need to consider?
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b) You are developing fire response arrangements what key things

would you include?
a) Foreseeable emergencies depending on the organisation include
fire, bomb threat, chemical spills toxic-gas release, disease, severe
weather, flood, multiple-casualty accident.
b) Procedures to be followed/evacuation procedures, provision of
suitable equipment, nominated fire Marshalls, etc. provision of
information and training, notices etc, drills and exercises.
Q20: when determining the number of first aiders what should
employer need to consider?

Number of workers on site

Distribution of workers
Shift patterns
Need to provide first aid cover during absences

b) What other factors should be considered when evaluating the

overall level and type of first-aid provision for a site.

The general risk level of the workplace.

The hazards present in the workplace.
Accident history.
Specific procedures required e.g. some toxic materials have
specific antidotes, or first-aid protocols.
The presence of vulnerable persons.
The number of workers in the workplace.
Work patterns and shift systems of workers.
The geographic location of the workplace.
The spread of the workplace.

Q21: a) objectives of risk assessment?

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To Prevent:
Death and personal injury.
Other types of loss incident.
Breaches of statute law, which might lead to enforcement action
and/or prosecution.
The direct and indirect costs that follow on from accidents.
b) What are the 5 steps to risk assessment?

Identify the hazards.

Identify the people who might be harmed and how.
Evaluate the risk and decide on precautions.
Record the significant findings and implement them.
Review and update as necessary.

c) What should a suitable and sufficient risk assessment contain?

Name and competence of assessor
Hazards and risks arising from work
Persons at risk
Evaluation of current controls
Identify protective measures
Prioritise corrective actions
Record significant findings
Appropriate level of detail/complexity for organisation, and in
proportion with risk level
Period assessment will remain valid for.

d) What situations that might trigger a review of a risk assessment?

Significant changes to
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 Process, substances, equipment, workplace environment,

personnel, legal standard.
Reason to suspect that the assessment is not valid
Accident, near miss, ill health
e) Why a young person might be more vulnerable to risk in a
workplace?

Lack of experience
Physical & mental immaturity
Poor perception of risk
Peer group pressure
Eager to show a willingness to work
Less developed communication skill

f) What hazards that present greater risk to pregnant women?

Hazardous chemical
Biological agents
Manual handling
Extreme temperature
Whole body vibration
Ionising radiation
Night shift work
Stress, violence

Q22: General hierarchy of control?

Elimination.
Substitution.
Engineering controls:
Isolation, total enclosure.
Separation, segregation.

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Partial enclosure.
Safety devices.
Administrative controls:
Safe systems of work.
Reduced exposure.
Reduced time of exposure, dose.
Information, instruction, training and supervision.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Q23: what are the benefits & limitations of PPE?

Benefits of PPE
Interim control.
Some situations only control option.
Emergency back-up.
Cheap (short-term).
Immediate protection.
Limitation of PPE
Doesnt remove hazard.
Only protects the wearer.
Requires good fit.
Relies on wearer.
Requires training.
Uncomfortable.
May increase overall risk.
Incompatibility.
Unpopular, so often unworn.
Fails to danger.
No good if wrongly selected.
Contamination.
Expensive long-term.

Q24: Define safe system of work?

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A safe system of work is a formal procedure based on a systematic

examination of work in order to identify the hazards. It defines safe
methods of working, which eliminate those hazards or minimise the
risks associated with them
b) What factors to be considered when developing safe system of
work?

People competence, ability.

Equipment plant, equipment, PPE.
Materials substances, articles, waste.
Environment space, lighting, heating.

c) Safe system of work for confined space?

Supervision, Competency, Communication, Atmospheric
testing/monitoring, Ventilation, Removal of residues, Isolation, lock
off of, in-feeds and out-feeds, Isolation, lock off of
electrical/mechanical hazards, PPE, Access/egress, Fire prevention,
Lighting, Suitability of individuals, Emergency/rescue procedures.
D) Safe system of work for lone working?

No lone working for high-risk activities e.g. confined spaces.

Remote supervision.
Logging workers locations.
Mobile phones or radios.
Lone-worker alarm systems.
Procedures for lone workers.
Emergency procedures.
Training for workers.

Q25: Define permit to work system?

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A formal, documented safety procedure, forming part of a safe system

of work.
b) What types of work require a permit-to-work?
Hot work (involving naked flames or creation of ignition sources).
Work on high-voltage electrical systems.
Confined-space entry.
Work on operational pipelines.
Excavating near buried services.
Maintenance work on large, complex machinery.
c) What are the key features of a permit-to-work document?
Issue
Description of the work to be carried out (details of plant and
location)
Assessment of hazards associated with the job
Controls required including
Additional permits
Isolation of services and supplies
PPE
Atmospheric monitoring, etc
Emergency procedures
Receipt
Signature of the authorised person issuing the permit
Signature of the competent person accepting the permit (known as
signing onto the permit or receipt)
Clearance
Signature of the competent person stating that the area had been made
safe (e.g. work completed) and that they were leaving the area and
isolations could be removed (known as sign off from the permit or
clearance)
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Cancellation
Signature of the authorised person stating that the isolations had been
removed, the area had been accepted back and that the equipment can
be restarted (known as cancellation of the permit.).
Extension may be a section allowing extension of permit.
Q26: what is meant by active monitoring?
Active monitoring is concerned with checking standards before an
unwanted event occurs. E.g. tours, inspections. The intention is to
identify:
Conformance with standards, so that good performance is
recognised and maintained.
Non-conformance with standards, so that the reason for that nonconformance can be identified and corrective action put in place to
remedy any shortfall.
b) What is meant by reactive monitoring?
Reactive monitoring is the monitoring of data generated after
something has gone wrong and learning from mistakes.
c) Examples of active monitoring techniques?
Safety tours, surveys, sampling, inspections, audits
D) Examples of reactive monitoring techniques?
Accidents, Dangerous occurrences, Near-misses, Ill-health cases,
Worker complaints, Enforcement action.
Q27: What topics could be considered in a general workplace
inspection?
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 Fire safety including emergency-escape routes, signs, and

extinguishers.
Housekeeping general tidiness and cleanliness.
Environment issues such as lighting, temperature, ventilation,
noise.
Traffic routes safety of both vehicle and pedestrian routes.
Chemical safety appropriate use and storage of hazardous
substances.
Machinery safety such as correct use of machine guards and
interlocks.
Electrical safety such as portable electrical appliance safety.
Welfare facilities the suitability and state of.
b) What factors to be considered when determining the frequency of
inspection?

Statutory requirement
The activities carried out & level of risk
Risk assessment may suggest inspection
Manufactures may make recommendations
Presence of vulnerable workers
Finding from previous inspections
Accident history and result of investigations
Enforcement authorities may recommend inspection
Whether workers have voiced concerns

c) What factors to be considered before introducing a workplace

inspection system?

Type of inspection.
Frequency of inspection.
Allocation of responsibilities.
Competence of the inspector.

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Objectivity of inspector.
Use of checklists.
Action planning for problems found.
Training for inspectors.

Q28: define health & safety Audit?

Auditing is the systematic, objective, critical evaluation of an
organisation health & safety management system.
b) What typical information examined during an audit?

Health and safety policy.

Risk assessments.
Training records.
Minutes of safety-committee meetings.
Maintenance records.
Record of monitoring activities.
Accident-investigation reports and data.
Emergency arrangements.
Inspection reports from insurance companies.
Regulator visitors.
Worker complaints.

C) Difference between audit & workplace inspection?

An audit focuses on management systems:
It examines documents such as the safety policy, arrangements,
procedures, risk assessments, safe systems of work, method
statements, etc.
It looks closely at records such as those created to verify training,
maintenance, inspections, statutory examinations, etc.
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 It verifies the standards that exist within the workplace by interview

and direct observation.
An inspection is a simpler process of checking the workplace for
uncontrolled hazards and addressing any that are found.
Q29: Reasons to carry out accident investigation?

Identify the causes.

Prevent recurrence.
Collect evidence.
Legal reasons.
Insurance purposes.
Staff morale.
Disciplinary purposes.
To update risk assessments.
Discover trends.

b) What are the main reasons for reporting an incident?

To trigger the provision of first-aid treatment, etc.

Preserve the accident scene for the investigators
Enable the investigation to be carried out to prevent recurrences
Meet any legal requirements to report incidents
To record that an incident has occurred in the event of
subsequent civil claims

c) What are the 4 key steps in incident investigation?

gather information
analyse information
identify controls
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 plan remedial actions

Q30: Reasons why workers might not report accidents/ barriers to
reporting?
Unclear organisational policy.
No reporting system in place.
Culture of not reporting (peer
pressure).
Overly-complicated reporting procedures.
Excessive paperwork.
Takes too much time.
Blame culture.
Apathy poor management response.
Concern over impact on organisation/individuals.
Reluctance to receive first aid.
b) What are the typical contents of an internal incident-report form?

Name and address of casualty.

Date and time of accident.
Location of accident.
Details of injury.
Details of treatment given.
Description of event causing injury.
Details of any equipment or substances involved.
Witnesses names and contact details.
Details of person completing the record.
Signatures.

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c) Reasons why an organization should review its health & safety

performance?
to identify if the organisation is on target,
If not, why not?
What do we have to change so that we continually improve? For
example, are there risks that arent being controlled adequately?
What needs to be done about them?
Because monitoring is an essential part of any management
system (as the saying goes, if you arent monitoring, you arent
managing!)
Because reviews are also a required part of accreditation to a
management system such as OHSAS 18001.

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