How might you minimize the risk of fire in a woodworking area?

Fire risk can be minimized by ensuring that wood shavings and dust are cleared regularly and
ignition sources such as cigarettes and sparks from electrical equipment do not come into
contact with combustible materials.
Identify the two main types of automatic fire Detector?
Smoke detectors (both ionizing and optical) and heat detectors (both fixed temperature and rate
of rise).
Identify the three ways of extinguishing a fire?
Starvation (removing the fuel), smothering (removing the oxygen), and cooling (removing the
heat).
What is the purpose of signs used on escape routes?
To direct occupants to the means by which they can safely leave the premises.
What is Benchmarking?
Benchmarking is the practice of comparing business processes and performance metrics to
industry bests and best practices from other companies. Dimensions typically measured are
quality, time and cost.
Benchmarking is used to measure performance using a specific indicator (cost per unit of
measure, productivity per unit of measure, cycle time of x per unit of measure or defects per
unit of measure) resulting in a metric of performance that is then compared to others.
Targets may be set in relation to past performance, or the performance of other similar
organizations, or the industry as a whole. The process of comparing performance in this way is
known as “benchmarking”. So, if fatal road-accident rates in an industry as a whole are, for
example, one for every 100,000 miles driven, the target for a particular organization may be to
achieve that standard, or have a lower rate.
Distinguish briefly between acute and chronic ill-health effects.
Acute means that the substance has short-term effects (usually occurring after a large over-
exposure over a short duration of time).
Chronic means that the substance has long-term health effects (usually occurring after repeated
low-level exposures over a long duration of time).
Outline the main requirements for an escape route.
The escape route should be as straight as possible, direct to the assembly point, clear of
obstruction, free of materials that could pose a fire hazard, and wide enough throughout
(including at doorways and openings) to provide for the unrestricted flow of people.
What is an assembly point and how might it differ from a refuge?
An assembly point should be a place of total safety (outside the building, in the open air, away
from any further danger from the fire). A refuge or a place of relative safety is a fire-protected
area that is not outside in the open air, away from any further fire danger.
Identify the classes of fire (using the UK classification system outlined in this element)
for which each of the following extinguishing media is suitable.
(a) Water.
(b) Carbon dioxide gas.
(c) Dry powder.
(d) Foam.
(a) Water – Class A.
(b) Carbon-dioxide gas – Class B.
(c) Dry powder – Classes A, B, C and D.
(d) Foam – Class A (and some for Class B fires).
What is ergonomics?
The study of the relationship between the worker, the work that they are doing, and the
environment in which they are doing it.
Sum up the aims of ergonomics in a simple phrase.
Adapting the workplace to suit the worker
What symptoms might an employer notice in an employee who is misusing drugs or
alcohol?
Lateness, absenteeism, poor quality of work, reduced work rate, theft, dishonesty, irritability and
mood swings, poor working relationships.
Other than slips, trips and falls, name three types of hazard faced by pedestrians.
• Falls from height.
• Struck by moving, flying or falling objects.
• Struck by a vehicle.
• Striking against a stationary object.
What are the main hazards causing slips, trips and falls on the same level?
• Slip hazards include smooth floor surfaces that are wet or inherently slippery, floors
contaminated with a Slippery contaminant, and frost and ice.
• Trip hazards include uneven/loose floor surfaces, trailing cables and objects on the floor.