IGC1, Element 3, Organizing

NEBOSH IGC1: Element 3, Health and Safety Management Systems 2 - ORGANIZING
Topic 1: Organizational Health and Safety Roles and Responsibilities
The Employer:
Responsibillities for ensuring that the workplace is safe and free of health risk rests with the
employer. It is important to consider who an employer owes a duty to:
1) His or own employees, to ensure their health and safety

2) Other workers who might be working with his or her workplace but are not direct
employees e.g. casual workers, agency workers or contractors.
3) Visitors
4) Public passing by.
So an employer has some responsibilities for the health and safety of everyone who might be
affected by what he or she does for work, whether they are his or her employees, or not.
Role and key actions required by the employer includes:
1) Ensure competent advice on health and safety matters

2) Obtain employers liability insurance
3) Compile a health and safety policy and ensure that an adequate health and safety
management system is in place
4) Ensure that risk assessment of all workers are undertaken and any required controls are
put in place.
Prepared by: Shahzaib Usman Page 1

5) Provide the workforce with the health and safety information and trainings
6) Provide adequate welfare facilities.
7) Consult the workforce on the health and safety issues.
8) Report and investigate some accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences.
Principal general duties of employers recommended by ILO are:
1) To provide and maintain workplaces, machinery and equipment.

2) To use safe work methods without risks to health as is reasonably practicable.
3) To give adequate instructions and trainings.
4) To provide adequate supervision
5) To initiate organizationally relevant health safety arrangements
6) To provide without any cost to the worker, adequate personal protective clothing and
equipments.
7) To keep abreast of relevant scientific and technical knowledge.
8) To consult with workers or their representatives.
9) To set out a relevant health and safety policy in writing.
10) To keep records such as incidences of accident and ill health at work as required by legal
requirements.
11) To monitor the implementation of applicable standards.
12) To employ a safety specialist to advice on health and safety issues.
13) To develop a preventative health and safety culture.
14) To conduct and record risk assessments.
Directors and Senior Managers:
Directors and senior managers give an organization its direction and set its priorities. They
decide what the organization does and how it does it. In effect they control the corporate body.
They are, therefore, responsible for ensuring that all of the legal requirements that rest with the
employer are met.
Responsibility of Directors and Senior Managers is to ensure that:
1) The right health and safety policy is put in place.

2) Adequate resources are allocated to establish, implement, and maintain the health and
safety management system.
3) The right organizational structures with clear roles and responsibilities are put in place.
4) A senior manager is appointed with specific responsibilities for the health and safety.

5) One or more competent persons are appointed to assist the organization in meeting its
health and safety obligations.
6) The health and safety performance of the organization is reviewed on regular basis to
ensure that the objectives are being achieved and that the objectives and measures in
place remain valid.
Middle Managers and Supervisors:
Middle managers and supervisors are involved in the day-to-day operational running of the
organization so are responsible for the health and safety standards within the operations under
their control.
Line managers will be operationally responsible for the health and safety of:
1) The staff that works directly for them.

2) Staff lower down in the organizational chart.
3) The areas and activities under their control.
Safety Specialist:
Organizations must have access to appropriate competent people to give them advice regarding
health and safety. Typical responsibilities of the safety specialist include:
1) Providing advice and guidance on health and safety standards.

2) Promoting a positive health and safety culture.
3) Advising management on accident prevention.
4) Developing and implementing policy.
5) Overseeing the development of adequate risk assessments.
6) Identifying training needs.
7) Monitoring health safety performance.
8) Overseeing accident reporting and investigations.
Workers:
Workers have responsibilities to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and the
health and safety of other people who might be affected by the things they do (their acts) and the
things they fail to do. Workers also have a responsibility to co-operate with their employer for
the health and safety reasons. These duties apply when the worker is at work.

Controller of Premises:
A person or an organization can make a workplace available for other people to work in and yet
not be those workers employer, they are referred to as the controllers of premises. Controllers of
premises are responsible for ensuring that:
The premises are safe to use as a workplace, to the extent that they have control.
Access to and from the workplace is safe, to the extent that they have control.
Suppliers, Manufactures and Designers:
There are many items and equipment and many types of chemicals that are used for work
purposes. The designers, manufacturers, importers and suppliers of these items and substances
form the supply chain and they have responsibilities relating to the health and safety of their
products.
Contractors:
Contractors are responsible for their own health and safety and that of others who might be
affected by their work activities. Responsibilities of client and contractor are:
1) Health and safety must be included in the contract specifications.

2) All significant hazards must be included in the contract specifications.

3) The contractor must be selected with safety in mind.
4) Prior to the start of work, health and safety policies should be exchanged.
5) The contractor must be given basic site and health and safety information such as welfare
and first aid arrangements, significant hazards, safe storage of chemicals and the name of
contract supervisor.
6) The contractor should be monitored during the progress of the contract by the contract
supervisor.
7) The contract supervisor should check that the work has been completed safely at the end
of contract.\
Questions and Answers:
Q No. 1: which categories of people does an employer owe a duty to?
Ans: An employer owes a duty to his own employees, other people(both workers and non-
workers) who may be in his workplace, other workers who may be carrying out work on his
behalf outside of his workplace but affected by his undertaking.
Q No. 2: Outline common duties of employees?
Ans: Two general duties of employees are:
To take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of other persons who may
be affected by their acts or omissions at work.
To co-operate with the employer so far as is necessary to enable the employer to fulfill
his legal obligations.
Q No. 3: Where business premises are rented, is the employer responsible for the health and
safety matters relating to points of entry to and exit from the workplace?
Ans: it would depend on the terms of the tenancy agreement. Responsibilities lie with the person
who may be said to control that particular aspect of the premises.
Q No. 4: Outline the areas of responsibility placed on people in the supply chain for the articles
and substances that they supply to workplaces?
Ans: All people involved in the design, manufacture and supply of articles and substances, in so
far as it relates to their own role, should:
Ensure that the articles and substances are safe and without risks to health.
Carry out any necessary tests.
Provide end-user with information about article, this might cover intended use,
limitations, and inherent hazards, as well as how to use it properly.

Q No. 5: Outline the responsibilities of the client and the contractor where a contractor is
working in a clients workplace?
Ans: In general terms, the client would be responsible for the workplace and environment, and
the contractor for the job that they are carrying out. Both parties would be responsible for the
health and safety of their own workers, but they would also be responsible for the health and
safety of other people who might be affected by their work, so the contractor would be
responsible for the safety of clients employees if they were carrying out work that might injure
the clients employees; and the client might be partly responsible for the safety of members of
the public if they might be injured by the work that the contractors were carrying out.
Q No. 6: Following a reportable accident to a contractor while on an employers premises, an

investigation was carried out by an enforcement officer. It was found that the employer had
failed to provide health and safety information to the contractor. The employer was not able to
demonstrate any source of competent health and safety advice.
a) Outline the duties that the employer owes to the contractor under the health and safety at
work etc Act 1974.
b) Outline the health and safety information that should have been provided to the
contractor before work commenced.
c) Outline the factors that the employer should consider when selecting an individual to
fulfill the role of health and safety practitioner.
Ans:
(a)
Measures to ensure contractors' safety aren't substantially different from those to ensure the
safety of employees. An employer should:
identify the requirements of the job and assess the risks involved
consult staff and unions on relevant health and safety issues
decide what information and training is required
select an appropriate contractor and ascertain their health and safety policies and procedures
determine a subcontractors' competence
request and approve the necessary risk assessments and/or method statement
monitor and review the way work is carried out
The client must ensure that there is co-operation and co-ordination at all times between their staff
and the contractor/subcontractor. In particular, the client should:

provide all parties with information, instruction and training on anything that may affect
health and safety
make the contractor and subcontractors aware of your health and safety procedures and
policies
provide management and supervision to ensure the safety of contractors/subcontractors
(b)
Clients need to take certain steps prior to the contractor starting work, these include:
Identifying the job that they want the contractor to do and the health and safety
implications of the job
Selecting a suitable contractor - clients need to satisfy themselves that contractors are
competent.
Selecting a suitable sub-contractor - the HSE advise that this is best left to the contractor
but clients must satisfy themselves that a contractor has an effective procedure for
checking the competence of a sub-contractor. In the case of nominated sub-contractors
however, this responsibility for checking competence would rest with the client.
Other steps that need to be taken by all parties are:
1. Risk assessments of the work, including how each others work could affect the health and
safety of the workforce and anyone else (e.g. visitors).
2. Provide information, instruction and training including information about the risks
arising from their operations and relevant safety rules and procedures, especially
emergency procedures.
3. Co-operation and co-ordination - liaison arrangements must be implemented such as
regular meetings and briefings between clients, contractors and sub-contractors.
4. Consulting the workforce is key for the securing of the workforces co-operation.
5. Management and supervision of work being carried out
(c)
Some of the factors that will have to be taken into consideration are:
The competency of the person assigned and their attitude to undertaking such a task
Ability to be able to undertake the work in a responsible manner
Skill to be knowledgeable in the work being assessed

Age be of sufficient maturity

Past experience in risk assessment
Physical and mental capabilities to undertake the role
Report writing skills would be a distinct advantage
Training in risk assessment
Familiarity with the process activity
Knowledge of Regulations and standards applicable to the risks being assessed
Communications and interaction with workers
Trade Union Safety Representative
Q No. 7: Outline the practical methods a line manager could use to influence health and safety
standards in the workplace?
Ans:
Training
Information
Instruction
Communication
Consultation
Meetings
Safety Committees
Suggestion schemes
Joint inspections
Recognition and reward
Leading by example
Workplace inspections
Q No. 8: Outline the general duties of designers, manufacturers and suppliers of articles and
substances for use at work to ensure that they are safe and without risk to health.
Ans: Everyone in the supply chain, from the designer to the final installer, of articles of plant or
equipment for use at work to:
Ensure that the article will be safe and without risk to health at all time when it is being set,
used, cleaned or maintained
Carry out any necessary testing and examination to ensure that it will be safe, and
Provide adequate information about its safe setting, use, cleaning, maintenance, dismantling
and disposal.
There is an obligation on designers or manufacturers to do any research necessary to prove safety

in use.

Erectors or installers have special responsibilities to make sure, when handed over, that the plant
or equipment is safe to use.
Similar duties are placed on manufacturers and suppliers of substances for use at work to ensure
that the substance is safe when properly used, handled, processed, stored or transported, to
provide adequate information and do any necessary research, testing or examining.
Where articles or substances are imported, the suppliers obligations outlined above attach to the
importer, whether a separate importing business or the user personally.
Often items are obtained through hire purchase, leasing or other financing arrangements with the
ownership of the items being vested with the financing organization.
Where the financing organizations only function is to provide the money to pay for the goods,
the suppliers obligations do not attach to them..
Q No. 9: Outline the issues that should be considered to achieve cooperation and coordination
where employers share a workplace.
Ans: The issues that should be considered to achieve cooperation and coordination in a shared
workplace include:
1) The need for all employers to share information on the hazards and risk associated with
their particular activity;
2) The maintenance of access and egress to the workplace and the control of access by
visitors and others;
3) The maintenance and cleanliness of shared and public areas;
4) The control of vehicle movement in the workplace;
5) The preparation of procedures for dealing with serious or imminent danger and
emergencies;
6) The appointment of key personnel with specific responsibility for matters such as fire and
first aid;
7) The provision of joint first aid facilities;
8) The allocation of responsibility for environmental controls such as heating, ventilation
and air conditioning;
9) The maintenance and cleanliness of welfare facilities; and
10) The provision of security arrangements to deal with unwelcome visitors and/or
trespassers.

There would also be advantage in mentioning the there may be additional requirements under
specific legislation in some countries e.g. The UK Management of Health, Safety and Welfare
Regulations.
Q No. 10: Outline procedures that could be used to ensure the safety of visitors to an
organizations premise.
Ans:
1) The proper identification of visitors
2) Visitors being stopped and met at the gate prior to entering site this will enable the
issuing of safety related messages / instructions, etc.
3) Getting visitors to sign in, issue badges that identify them as visitors etc. These badges
may contain a version of site rules that have to be complied with
4) Providing information regarding the risks present and site rules and procedures,
especially in emergency situations tie this in to the point mentioned above.
5) Provide visitor supervision i.e. escorts, to ensure that they are not unduly exposed to risks
6) Ensure that restricted access areas are suitably identified and visitors are made aware of
them
Q No. 11:
(a) Give TWO reasons why visitors to a workplace might be at greater risk of injury than
workers.
(b) Identify precautions that could be taken to reduce the risk of injury to visitors to a workplace.
Ans: Part (a),

There are a number of reasons why visitors to a workplace might be at greater risk of injury than
workers. These include:
a) Their unfamiliarity with the processes carried out at the workplace, the hazards they
present and their associated risks
b) The fact that they may not have been issued with personal protective equipment;
c) Their lack of knowledge of the site layout
d) The fact that pedestrian routes might be inadequate and unsigned;
e) Their unfamiliarity with the emergency procedures
f) Their vulnerability particularly if they were disabled, very young or had language
problems.

Part (b),
Measures such as the following may reduce the possibility of injury to visitors:
a) Visitor identification, for example, by the issue of badges with a routine for signing in
and out;
b) Prior notification to those members of staff to be involved in the visit;
c) The provision of information to the visitors in suitable languages on hazards and
emergency procedures;
d) An explanation of specific site rules, for example, restricted areas and the wearing of
personal protective equipment;
e) The clear marking of pedestrian routes and
f) The need for visitors to be escorted by a member of management or supervisory staff
Q No. 12: List the factors that could be considered when assessing the health and safety
competence of a contractor.
Ans: This is a list question thus a simple listing would suffice but the following points need to be
considered for inclusion
1) Previous experience in the type of work expected to be undertaken

2) Reputation within the industry / with clients
3) Quality and content of health and safety policy
4) Availability of risk assessments
5) Level of training and qualifications of staff including health and safety staff
6) Accident / enforcement statistics
7) Membership of official bodies
8) Equipment maintenance records
9) Detailed proposals of work to be undertaken
10) Recommendations from past clients
11) Ability to provide safe systems of work for the job i.e. resources
12) Overall health and safety culture
13) Their arrangements to fulfil their duties with respect of the health and safety plan
14) A site visit to an existing project

Q No. 13: Identify the criteria when selecting a contractor
Ans: Fortunately, a contractor who works well and meets the clients requirements in terms of
the quality and timeliness of the work is likely also to have a better than average health and
safety performance.
Cost, of course, will have to be part of the judgment but may not provide any indication of which
contractor is likely to give the best performance in health and safety terms.
In deciding which contractor should be chosen for a task, the following should be considered:
1) Do they have an adequate health and safety policy?

2) Can they demonstrate that the person responsible for the work is competent?
3) Can they demonstrate that competent safety advice will be available?
4) Do they monitor the level of accidents at their work site?
5) Do they have a system to assess the hazards of a job and implement appropriate control
measures?
6) Will they produce a method statement, which sets out how they will deal with all
significant risks?
7) Do they have guidance on health and safety arrangements and procedures to be followed?
8) Do they have effective monitoring arrangements?
9) Do they use trained and skilled staff who are qualified where appropriate? (Judgment will
be required, as many construction workers have had little or no training except training
on the job.)?
10) Can the company demonstrate that the employees or other workers used for the job have
had the appropriate training and are properly experienced and, where appropriate,
qualified?
11) Can they produce good references indicating satisfactory performance?
Topic 2: The Concept and Significance of Health and Safety Culture

Health and Safety Culture:
Organizations can be describes as having a health and safety culture. Safety culture can be
defined as the shared attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors relating to health and safety. It is
the result of the shared attitudes, beliefs, competencies, perceptions, and patterns of behavior in
the organization. This determines the managements commitment to, and style of, health and
safety management.
The Safety Culture of an organization is the product of individual and group values, attitudes,
competencies, and patterns of behaviours that determine the commitment to, and the style and
proficiency of, an organizations health and safety management.
Features of Good Health and Safety Culture:
1) Leadership and commitment to health and safety at all levels

2) Acceptance that high standards are achievable
3) Mutual trust throughout the organization
4) Detailed risk assessments and control and monitoring procedures
5) Health and safety policy including a code of practice and required health and safety
standards
6) Training, communication, and consultation systems
7) Encouragement to the workforce to report potential hazards
8) Health and safety monitoring systems
9) Prompt accident investigation and implementation of remedial actions

Relation between Safety Culture and Performance:
An Organization will have either a positive safety culture or a negative one.
Positive Culture:
In an Organization with a positive culture, the majority of the workers think and feel that health
and safety is important. There is a strong policy and clear leadership from the top because
senior management have this attitude, which runs through the whole organization, from top to
bottom managers think about the health and safety implications of their decisions and workers
share the same view and work safely.
Everyone works safely because they want to. That is the way that things are done in their
organization and that is how everybody else behaves, too.
In an organization you can see that there is a clear link between safety culture and health and
safety performance. People work safely, so there will be fewer accidents and less ill health. It is

also easy to see why organizations strive to create a strong, positive safety culture because when
there is one, it has direct influence on worker behavior.
Negative Culture:
In an organization with a negative safety culture, the majority of workers think and feel that
health and safety is not important; they are poorly educated in health and safety and see it as
unnecessary or unimportant. There is a lack of clear direction and leadership from senior
management. Managers dont think about health and safety in their decision-making and so let
other priorities dictate their actions. Workers behave unsafely, often because they dont
know any better.
You can see that in an organization there will be a lack of attention to health and safety,
standards will be low, behavior will be poor and accidents may occur as a result.
Indicators to Assess Safety Culture:
It makes sense to try to assess an organizations safety culture to see whether it is strong and
positive, or if there is room for improvement. But the safety culture of an organization is quite
difficult to assess directly because there is no one single feature or item that can be measured.
1) Accidents:
Accidents record can be used to work out how many accidents are happening as a rate (e.g.
number of accidents per 100,000 hours workerd). The accidents rate for a particular organization
can be compared with the:
Organizations performance in previous years this will indicate whether the accident
rate is increasing or decreasing. A decreasing rate might be seen as an indicator of a
positive safety culture.
Rate for other organizations that do the same work, or the industry average. An accident
rate that is higher than the national average might be seen as an indicator of a negative
safety culture.
2) Absenteeism:
A high level of worker absenteeism indicates that workers are either not able, or not willing, to
come to work. If they are not able, this might indicate that they are suffering ill-health caused or
worsened by work. If they are not willing, it indicates that they are withholding their labor for
some reason. This is usually caused by poor workforce morale, which in turn, can sometimes be
linked to poor safety culture.
3) Sickness Rates:
A lot of ill-health is caused, or made worse, by work. For example, in many countries a huge
number of working days are lost because of back pain, and significant proportion of that back

pain will have been caused or made worse by the work that individuals are doing. Sickness rates
can be used in the same way that accident rates are, as an indicator of Safety Culture.
4) Staff Turnover:
An organization with a positive Safety Culture is often a good place to work. Workers feel safe,
morale is good, training is available, and workers are consulted about their working conditions.
As a result, workers stay with their employer for longer, so low staff turnover may indicate a
good safety culture.
5) Compliance with Safety Rules:
In an organization with a positive safety culture the majority of workers want to work safely, so
they comply with safety rules and procedures laid down by the organization. Formal or informal
safety inspections or audits usually find that there is a high level of compliance. The safety
culture has influenced workers behavior in a positive way.
Where there is a negative safety culture the reverse is usually true. Workers dont follow the
rules, either because they dont know what they are (perhaps owing to poor training) or because
they know the rules but dont want to follow them. Workers are free to break the rules because of
poor supervision; they know that they will not be punished.
6) Complaints about Working Condition:
There is an obvious link between safety culture and the number and the type of complaints made
by workers or workers representatives to management. An organization with a positive safety
culture may actively encourage complaints, but few serious ones will be made. An organizations
with a negative safety culture may actively discourage workers from complaining and many of
the complaints made will be legitimate and serious ones.
7) The Influence of Peers:
When people are put together into groups they interact. Some individuals will have a lot of
influence over a group; others will have little influence. In this way a hierarchy develops
within the group. A person wishing to become a member of the group will have to comply with
the group norms. This pressure to comply with group norms is peer group pressure.
Peer group pressure is an important factor to take into account when thinking about safety-
related behavior. If a group is already working safely then peer group pressure will keep most
people in that group in line. But if the group is working unsafely then peer group pressure will
tend to force more and more workers to behave unsafely in an attempt to fit in with group norms.
The way to deal with this problem is usually to tackle the influential people within the group,
who are the ones responsible for establishing group behavior. If their behavior can be changed

then everyone elses will change as well. This might be done by training, education, involvement
in safety-related projects, etc.
Others Indicators in bullets are:
1) Accidents/ incident rates

2) Sickness/absenteeism
3) Resources available for health and safety
4) Level of legal and other compliance
5) Turnover rates of employees
6) Level of complaints
7) Selection and management of contractors
8) Level and effectiveness of communication and supervision
9) Health and safety management structure
10) Level of insurance premiums
Q No. 14: Define Health and Safety Culture:
Ans: Safety culture is the shared attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviors relating to health and
Safety; or Safety culture is the way that all the people within an organization think and feel about
the health and safety and how this translates into behavior.
Q No. 15: How do an individuals peer exert influence over his/her behavior?
Ans: Through the influence of peer group pressure. This is the process by which social groups
form in the workplace, group behavior is established, and then social pressure is exerted to force
individuals to comply with the group behavior. This will usually be one or more group leaders
who influence the group to a very high degree.
Q No. 16:
a) Explain the term Health and Safety Culture.

b) Outline eight possible causes for a deterioration in a previously positive health and
safety culture
c) Identify ways in which the health and safety culture of an organization might be
improved.
d) Identify eight circumstances that may lead to the review of an organizations health and
safety policy, other than a deterioration in a positive health and safety culture.
Ans:
(a)
The health and safety culture is related to attitudes and shared perceptions and the product of
individual and group values as well as patterns of behaviours based on competence and
confidence and on communications founded on mutual trust.

OR
(b)
Factors that could lead to a deterioration in a safety culture could include:

The lack of visible leadership
The lack of commitment at senior level
Changes in the management structure or roles
Changes in work patterns with the lack of effective communication prior to and during
change
The fact that health and safety was not given the same priority as other objectives such
as production or quality
The lack of consultation with and involvement of the workforce
The absence of management systems particularly where health and safety were
concerned
A reduction in the workforce leading to work overload
A high staff turnover
External influences such as a downturn in the economy leading to job insecurity
The presence of a blame culture and/or peer pressure
Deterioration in the standard of welfare facilities.
(c)
Clear and active senior management commitment to health and safety

The needs of production and health and safety properly balanced with pressure for
production controlled against that for health and safety
Sufficient resources devoted to health and safety
Maximum partnership between management and the workforce based on a participative
relationship between staff at all levels
Humanistic and non-authoritarian style of management
High senior and line management visibility on the shop floor
Frequent and informal communication between all levels
Quality training given to management and the workforce

Frequent and high-quality training for general safety and safe skills
High levels of job satisfaction
Ergonomic plant design and layouts
Workforce selected for their safety attitudes and behaviours.
(d)
A health and safety policy is not a static document and should be reviewed at regular intervals,
those intervals can be determined by certain factors and they include:
Passage of time - at least annually is there have not been organisational changes.
Technological changes (research development) and advancements have led to a better
understanding of work practices and as a consequence has indicated a need for change in
working practices
Introduction of new technology - when new technology has been introduced into the
workplace that may pose further hazards,
Organisational changes where there has been a shift in accountabilities and/or
responsibilities
Legal changes that may impose fresh requirements on an organisation within the work
processes that it undertakes.
Accident patterns - if a pattern of accidents, accidents in a certain area have been
highlighted, a single significant accident accidents tend to indicate a management
system failure.
Q No. 17: Describe Five components of Positive Health and Safety Culture.
Ans:
The main components of a management system are:

Policy,
Organisation
Planning arid Implementation.
Measuring performance,
Reviewing Performance,
Audit and
Continuous Improvement.
The components are explained as follows:

Policy - should contain:
Protecting the safety and health of all members of the organization by preventing work
related injuries, ill health, diseases and incidents.

Complying with relevant occupational safety and health national laws and regulations,
voluntary programmes, collective agreements on occupational safety and health and
other requirements to which the organization subscribes.
Ensuring the workers and their representatives are consulted and encouraged to
participate actively in all elements of the occupational health and safety management
system: and
Continually improving the performance of the occupational safety and health
management system.
Signed / endorsed by senior management and cascaded to all employees.
Organization Section should ideally contain:

A chart illustrating the management structure so far as health and safety is concerned.
The section should also show details of employees from the lowest levels to the highest
with key personnel identified by name as well as by job title.
Also arrangements, procedures, instructions or other internal documents used within the
framework of the occupational safety and health management system.
Planning and Implementation

An effective planning system for health and safety requires organisation's to establish
and operate a health and safety management system that, controls risk defects to
changing demands in a bid that sustains a positive health and safety culture.
Measuring Health and Safety

Performance must be monitored at all levels of the organisation from day to day
monitoring by line managers and supervisors to periodic audits of management systems.
Performance measurement techniques fall into two broad categories:
1) Reactive monitoring which monitor accidents, ill health and incidents
2) Active monitoring which measure the effectiveness of management systems and the
extent of compliance with standards and the achievement of plans.
Reviewing Performance
Annual or periodic review of the performance to ensure the system is working on the
ground and assess if any of the components need more attention.
Audit
An audit is riot intended to identify all of the hazards, it is intended as an evaluation of
health and safety management systems, and is often independent.
Continuous Improvement
When each of the above have been properly progressed the result should be an
improvement in the occupational health and safety status of the organisation, which,
upon further reviews into the future will enable even more improvements to be achieved.
Q No. 18: Describe two internal and two external influences on the health and safety culture of
an organization.

Ans:
Internal influence:
Absenteeism:
A high level of worker absenteeism indicates that workers are either not able, or not willing, to
come to work. If they are not able, this might indicate that they are suffering ill-health caused or
worsened by work. If they are not willing, it indicates that they are withholding their labor for
some reason. This is usually caused by poor workforce morale, which in turn, can sometimes be
linked to poor safety culture.
Sickness Rates:
A lot of ill-health is caused, or made worse, by work. For example, in many countries a huge
number of working days are lost because of back pain, and significant proportion of that back
pain will have been caused or made worse by the work that individuals are doing. Sickness rates
can be used in the same way that accident rates are, as an indicator of Safety Culture.
Staff Turnover:
An organization with a positive Safety Culture is often a good place to work. Workers feel safe,
morale is good, training is available, and workers are consulted about their working conditions.
As a result, workers stay with their employer for longer, so low staff turnover may indicate a
good safety culture.
External influence:

Q No. 19: Identify EIGHT indicators of management commitment to health and safety in the
workplace.
Ans: An important indicator of management commitment to health and safety in the workplace is
the part played by a senior manager in signing the health and safety policy and then in ensuring
that the policy is implemented and enforced and those sufficient resources such as finance,
equipment and training are provided to support the implementation.
Other indicators of commitment include:

1) Participation in monitoring procedures such as inspections and audits and ensuring rapid
implementation of any recommendations made;
2) Personal observance of all safety rules such as wearing personal protective equipment
and using pedestrian walkways;
3) Participation in meetings of the safety committee and ensuring that health and safety is a
regular agenda item in other meetings at all levels;
4) Engaging in consultation with the workforce and welcoming employee feedback; and in
5) Initiating and being personally involved in the delivery of health and safety training
courses.
This question is not usually well answered with many candidates identifying general safety
management issues, rather than individual managers participation and behaviour.
Q No.19: List practical means in which managers can involve their staff in the improvement of
health and safety
Ans:
1) Training
2) Information
3) Instruction
4) Communication
5) Consultation
6) Meetings
7) Safety Committees
8) Suggestion schemes
9) Joint inspections

10) Recognition and reward

11) Leading by example
12) Workplace inspections
Q No. 20: Outline ways in which health & safety culture can be improved
Ans:
1) Clear and active senior management commitment to health and safety
2) The needs of production and health and safety properly balanced with pressure for
production controlled against that for health and safety
3) Sufficient resources devoted to health and safety
4) Maximum partnership between management and the workforce based on a participative

relationship between staff at all levels
5) Humanistic and non-authoritarian style of management
6) High senior and line management visibility on the shop floor
7) Frequent and informal communication between all levels
8) Quality training given to management and the workforce
9) Frequent and high-quality training for general safety and safe skills
10) High levels of job satisfaction
11) Ergonomic plant design and layouts
12) Workforce selected for their safety attitudes and behaviours.
Q No. 21: Outline ways of reducing the likelihood of human error in the workplace.
Ans:
Exclusion strategies: Exclusion strategies make it impossible for the identified human error to
occur. One such exclusion strategy is mistake proofing. For example, as consumers we cannot
put a diesel fuel nozzle into an unleaded fuel tanks opening.
The pumps design makes it impossible to make that error.
Exclusion should be used in cases in which the potential human error can lead to catastrophic
consequences.

Prevention strategies: Prevention strategies are the next tier down from exclusion and are used
where the risk of human error is not as critical. In other words, the investment in making the
human error impossible is not justified, so we just want to find a more economical approach to
make it difficult to commit that identified human error.
Examples include the checklist a pilot completes before each flight and the surgical instrument
count a nurse completes before and after a surgery.
Fail-safe strategies: Contrary to the name, fail-safe strategies are invoked when we want to
mitigate the consequences of human error instead of trying to prevent it from occurring in the
first place.
For example, stringent preventive maintenance efforts should be in place to ensure that
equipment is calibrating according to the manufacturers specifications.
If the calibration goes beyond set alarm limits, and that condition is not acknowledged and
corrected immediately, catastrophic consequences could result.
Competence improvements with more focused training and awareness

ISIT
Rest reduce tiredness and fatigue
Health monitoring to determine levels prior to deteriorating to an unacceptable level
Follow-up after incidents establish why things went wrong contributors and causes
Engineering out areas where error may arise e.g. control conflicts
Q No. 22: Outline the factors that might cause the safety culture within an organisation to
decline.
Ans:
There are other indications of a poor health and safety culture or climate. These include:
A high sickness, ill-health and absentee rate amongst the workforce
The perception of a blame culture
High staff turnover leading to a loss of momentum in making health and safety improvements
No resources (in terms of budget, people or facilities) made available for the effective
management of health and safety
A lack of compliance with relevant health and safety law and the safety rules and procedures of
the organization
Poor selection procedures and management of contractors
Poor levels of communication, cooperation and control
A weak health and safety management structure
Either a lack or poor levels of health and safety competence
High insurance premiums.
Topic 3: Factors Influencing Safety-Related Behavior

There are three factors:
1) Organizational factors characteristics of the organization that they are working for.
2) Job factors characteristics of the job or task that they are performing.
3) Individual factors characteristics of the individual.
Organizational Factor:
These are the characteristics of the organization that influence workers behavior:
1) Safety Culture of the Organization the way that this culture is gradually absorbed by
the individual.
2) Policies and Procedures - the existence and quality of these and the way that they might
encourage or discourage good safety-related behavior. For example, in an organization

where staff have to spend a lot of time driving, very clear and well thought-through
policies on the in-car use of mobile phones ae necessary.
3) Commitment and Leadership from the management - whether this is visibly
demonstrated outside the boardroom (since the behavior in the boardroom is not
witnessed by the most of workers in an organization).
4) Level of Supervision - the presence or absence of, and the competence of, supervision
(in the context of health and safety) and the way that poor safety-related behavior is dealt
with. For example, in an organization that undertakes engineering maintenance work, the
presence of competent supervisors to oversee that work is critical as a check to prevent
both rule-breaking behavior and human error.
5) Peer group pressure the extent to which this is allowed to drive unsafe behavior.
6) Consultation and worker involvement the extent to which workers are involved in
the management of health and safety issues and in the decision-making process.
7) Communication how effective the organization is at using various communication
methods to convey health and safety messages and information to the workforce, and
how well the organization then checks understanding of those messages.
8) Resources the availability of any necessary equipment (machine guards, personal
protective equipments, etc) and the allocation of time to provide training in health and
safety.
9) Training how good the organization is at identifying health and safety training needs
and opportunities, and how well it then meets those needs to create well-informed,
competent staff.
10) Work Patterns such as shift systems, work at height, or extended hours these can
adversely affect workers health, and cause fatigue, which can lead to poor performance
on tasks that require attention, and increase the risks associated with safety-critical work.
Job Factors:
These are the various characteristics of the workers job that influence their safety-related
behavior, and may involve:
1) Task the characteristics of the work itself, in particular the ergonomics requirement.
For example, if a worker needs to bend or stoop over when carrying out task then that
task needs to be adapted to best suit the worker concerned. In the absence of ergonomics
design, workers will find the most comfortable way of working and this may not be the
safest way.
2) Workload the amount of work, or the rate of work, deadlines and variety of work that
individuals have to cope with, and the degree to which these are under the direct control
of the worker or imposed externally.
3) Environment the workplace condition such as space, lighting , noise, temperature,
humidity and the way that these parameters are controlled so as to minimize their impact
on worker performance. For example, workers in a steel foundry may have to undertake
physical labor in a high-temperature environment, so there is the potential for the

dehydration, heat stress and heat stroke. Workers may find ways of working that are not
necessarily safe, in order to minimize physical exertion. They may also start to suffer
degradation in physical and mental performance as a result of heat stress.
4) Displays and controls the design of these, and the way that poorly designed displays
and controls can contribute to the likelihood of human error, e.g. displays that are
difficult to view and critical displays that are out of the operators normal field of view.
5) Procedures- the existence and quality of working procedures. A lack of written
procedures or poorly written procedures that are out of date, overly complex or
impractical can be why workers dont comply. To be effective, procedures should be
accurate, concise, use familiar language and they must be do-able.
6) Others:
a) Recognition of possibility human error
b) Good ergonomics, equipment design and layout of workstation
c) Clear job description
d) Safe system of work and operating procedure
e) Job rotation and regular breaks
f) Provision of correct tools
g) Effective training schedule and good communication
Individual Factors:
People bring to their job their own personal mix of skills, knowledge, experience, attitudes,
motivation, habits and personality. These individual characteristics influence behavior in
complex and significant ways. For example, if workers have a poor attitude to machine guard it
will be necessary to change their attitude, and there are various ways of attempting to achieve
this change. Attitude, competence, motivation and perception of risk are individual factor.
1) Attitude:
An attitude is a persons point of view or way of looking at something; how they think and feel
about it. For example, everyone has an attitude towards work; some people think of it in
appositive way and others have a negative attitude. Attitudes develop over the time, many of
them quite early in life, and they have a tendency to stay with us. This is because they are a part
of image the mental picture a person has of themselves and who they are. Attitudes do change
but normally only slow. Changing attitude can be done using various methods such as:
1) Education and Training workers educated in the hazards and risks associated with
the machine and the reasons why a guard is necessary may change their attitude over
time.
2) High Impact Interventions workers put through high impact training, where they
are shown pictures of injuries caused by the failure to use the guard, may change their
attitude very quickly.

3) Enforcement workers forced to use the guard, by supervision and discipline, will
find that using it becomes a habit. After a time attitudes change to match behavior.
4) Consultation and Involvement in the Decision-Making Process workers
consulted and involved in the selection, design and implementation of the guard will
feel more ownership of the process and are more likely to develop a positive attitude
towards guard use.
2) Competence:
Competence is the combination of knowledge, experience, training and ability that brings a
person to a level where they are able to perform to an acceptable standard and they are aware of
their own limitations
Employers must ensure that workers are competent for the role that they are carrying out. To be
competent workers must have the right combination of training and experience simply having a
qualification doesnt necessarily make a person competent. Carrying out the job for a long time
doesnt either! A newly qualified person may perform task more carefully than a more
experienced worker, or be more up to date with current technology, but they may also lack the
experience that only comes with time.
3) Motivation:
In the context of health and safety, it is important to understand a workers motivation for
carrying out their work in a safe or unsafe way because that motivation can then be changed.
Workers often behave unsafely not simply because they are willful but because they perceive a
reward and they think that the risk is worth the reward. Their unsafe behavior is incentivized.
For example, a worker who can make more money by taking an unsafe shortcut is far more likely
to take that shortcut if they think they can get away with it. Similarly a worker who can save
themselves time and money by taking a shortcut is far more likely to do likewise. If, however,
there is no reward, or if the worker thinks that the risk is too great, then they will not take the
shortcut.
Any reward scheme in the workplace that is intended to improve safety must be carefully
thought through to ensure that it will incentivize the right kind of behavior. For example, some
workplaces pay a bonus related to the number of accidents recorded over a period of time. Fewer
accidents = bigger bonus.
4) Perception of Risk:
Perception can be defined as the way in which a person interprets information detected by their
senses. Some hazards in the workplace cannot be detected by human senses e.g. carbon
monoxide gas is colorless, odorless and tasteless yet deadly at low concentrations so the risk
associated with these hazards will not be perceived

5) Others:
a) Self interest
b) Position in team
c) Acknowledgement by management of good work/initiatives
d) Hearing or memory loss
e) Experience and competence
f) Age, personality, attitude, language problems
g) Training undertaken and information given
h) Effect of shift working
i) Health (physical and mental)
Q No. 23: Name the three spheres of influence related to 'Safety Culture' and explain how these
three spheres of influence interact to ensure safety at work.
Ans: The three spheres of influence related to Safety Culture are:

1) Organisation (the organisational controls from management)
2) People (employees, contractors, sub-contractors, etc)
3) Job (the tasks undertaken)
The three spheres if influences are known to work together to influence and foster a positive
safety culture.

The organisation that ensure a safe place of work, information, training, instruction, and
supervision, together with good risk controls sets the scene for employees to work in a secure
and well motivated environment.
With this the people within the organisation and those connected to it should be competent and
believe in the goals and preventative measures set by management, this forms a team of well-
motivated employees.
The third sphere of influence is essential to complete the interrelation of the three spheres of
influence. This is the ongoing tasks / jobs, which if well organised and controlled by
management with good communication, consultation and supervision will go a long way to
ensuring and reinforcing a positive safety culture.
Q No 24: What is perceptual distortion and how may it arise?
Ans: Perceptual distortion occurs when something is not recognized for what it is. The brain does
not correctly interpret information. This can arise as a result of illness, inexperience, poor
education and training, drugs and alcohol, fatigue, etc.
Q No. 25:
a) Explain the meaning of the term competent person

b) Outline the organization factors that may cause a person to work unsafely even though
they are competent.
Ans:
(a)
Competent person would need to possess knowledge based,

An appropriate qualifications & training
The skills
Experience & personal qualities to apply the knowledge in a given situation
&, importantly, a clear recognition of his or her limitations
(b)
Organizational factors that may cause a person to work unsafely even though they are competent
are:
Management or peer group pressure
A poor safety culture in the organization.
A lack of resources or equipment
A lack of clarity in roles & responsibilities

Inadequate supervision
& poor working conditions.
Q No. 26:
a) Explain, using an example, the meaning of the term attitude

b) Outline three influences on the attitude towards health and safety of employees within
an organization.
Ans:
(a)
An attitude is a persons point of view or way of looking at something; how they think and feel
about it. For example, everyone has an attitude towards work; some people think of it in
appositive way and others have a negative attitude. Attitudes develop over the time, many of
them quite early in life, and they have a tendency to stay with us. This is because they are a part
of image the mental picture a person has of themselves and who they are.
(b)
Changing attitude can be done using various methods such as:
1) Education and Training workers educated in the hazards and risks associated with
the machine and the reasons why a guard is necessary may change their attitude over
time.
2) High Impact Interventions workers put through high impact training, where they
are shown pictures of injuries caused by the failure to use the guard, may change their
attitude very quickly.
3) Enforcement workers forced to use the guard, by supervision and discipline, will
find that using it becomes a habit. After a time attitudes change to match behavior.
4) Consultation and Involvement in the Decision-Making Process workers
consulted and involved in the selection, design and implementation of the guard will
feel more ownership of the process and are more likely to develop a positive attitude
towards guard use.
Q No. 27:
a) Explain the meaning of the term motivation

b) Other than lack of motivation, outline six reasons why employees may fail to comply
with safety procedures at work.

c) Outline the ways in which employers may motivate their employees to comply with
health and safety procedures.
Ans:
(a)
Motivation is concerned with what driving forces (positive or negative) which lie behind the way
a person acts.
OR
Motivation: A desire to achieve a particular goal. The driving force behind the way a person
acts.
OR
Motivation, which is essentially the driving force behind the that that someone strives to
achieve a goal or objective (e.g. to work safely)
(b)
Lack of management commitment

Over familiarisation with the tasks to be performed
Repetitive work, leading to boredom & lack of concentration
Peer group pressure
Willful disregard of laid-down procedures coupled with inadequate or ineffective
supervision
Fatigue & stress; Lack of communication, training & consultation
(c)
A clear and evident commitment from the most senior manager downwards,
Providing a climate for safety in which managements objectives and the need for
appropriate standards are communicated
Constructive exchange of information at all levels is positively encouraged
Involvement of working in things like risk assessments,
An active health and safety committee with across the board representation
Health and safety being on the agenda of all departmental minutes
An analytical and imaginative approach identifying possible routes to human factor
failure.
Procedures and standards for all aspects of critical work and mechanisms for reviewing
them

Effective monitoring systems to check the implementation of the procedures and

standards
Incident investigation and the effective use of information drawn from such
investigations
Adequate and effective supervision with the power to remedy deficiencies when found.
Q No.28:
a) Explain the meaning of the term perception

b) Outline the factors relating to the individual that may influence a persons perception of
an occupational risk.
c) Outline ways in which employees perception of hazards in the workplace might be
improved.
Ans:
Part (a),
An acceptable meaning of perception is required, such as the way that people interpret and
make sense of presented information, for instance in relation to their surroundings.
OR
Perception means the way that people interpret & make sense of presented information, for
instance, in relation to their surroundings
Example: A person drives over the speed limit because they have done so without any
accidents for 5 years and therefore their perception is that this is a safe behaviour.
Part (b)
The factors that may influence a persons perception of risk in the workplace:
The nature of the hazard (e.g. obvious or hidden, immediate or delayed effects, etc)
A persons previous experience & familiarity with the situation
The level & nature of training
Peer group influences
Confidence in others abilities & judgements
& a number of other personal characteristics such as age, attitude & sensory impairment

Part (c),
Few candidates are able to outline more than one or two ways in which workers perceptions of
hazards in the workplace might be improved.
Most refer in general terms to

Motivation
The need to increase awareness in the individual by safety campaigns or posters
To increase knowledge by means of training.
That there was a need to identify, perhaps by the use of surveys, the reasons for workers
misperceptions in order to increase awareness and challenge currently held views.
Other ways might include making hazards more obvious (for example, by the use of
signs) and
Addressing environmental factors, such as lighting and noise, this might cause
distraction or otherwise hinder the perceptual processes.
Q No. 29: List the reasons why the seriousness of a hazard may be underestimated by someone
exposed to it
Ans:

1) The person may not have been exposed to the situation in the past
2) Has worked in the same job without ill-effect
3) Their attitude does not care
4) The person may be tired
5) Not had awareness training (initial or refresher)
6) Over-reliance on PPE
7) Controls not functioning e.g. LEV
8) Alarms not operational (CO H2S)
9) Effects of medication / drugs / Alcohol
10) Cumulative impacts of failures one adding to another and having more serious
consequences
Q No. 30: Give Four reasons why the seriousness of hazard may be underestimated by a person
exposed to it
Ans:
1) Attitude is the tendency to behave in a particular way in a certain situation. Attitudes are
influenced by the prevailing health and safety culture within the organization, the
commitment of the management, the experience of the individual and the influence of the
peer group. Peer group pressure is a particularly important factor among young people
and health and safety training must be designed with this in mind by using examples or
case studies that are relevant to them. Behaviour may be changed by training, the
formulation and enforcement of safety rules and meaningful consultation attitude
change often follows.
2) Motivation is the driving force behind the way a person acts or the way in which people
are stimulated to act. Involvement in the decision-making process in a meaningful way
will improve motivation as will the use of incentive schemes. However, there are other
important influences on motivation such as recognition and promotion opportunities, job
security and job satisfaction.
3) Self-interest, in all its forms, is a significant motivator and personal factor.
4) Perception is the way in which people interpret the environment or the way in which a
person believes or understands a situation. In health and safety, the perception of hazards
is an important concern.
Many accidents occur because people do not perceive that there is a risk. There are many
common examples of this, including the use of personal protective equipment (such as hard hats)
and guards on drilling machines and the washing of hands before meals. It is important to
understand that when perception leads to an increased health and safety risk, it is not always
caused by a conscious decision of the individual concerned.

The stroboscopic effect caused by the rotation of a drill at certain speeds under fluorescent
lighting will make the drill appear stationary.
It is a well-known phenomenon, especially among illusionists, that people will often see what
they expect to see rather than reality. Routine or repetitive tasks will reduce attention levels
leading to the possibility of accidents.
Other personal factors which can affect health and safety include physical stature, age,
experience, health, hearing, intelligence, language, skills, level of competence and qualifications.
Finally, memory is an important personal factor since it is influenced by training and experience.
The efficiency of memory varies considerably between people and during the lifetime of an
individual.
The overall health of a person can affect memory as can personal crises..
Q No.31:
(a) Give the meaning of the term perception.
Ans: Part (a),
An acceptable meaning of perception is required, such as the way that people interpret and
make sense of presented information, for instance in relation to their surroundings.
Q No. 32: Identify ways in which managers can motivate employees to work safely.
Ans: Managers can motivate people in health and safety by a number of means, including:
1) A clear and evident commitment from the most senior manager downwards, which
provides a climate for safety in which managements objectives and the need for
appropriate standards are communicated and in which constructive exchange of
information at all levels is positively encouraged
2) An analytical and imaginative approach identifying possible routes to human factor
failure. This may well require access to specialist advice
3) Procedures and standards for all aspects of critical work and mechanisms for reviewing
them
4) Effective monitoring systems to check the implementation of the procedures and
standards
5) Incident investigation and the effective use of information drawn from such
investigations
6) Adequate and effective supervision with the power to remedy deficiencies when found.
7) Effective health and safety management system

8) Encouraging a positive health and safety culture

9) Ensuring adequate and competency of supervision
10) Insisting on effective incident reporting and analysis
11) Willing to learn from experience
12) Clearly visible health and safety leadership
13) A suitable team structures
14) Efficient communication systems and practices
15) Providing adequate staffing levels
16) Ensuring suitable work patterns are implemented
17) Recognition and reward
Topic 4: Improving Health and Safety Behavior
Management Commitment and Leadership:
Management commitment starts at the very top of the organization. Senior managers must
provide the leadership necessary to inspire and motivate managers at all levels to pursue health
and safety objectives rigorously. This is done by establishing the organizations policy with clear
priorities and targets to be achieved.
Visible commitment can be demonstrated by:
a) Proactive management
b) Behaving safely
c) Involvement in the day-to-day management of health and safety e.g. by attending safety
meetings
d) Taking part in safety tours or audits
e) Promoting changes to improve health and safety
f) Enforcing the company safety rules
Disciplinary Procedures:

Occasionally, it may be necessary to use disciplinary procedures to enforce health and safety
rules, e.g. in the event that an employee endangers their safety or the safety of others. In these
circumstances the employer would be negligent in ignoring such behavior and must act to ensure
that it is not repeated.
Which of these situations might result in disciplinary action?
A supervisor fails to follow a procedure and instructs their shift to cut corners in order to
save time.
A worker drives a forklift truck recklessly and collides with racking, causing damage.
A supervisor fails to isolate machine before working on it, as the job was only of short
duration.
A worker climbs over a locked machine guard to carry out a quality check.
An office employee repeatedly enters a factory area without the required PPE despite
being told several times of the requirements.
The answer is yes
Competent Staff:
A competent staff is a person who has sufficient training, knowledge, experience, and other
abilities or skills to be able to carry out their work safely and without risk to health.
It is responsibility of the employer to ensure that workers are competent to carry out the tasks
that they have been allocated. The more competent the worker, the better able they will be to do
their job safely. This has a positive influence on safety culture. In order to determine competence
the employer may check qualifications, request references, or verify membership of professional
bodies.
Advantages:
Knowledge and understanding of the work/job

Capacity to apply knowledge to the particular task
Awareness of ones limitation
Effective Communication:
Communication can be defined as the process of delivering information from a sender to a

recipient.
To be truly effective the correct information has to be transmitted, received, and understood.
There are three principal delivery media for communicating information: Verbal, Written, and
Graphic.
Verbal Communication:

Communication using spoken words e.g. face-to-face conversations, meetings, interviews,

training sessions, by telephone or over a public announcement (PA) system.
This is the easiest and most commonly used form of communication but there are various
weaknesses associated with this method. If verbal communication is to be used to convey safety-
critical information to workers these weaknesses must be overcome.
Written Communication:
Communication using written words, e.g. report, memo, email, notices, company handbook,
policy documents, operating instructions, risk assessments, minutes of meetings etc.

Graphic Communications:
Communication using pictures, symbol or pictograms, e.g. safety signs, such as a fire exit sign,
hazard warning symbols such as skull and crossbones found on the label of a toxic chemical, or
photographs, such as of a machine showing a guard being used correctly in the operating
instructions for the machine.

Barriers to Effective Communication:
1) Language and dialect

2) Acronyms and jargon
3) Various physical and mental disabilities
4) Attitudes and perception of workers and supervisors
Types of accident Propaganda:
Statistics
Films, DVDs, and Posters
Targets
Records
For safety propaganda to be effective it must have:
A simple understandable message

A positive believable message
An appealing format that will motivate the reader
Broadcasting Methods

There are various ways of broadcasting health and safety information using the three media e.g.
communication ways.
a) Notice boards - should be eye-catching and located in areas used by all workers, e.g.
rest rooms or central corridors. Notices should be current, relevant and tidily displayed.
Cluttered, out-of-date, irrelevant notices obscure the messages being conveyed.
Displaying a notice does not mean that it will be read. Typical contents might include: the
safety policy; employers liability insurance certificate; emergency procedures; identity of
safety representatives and first-aiders; minutes of safety committee meetings; accident
statistics, etc.
Usage of Notice Board:

The following types of health and safety information could be displayed on a
workplace notice board.
A copy of Companys reliability insurance certificate
Details of first aid arrangement
Emergency evacuation and fire procedures
Minutes of last health and safety committee meeting
Detail of health and safety targets and performance against them
Health and safety posters and campaign details
b) Posters and videos - used to provide safety information, drawing attention to particular
issues and supporting the safety culture.
Films or videos are mainly used in training programmes and, if well-made, can hold the
audiences attention.
c) Toolbox talks - short, practical safety briefings carried out routinely in the workplace,
often presented by the supervisor at the start of a shift. They can be useful for generating
awareness and discussion on safety precautions, but may be seen as dull or a waste of
time if topics are irrelevant or poorly presented.

d) Memos and e-mails - written notifications used to provide specific information about a
single issue, such as updating procedures, drawing attention to lapses in practice, etc.
When using memos there is no opportunity for feedback or questioning, so their use is
really limited to issuing clear and precise instructions or information.
e) Worker handbooks - used to set out the organisations health and safety policy. All
employees should be given a copy on joining the organisation, and updates are usually
circulated to inform staff of changes. This is a key document, containing such
information as site rules, reporting procedures, emergency arrangements, etc. It is
standard practice to issue this handbook as part of the workers induction and to get a
receipt as proof of issue.
Co-operation and Consultation
A positive safety culture can only be created in an organisation with worker co-operation and
involvement. If workers feel that they are being dictated to then they will feel little ownership of
health and safety. Indeed, they may come to resent instructions being imposed from above and
start to actively oppose safety initiatives and improvements. This creates a negative culture. The
most effective way to avoid this negativity and to actively encourage worker interest and
ownership is to involve workers in the decision-making process, which is best achieved through
worker consultation.
An employer does not have to consult with employees on everything, but particular health and
safety issues where consultation would be appropriate include:
1) The introduction of measures affecting the health and safety of the workers.
2) The appointment of safety advisors and specialists.
3) Health and safety training plans.
4) The introduction of new technology into the workplace that will affect health and safety.
The two methods employers normally use to consult workers are:
Direct consultation - the employer talks directly to each worker and resolves issues as
they occur. This works well in very small organisations but is ineffective in larger
workplaces.
Worker representatives - a Health and Safety Committee is established, made up of key

management personnel and workers representatives. This committee meets regularly to
discuss health and safety matters and resolve issues. Worker representatives may even
have specific additional rights under local law, such as time off with pay for training.
Difference between consulting and informing:

Informing is a one way process involving the provision of relevant information by

management to workers, whereas.
Consulting is a two way process where account is taken of the views of workers before
any decision is taken.
Benefits of Consultation:
1) An improved health and safety culture

2) Motivation of staff
3) Reduction in accidents and ill-health
4) Improved overall performance of the organization
Training:
Training (in the context of health and safety) can be considered as the planned, formal process of
acquiring and practising knowledge and skills in a relatively safe environment.
The Effect of Training
Training is central to the management of health and safety in workplaces. Employers have a
responsibility to train their staff to carry out their jobs in a safe manner. Training is a key
component of competence. In the absence of training it is difficult to develop or demonstrate
competence and, as a result, statute law in many countries requires employers to provide
appropriate training for their workers.
Once the worker has been properly trained they will understand:
The hazards and risks inherent in their work.
The correct rules and precautions to apply.
Foreseeable emergencies and the actions to take, should these events occur.
Limitations and restrictions that apply to their work.

Training Opportunities
Various circumstances require the provision of training:
a) New employees - induction training takes place when workers join an organisation. This
allows the worker to obtain knowledge about the organization in a safe, structured
manner and ensures that critical information is delivered and understood. Since a worker
is at risk in a workplace from their first day of work it makes sense to deliver induction
training as soon as they start work and to cover safety-critical information first.
b) Job change - additional training is necessary when a workers job changes in such a way
that they are exposed to new hazards and risks. For example, a health-care worker whose
job changes from being hospital-based to delivery of care in clients own homes will need
additional training, not in how to deliver care, since the service they provide has not
changed, but in lone working. They will be at far greater risk when they go out into the
community to conduct home visits as opposed to working in the hospital.
c) Process change - when the way in which the work is done changes, workers may be
exposed to new hazards and risks that require additional training - for example, when a
different product is being produced on an existing piece of machinery this may create
new risks that require training in new safe operating procedures.
d) New technology - new technologies adopted by organisations create different hazards

and risks that workers may be unfamiliar with. The mass introduction of desktop
computers, screens and keyboards is an example of new technology introducing new risk
into workplaces. Training on the hazards associated with the use of this display screen

equipment (DSE) and the correct layout and use of the DSE workstation is now standard
practice in many workplaces.
e) New legislation - changes to the law governing a particular health and safety issue often
create a need to train workers on the implications of the new legislation, perhaps because
working practices have to change or simply to ensure an understanding of the law and its
requirements.
Training Needs Analysis
Training should be carefully planned to avoid unnecessary expense and disruption and to focus
resources where they are most needed. In order to develop a training programme, the
organization should carry out an analysis of what is required. Factors to be considered include:
Type and function of the organisation.
Hazard and risk profile of the organisation, e.g. if woodworking machinery is used,
training in its safe use should be provided.
Accident history of the organisation, which may indicate areas where awareness is
lacking, or training is needed.
Any statutory training requirements, e.g. for first-aiders.
Level of training previously provided, together with the details of which employees have
been trained and when.
Training Records
It is important to keep records of any training given, not only to record who has been trained but
also to update and show progress against the training plan. Training records should detail the
level of competence achieved, the date of the training and highlight when any refresher training
is required. These records may be used to demonstrate to regulators that adequate training was
provided, or to prove in a civil claim or an accident investigation that an employee had received
training.
Evaluating Training Effectiveness
The evaluation of the effectiveness of training can be carried out in various ways. Initially,
trainees and trainers may complete post-training evaluation forms, which give an indication of
how well the course went. Once the trainees have returned to work success indicators vary
according to the training provided, but may include:
a) Reduction in accident and absence rates.
b) Increased awareness of the topic covered, e.g. an increased number of worker
comments/concerns highlighted.
c) Improved compliance with safe systems of work.
Safety Committee:

a) The study of accidents and noticeable disease statistics to enable reports to be made of
recommended remedial actions
b) The examination of health and safety audits and statutory inspections report.
c) The consideration of reports from the external enforcement agency.
d) The review of new legislation, approved Code of Practice and Guidance and their effect
on organization
e) The monitoring and review of all health and safety training and instruction activities in
the organization
f) The monitoring and review of all health and safety publicity and communication
throughout the organization
g) Development of safe system of work and safety procedures
h) Reviewing risk assessment
i) Considering reports from safety representatives
j) Continuous monitoring of arrangements for health and safety and revising them when
necessary.
The employer should not disclose the information that

1) Violates a legal prohibition
2) Endangers national security
3) Relates to specific individual
4) Could harm the company commercially
5) Was obtained from legal proceedings
Influences on Health and Safety Culture:

Internal:
Competence
Management commitment
Production/Service Demands
Communication
Employee representation
External
Expectations of society
Legislation and enforcement
Insurance companies
Trade unions
State of the economy
Commercial stakeholders
Q No. 33: Is feedback essential for effective communication?
Ans: No. Feedback opportunities may help but are not essential. Most written communication is
one way and this does not make that form of communication ineffective; it simply means that the
message must be carefully worded to ensure clear understanding.

Q No.34: What are the main advantages and disadvantages of both written and oral forms of
communication?
Ans: The following table shows the main merits and limitations of the two forms of
communication.
Q No. 35: How are graphical (picture) symbols used in safety communications?
Ans: Mostly, they are incorporated into safety signs.
Q No. 36: What should be the first priority in induction training?
Ans: To set out the general rules to be followed for safe movement around the workplace and
what to do in the event of a fire or emergency. These are the priorities. The induction training can
then move on to other topics.
Q No. 37: Apart from at induction, when should training be provided?
Ans: There are various times when training should be provided:

1) When people first start a job, where specific rules andprocedures need to be
followed.
2) When there are significant changes to work equipment, substances or activities.
3) Refresher training.
4) After an accident, or near miss.
5) When the law or standards change.
Q No. 38: Outline the practical means by which a manager could involve employees in the
improvement of health and safety at workplace.
Ans:

Involving employees in risk assessments

Accident investigations
& the development of safe systems & procedures
Encouraging hazard-spotting & the reporting of defects
Setting up suggestion schemes
Organizing training courses & information programmes
Supporting active involvement in safety committee meetings
Being accompanied by employees or their representatives on safety tours & inspections
& giving employees responsibilities for mentoring young & inexperienced workers.
OR
Training
Information
Instruction
Communication
Consultation
Meetings
Safety Committees
Suggestion schemes
Joint inspections
Recognition and rewarding good/safe behaviours
Leading by example
Workplace inspections
Q No. 39:
a) Define the term accident incidence rate
b) Outline how information on accidents could be used to promote health and safety in the
workplace.
Ans:
(a)
The number of accidents per so many (usually one hundred thousand) employees within a
defined period of time (usually one year).
Number of accidents / incidents per thousand employees.
= Total incident / Accident * 1000
Total employees
(b)
Safety committees can use the information to help focus on attention to high risk areas or areas
where there are high or increasing trends.

It can be used to influence the behaviour of those at risk, i.e. displaying it on notice boards
Reactive monitoring on the management systems effectiveness (identification of system
failures)
It can help justify and inform the allocation of resources to health and safety
It can be used on a national scale such as national campaigns relative to specific hazards e.g.
noise, dermatitis, etc.
Can help to identify training or re-training needs of individuals or a group of individuals
Q No. 40:
(a) Identify FOUR types of health and safety information that might usefully be displayed on a
notice board within a workplace.
(b) Explain how the effectiveness of notice boards as a means of communicating health and
safety information to the workforce can be maximised.
Ans:
Part a)
1. Health and safety policy
2. Minutes of the health and safety committee meeting
3. Accident / ill-health / absence statistics
4. Good safety initiatives
5. Safety alerts (bad practice identification)
6. Safety awards
7. Details of health and safety training events
Part b)
The most common way in which written communication is used in the workplace is the notice
board.
For a notice board to be effective, it needs to be well positioned within the workplace and there
needs to be a regular review of the notices to ensure that they are up to date and relevant.
If there is a multi-lingual workforce it is beneficial and effective to have any notice board items
written in the main languages to encourage the reading of such information, acceptance and
compliance with requirements as necessary
Q No. 41: Give reasons why it is important to use a variety of methods to communicate health
and safety information in the workplace.
Ans:
1) Consideration of the sort of information that needs to be communicated in the workplace
and the different methods of presenting such information should be addressed.
2) People respond differently to different stimuli, and that variety prevents over-
familiarisation with one method and helps to reinforce a message.
3) The need to overcome language barriers and the inability of some workers to read;
4) The need to motivate, stimulate interest and gain involvement and feedback;
5) The acceptance that different types of information require different methods of
communication for example emergency signs;

6) That the policy of the organisation may require certain information to be in a specified
format; and
7) That on occasions evidence that the message was given may need to be kept.
Q No.41: Identify the barriers to effective verbal communication that may exist
Ans: There are numerous barriers to effective communication, these may include:
a) Language not understood- the language spoken by the trainer or supervisor not
understood by the employees.
b) Personal Factors such as a dislike to the person giving the communication, may be
related to a lack of trust or the uncertainty of the real reason for the communication (trust)
c) Background noise- due to background noises or other disturbances the verbal instructions
is not understood by the employees
d) Technical explanations are not clearly understood
e) Use of jargon not being understood
f) Interference by PPE. Due to the wearing of PPE such as ear defender, hood etc the verbal
communication can not be interpreted effectively
g) Stress due to personal stress employees may be unable to concentrate on the
communication being conveyed
h) Timing if the timing is inappropriate persons may have their interest elsewhere e.g.
holding a meeting only minutes prior to a meal break
i) Distractions these could involve ongoing activities, noise, proximity of the public, etc
Q No.42: Outline the factors that may determine the level of supervision an employee should
receive during their initial period within a company.
Ans: The level of supervision required during their initial period with a company will be
dependant on a host of factors and may include some, or all of the following:
1) Complexity of the work to be undertaken
2) Age of the individual
3) The attitude of the individual
4) Any special needs
5) Previous experience
6) Previous situation reports (past accident situations)
7) The peer group attitude
8) Type of PPE that may be required and the need for correct use (i.e. harness can fall into
incorrect use over a time period)
9) Level of supervision available
10) Type of work being undertaken
11) Substances used and likely effects
12) Legal requirements
Q No. 44: Identify the factors to be considered while developing a health & safety training
programme for an organization
Ans:

a) The objectives of the training - what do you hope to achieve by giving the training and
what the participants will obtain from it
b) The trainer - whether in-house or external - will have a major impact on the effective
presentation of the training and thus the information retention of the participants
c) The venue in which the training is held can have a significant effect on the training in
general if it is in poor condition or poorly resourced, the training will be less successful
than if it is at least in a good condition and comfortable
d) The number of people involved in the training will affect the quality of the training - in
some cases larger numbers allow for greater group interaction, which can help, whilst in
other cases smaller numbers allow for more teacher - participant interaction which can
also help
e) The means of delivering the teaching will significantly affect most of the other factors
here, although it does not necessarily have to be the deciding factor
f) The company culture and the support from the management team is also a significant
factor in the planning of training delivery
Q No. 45: Identify the various measures that might be used to assess the effectiveness of the
training
Ans: There are a range of measures that may be used to assess the effectiveness of training,
including:
1) Participation of attendees
2) Level of response
3) Ability to correctly respond to questions
4) Being able to demonstrate understanding
5) On the job follow-up for compliance
6) Reduction of accidents / incidents in aspects of the training delivered
7) Formal feedback from attendees
8) Personal feedback
9) Others asking for similar training
10) Attentiveness throughout
Q No. 46: Outline the reasons why it is important for an employee to keep the training records
of his employees
Ans:
a) May be legal requirements
b) May assist in developing training plans / identifying gaps
c) May be required for evidence following an incident / accident
d) May reduce penalties in a court of law
e) Insurance premium reviews
f) Completing risk assessments
g) CPD for the worker
h) To save duplication of training
i) Management system compliance

Q No. 47: Outline the topics that may typically be included on the agenda of a safety committee
meeting.
Ans: A safety committee agenda would normally include subjects which are / were of concern to
employees on various health and safety issues.
The agenda would be made up of suggestions and issues which may have been brought up by
employees, contractors and others.
The agenda items that may be typically included are
1) The outcomes of any recent inspection by the enforcing authorities
2) The outcomes of any third party audits that relate to health, safety and environmental
issues
3) Any recent accidents, incidents and near misses reports and outcomes
4) Any problems arising from workplace inspections, e.g. Housekeeping, blocked fire exits
etc.
5) Also areas such as the identification of unsafe acts, conditions and hazards that have been
reported and perhaps not suitably rectified.
6) Other topics may include, stress at work, due to long hours, or environmental conditions,
manual handling issues, worker dissatisfaction with welfare arrangements, food and
catering contractors etc
7) Changes in legislation and their likely impact
8) Outcomes of risk assessment and safe working system reviews
9) Accident, incident, sickness, absence and ill health statistics, etc
10) Workplace inspection scheduled
Q No. 48: Give reasons why a verbal instruction may not be clearly understood by a site
operative.
Ans: Reasons should include:

a) Noise and distractions may mean that persons are unable to clearly hear what is being
said
b) Use of technical jargon may mean that people mis-understand the information being
communicated
c) Complexity of information sometimes meets with the information receivers turning their
minds off and not listening as they do not understand what is trying to be communicated
d) Communication is ambiguous
e) Language / dialect barriers is a big problem in some regions, both from the communicator
or the receiver, sometimes the same words have different meanings or implications
f) Sensory impairment for example a receiver having a hearing deficiency or the
communicator having a serious stammer
g) Mental difficulty may mean the receiver is not capable of absorbing information to any
extent
h) Lack of attention by persons clearly not interested in the topic
i) Inexperience of persons not used to having to receive information at work i.e. young
workers
j) Lengthy communication chains may be a problem if translations are required covering
several languages sometimes a problem in the Middle East for example.

Q No. 49: Explain how arrangements for consultation with workers may be made more
effective.
Ans: Arrangements for consultation with workers might be made more effective by:
1) The establishment of safety committees;
2) Consultation with elected representatives of employee safety;
3) Planned direct consultation at departmental meetings,
4) Team meetings, tool box talks and staff appraisals;
5) Consultation as part of an accident or incident investigation or as part of a risk
assessment;
6) Day to day informal consultation by supervisors with their team;
7) Questionnaires and suggestion schemes.
If formal meetings are to be held, it is important to ensure that:

a) There is a correct balance between management and worker representation;
b) That an agenda is set and the meeting well managed by the chair;
c) That the business of the meeting is not side tracked by discussion of non health and safety
issues;
d) That minutes of and report back from the meeting are made available to the workforce as
a whole and
e) That actions agreed receive attention without undue delay.

Topic 5: Emergency Procedures
IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPING EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
Despite all the controls that can be introduced into an organisation, things can still go wrong.
Accidents and incidents do happen. When they do it is critical that the organisation has
emergency procedures that can be brought into effect without delay, otherwise there may be a
poor or inappropriate response that makes things worse, rather than better.
Having identified the foreseeable incidents, the organisation should make internal arrangements
to deal with each of them, should they occur. These arrangements should include:

1) Procedures to be followed: in the event of a fire, for example, normal practice is for
workers to exit the building using the signed escape routes and assemble at a designated
place. In the event of a bomb threat the procedure is often the exact opposite: to go to a
room inside the building, away from windows and external walls.
2) Provision of suitable equipment: if there is a chemical spill, for example, absorbent

granules or booms might be used to contain the spill and PPE used to prevent harm to
those involved in the containment operation. In the event of a release of toxic gas,
respiratory protective equipment may be needed.
3) Nomination of responsible staff: in a fire situation there is likely to be a need for fire
wardens or marshals, who walk through the building to check that everyone is aware of
the fire evacuation. A fire team may also be required, whose job will be to check the area
where the fire is suspected to be.
4) Provision of training and information: workers will only know what to do when these
various emergencies occur if they have been provided with information and training. Any
nominated individuals will require additional training in their roles in the emergency, and
in the safe handling of any equipment (e.g. PPE) that they might have to use. Members of
the public may require information on emergency procedures, which might be provided
in the form of notices, or by means of public address system announcements.
5) Drills and exercises: emergency procedures should be practised to ensure that people are
familiar with the actions they might be expected to take. In this way peoples responses
become automatic. For example, fire evacuation drills should be conducted routinely in
all workplaces, and multiple casualty accident exercises should be practised if they are a
foreseeable event.
ARRANGEMENTS FOR CONTACTING EMERGENCY SERVICES
While internal emergency arrangements must be made by the organisation to deal with
foreseeable incidents, these responses will normally also involve contacting external emergency
services for help. There should therefore be appropriate arrangements in place:
1) Communication equipment, e.g. land-line and mobile phones, satellite phones, or VHF
radio. The more remote the location, the more difficult communication becomes.
2) Contact details, e.g. national and local emergency service numbers. This may involve
international medical evacuation as well.
3) Responsible individuals with the necessary information and knowledge nominated to

make the call. In many instances the emergency services can provide a more effective
response if they are given critical informationquickly.
Examples Of Types of Emergency Procedures:

1) Fire
2) Explosion, bomb scares
3) Escape of toxic gases
4) Major accident
Typical Elements of Emergency Procedure:
1) Fire notices and fire procedures

2) Fire drills and evacuation procedure
3) Assembly and roll call
4) Arrangements for contacting emergency and rescue services
5) Provision of information for emergency services
6) Internal emergency organization including control of spillages and clean up
arrangements
7) Media and publicity arrangements
8) Business continuity arrangements
Q No. 48: What is the main objective of an emergency procedure?
Ans: The main objective of an emergency procedure is to ensure the safety and health of staff
and others who might be affected by the emergency. In some instances minimising other losses
associated with the emergency will also be a priority. Preventing an escalation of the emergency
may also be important.
Q No. 49: Name three typical emergencies that may require the development of emergency
procedures
Ans: Fire or explosion; bomb threat; release or spillage of a hazardous substance.
Q No. 50:
a) Identify four types of emergency procedures that an organization might need to have in
place.
b) Explain why visitors to a workplace should be informed of the emergency procedures.
Ans
(a)
Evacuation in the case of fire

For accidents
For dangerous incidents such as chemical spillage, for security of intruder alert
& in the event of an explosive device being suspected or discovered on site.
(b)

Visitors need to be informed of the procedures so that they can act appropriately in the
event of an emergency, thereby minimizing the risk to themselves as well as to other
persons.
Provision of such information will assist in the employer in complying with the
requirements of the MHSWR 1999 that relate to ensuring the safety of persons other than
employees working on the premises.
The general duty owed to persons other than employees under section 3 of the HASAWA
is also of relevance, as is the employers common law duty of care.
OR
There is a need for visitors to be aware of the emergency procedures that may be enacted during
their visit to the premises for a range of reasons, including:
There is a moral responsibility on the occupier/host to do so,
There is a legal duty of care owed to visitors
So that they will know the appropriate procedure to adopt to lesson the risk to
themselves, and
To prevent them being an hindrance to those dealing with the emergency situation
Q No. 51:
a) Identify three types of emergency in the workplace for which employees may need to be
evacuated.
b) Explain why it is important to develop workplace procedures to enable the safe
evacuation of employees during an emergency.
c) Give reasons why workplace emergency procedure should be practiced.
Ans:
Part (a)
Three types of emergency in the workplace that could lead to the need to evacuate workers could
be:
1. Fire or explosion,
2. The accidental release of toxic chemicals or gases,
3. Transport incidents,
4. Bomb alerts or other terrorist activities,
5. Weather related emergencies and
6. Earthquakes.
Part (b)
The importance of developing procedures for the safe evacuation of workers in the event of an
emergency could include:
The need to comply with legal requirements;
To be prepared for foreseeable emergencies;
To ensure the safety and protection of the workers including those dealing with the
emergency
To assist the safe evacuation of persons including those with specific needs such as
visitors and the disabled;

To provide information on the action to be taken, not only by workers but also by
neighbours and others who might be affected by the emergencies such as in a shared or
joint occupancy premises;
To allocate specific responsibilities to certain workers in the event of an evacuation being
necessary;
To be able to mitigate the effects of adverse events and to restore the situation to normal;
to ensure the procedures are made available to any relevant emergency services and
To ensure business continuity.
(c)
Q No 52: A car maintenance workshop located adjacent to a river was flooded. Repairs were
needed to structural steelwork, garage pits and basements, electrical equipment and flammable
stores.
(a) Identify FOUR emergencies that may occur during the repairs.
(b) Outline why emergency procedures are needed.
(c) Identify FOUR types of permit that may be required to undertake the repairs AND outline a
relevant task that requires EACH of the specified permits.
Ans:
Part (c)
Complex and highly hazardous situations examples being:
Dangerous substances Exposure and ill health
Entry into explosives or inflammable atmospheres explosions and fires
Entry into non- respirable atmospheres suffocation potential
Confined spaces dangerous atmospheres, work conditions
Electrical work, especially high voltage Contact with live electricity
Pressurised systems and pressurised atmospheres explosions, exposure leading to
penetration
Radioactive or biologically hazardous environments occupational ill health
Breaking into pipelines containing hazardous materials, including chemicals, gases and
steam contact or exposure to hazardous situations
Hot work such as welding, in certain situations fire and explosions
Fumigation or other releases of hazardous substances occupational health issues,
contamination
Maintenance work on plant and machinery exposure to dangerous parts, entrapment,
entanglement, nip points, etc.
Working at height fall from height
Working in excavations collapse of excavation and burying

Cold work situations fire or explosions from unintentional
Q No. 53:
(a) Identify THREE types of emergency in the workplace that may require the evacuation of
workers.
(b) Explain why it is important to develop emergency procedures in the workplace.
Ans: Part (a)
Three types of emergency in the workplace that could lead to the need to evacuate workers could
be:
a. Fire or explosion,
b. The accidental release of toxic chemicals or gases,
c. Transport incidents,
d. Bomb alerts or other terrorist activities,
e. Weather related emergencies and
f. Earthquakes.
Part (b)
The importance of developing procedures for the safe evacuation of workers in the event of an
emergency could include:
1) The need to comply with legal requirements;
2) To be prepared for foreseeable emergencies;
3) To ensure the safety and protection of the workers including those dealing with the
emergency
4) To assist the safe evacuation of persons including those with specific needs such as
visitors and the disabled;
5) To provide information on the action to be taken, not only by workers but also by
neighbours and others who might be affected by the emergencies such as in a shared or
joint occupancy premises;
6) To allocate specific responsibilities to certain workers in the event of an evacuation being
necessary;
7) To be able to mitigate the effects of adverse events and to restore the situation to normal;
to ensure the procedures are made available to any relevant emergency services and
8) To ensure business continuity.

Topic 6: First Aid
Main Function of First Aid Treatment:
Preservation of life and/ minimization of the consequences of serious injury until medical
help is available.
Treatment of minor injuries not needing medical attention.
FIRST-AID REQUIREMENTS
An employer has a duty to provide appropriate first-aid services for his employees. This is to
allow an immediate emergency medical response to foreseeable injuries that might occur in the
workplace. Three elements must be provided:
Facilities - an appropriate location where first-aid treatment can be given.

Equipment - suitably stocked first-aid kits and other equipment as necessary.
Personnel - staff with appropriate training to deliver first-aid treatment.
The employer must notify staff of these first-aid arrangements and, in particular, the identity of
trained first aid personnel.
REQUIREMENTS FOR FIRST-AID BOXES AND FACILITIES
Suitable facilities should be provided where first-aid treatment can be given. As a minimum this
might consist of a room that is used for other purposes but can be quickly converted into a
treatment area. In a larger workplace a dedicated treatment room should be provided. This room
should be:
Centrally located in an area that can be accessed by the emergency services.

Clean and adequately heated, ventilated and lit.
Provided with hand-wash facilities, a chair and a clinical waste bin, etc.

First-Aid Equipment
As a minimum, one fully stocked first-aid kit might be provided for a small, low-risk workplace.
In larger workplaces multiple first-aid kits should be positioned at various locations in the
workplace, as well as:
a) Eye-wash stations.
b) Emergency showers.
c) Blankets.
d) Splints.
e) Resuscitation equipment.
f) Stretchers.
g) Wheelchairs.
h) Other equipment, as required.
FIRST-AID COVERAGE
The geographic location is an important issue to consider when determining first-aid provision.
Workplaces within easy reach of the emergency services can perhaps provide minimal cover, but
workplaces in remote locations, which the emergency services may take hours to reach, must
have more facilities and skilled personnel available.

Q No. 54: What factors might need to be considered when determining the first-aid facilities for
a workplace?
Ans: Hazards in the workplace; general risk level; accident history; number of workers; specific
work processes; geographic spread of the workplace; geographic location of the workplace and
proximity to the emergency services; vulnerable groups in the workplace; presence of members
of the public.
Q No. 55:
(a) Identify the two main functions of first-aid treatment.
(b) Outline the factors to consider when making an assessment of first-aid provision in a
workplace.
Ans:
Part (a)
The main purpose of first aid is to control the life-endangering situation and prevent further
injury.
For serious accidents, the main responsibility of those in the work area is to get professional
help; ignorantly doing the wrong thing can cause further injury.
Part (b)
Typical examples of the equipment and facilities a first-aid room may contain are:
A sink with hot and cold running water;
Drinking water and disposable cups;
Soap and paper towels;
A store for first-aid materials;
Foot-operated refuse containers, lined with yellow, disposable clinical waste bags or a
container suitable for the safe disposal of clinical waste;
An examination/medical couch with waterproof protection and clean pillows and
blankets;
A chair;
A telephone or other communication equipment; and
A record book for recording incidents attended by a first-aider or appointed person.
Q No. 56: An organization is considering expanding onto a shared site.

(a) Outline the factors to consider when carrying out a risk assessment of the first-aid provision
on the site.
(b) Identify the TWO main functions of first-aid treatment.
Ans:
(a)
The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to:
The number of trained first-aid personnel and first-aid facilities in relation to, for
example, the size of the organisation;

The distribution and composition of the workforce including the special needs of workers
such as trainees, young workers and the disabled;
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 such as the provision of personal
first aid kits or mobile phones;
The possibility of shared provision on multi-occupancy sites;
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.
(b)
The main purpose of first aid is to control the life-endangering situation and prevent further
injury.
Rest of the Questions:
Q No. 57: Outline the factors that will determine the level of supervision that a new employee
should receive during their initial period of employment within an organization.
Ans: The level of supervision required during their initial period with a company will be
dependant on a host of factors and may include some, or all of the following:
Complexity of the work to be undertaken
Age of the individual
The attitude of the individual
Any special needs
Previous experience
Previous situation reports (past accident situations)
The peer group attitude
Type of PPE that may be required and the need for correct use (i.e. harness can fall into
incorrect use over a time period)
Level of supervision available
Type of work being undertaken
Substances used and likely effects
Legal requirements
Q No. 58: With reference to HSG48 reducing error and influencing behaviour, using practical
examples, define the terms error and violation.
Ans:
An error is an unintended action, for example where a familiar task is not carried out as
planned such as operating the wrong switch or control.

A violation however, is a deliberate deviation from an acceptable standard such as the

intentional removal of a guard in order to speed up a process.
Q No. 59:
(a) Giving a practical example, explain the meaning of the term human error.
(b) Outline individual (or personal) factors that may contribute to human errors occurring at
work.
(c) Describe, using practical examples, four types of human error that can lead to accidents in
the workplace.
(b)
(i) The factors relating to the individual:
Attitude and motivation;
Maturity
Mental maturity;
Aptitude;
Competence;
Physical capabilities;
Any sensory defect they may possess;
Perception of risks involved in the task being undertaken;
The possibility that they have language problems;
The effects of stress, fatigue and alcohol or substance misuse.
(ii) The factors relating to the tasks include:

The lack of correct tools,
Poorly maintained equipment
Equipment that had not been well designed resulting in ergonomic problems,
The setting of unrealistic target,
Tasks that were complex or conversely those that were repetitive and monotonous,
Systems of work that were not clear
Environmental conditions such as noise levels and unsatisfactory lighting.
(iii) The factors related to the organisation include:

A poor health and safety culture
A lack of obvious leadership on the part of management resulting in an unsatisfactory
level of supervision and monitoring,
A lack of resources
A failure to complete risk assessments and introduce safe systems of work
A lack of consultation and communication with the workforce
A failure to provide adequate levels of training for employees.
Q No. 60:
(a) Identify the factors that influence safety related behaviour at work.

(b) Identify EIGHT indicators of management commitment to health and safety in the
workplace.
(b)
1. An important indicator of management commitment to health and safety in the workplace is
the part played by a senior manager in signing the health and safety policy and then
2. In ensuring that the policy is implemented and enforced;
3. Sufficient resources such as finance, equipment;
4. Provision of training are provided to support the implementation;
5. Participation in monitoring procedures such as inspections and audits;
6. Ensuring rapid implementation of any recommendations made from health and safety audits,
meetings, investigations and/or initiatives;
7. Personal observance of all safety rules such as wearing personal protective equipment and
using pedestrian walkways;
8. Participation in meetings of the safety committee and ensuring that health and safety is a
regular agenda item in other meetings at all levels;
9. Engaging in consultation with the workforce and welcoming employee feedback; and in
10. Initiating and being personally involved in the delivery of health and safety training courses.
This question is not usually well answered with many candidates identifying general safety
management issues, rather than individual managers participation and behaviour.
Q No. 60: Following a significant increase in accidents, a health and safety campaign is to be
launched within an organization to encourage safer working by employees.
(i) Outline how the organization might ensure that the nature of the campaign is effectively
communicated to, and understood by, employees.
(ii) Explain why it is important to use a variety of methods to communicate health and safety
information in the workplace.
(iii) Other than poor communications, describe the organizational factors that could limit the
effectiveness of the campaign.
Q No. 61: Give reasons why a verbal instruction may not be clearly understood by an employee.
Ans:
Reasons should include:
Noise and distractions may mean that persons are unable to clearly hear what is being
said
Use of technical jargon may mean that people mis-understand the information being
communicated
Complexity of information sometimes meets with the information receivers turning their
minds off and not listening as they do not understand what is trying to be communicated
Communication is ambiguous
Language / dialect barriers is a big problem in some regions, both from the communicator
or the receiver, sometimes the same words have different meanings or implications
Sensory impairment for example a receiver having a hearing deficiency or the
communicator having a serious stammer

Mental difficulty may mean the receiver is not capable of absorbing information to any
extent
Lack of attention by persons clearly not interested in the topic
Inexperience of persons not used to having to receive information at work i.e. young
workers
Lengthy communication chains may be a problem if translations are required covering
several languages sometimes a problem in the Middle East for example.
Q No. 62: Non-compliance with safety procedures by employees has been identified as one of
the possible causes of a serious accident at work. Outline reasons why the safety procedures may
not have been followed.
Ans:
There are a number of reasons why procedures may not be followed, including:
A negative or poor health and safety culture being in place a why bother attitude as an
example
Lack of training, awareness, supervision and/or information
Poor work planning, leading to high work pressure, and this pressure and the want to
complete may force individuals not to comply
Lack of safety systems and barriers in place, if something is not properly in place or not
properly maintained then people will not conform
Inadequate responses to previous incidents could indicate a lack of management
commitment and in turn lead us along this why bother route again
Management based on one-way communications, people often see rules being meant to
be broken telling is not always the best mode of communication consultation is far
more effective
Deficient co-ordination and responsibilities leading to a lack of confusion as to who is
responsible for what
Poor management of health and safety
Q No. 63: A new process was introduced into a workplace. Operators, supervisors and managers
have received information and training on a safe system of work associated with the process.
(a) Outline how provision of information and training for the employee contributes to
controlling and reducing risks.
(b) Identify FOUR benefits to an employer of providing information and training.
Q No. 64: Outline FOUR advantages and FOUR disadvantages of using propaganda posters to
communicate health and safety information to the workforce.
Ans:
Advantages of posters include:
Their relatively low cost, (allowing them to be displayed in the lost apposite positions)
Their brevity (allowing messages to be easily understood)
Their use in reinforcing verbal instructions or information

& in providing a constant reminder of important health & safety issues

& their potential to allow employees to become involved in their selection & hence in the
message being conveyed
Disadvantages include
The need to change posters on a regular basis if they are to be noticed
The fact that they may become soiled, defaced & out-of-date
& the possibility that they might be seen to trivialise serious matters
Additionally they might actually alienate people if inappropriate stereotypes (e.g. of the
stupid worker) are used
They provide no direct way of assessing whether the message has been understood
& they may be perceived by unscrupulous employers as an easy, if not particularly
effective, way of discharging their responsibility to provide health & safety information
& even of shifting the responsibility onto the workforce for any accidents that may occur
Q No. 65: Notice boards are commonly used to display health and safety information in the
workplace.
(a) Identify the limitations of relying on this method to communicate to employees.
(b) Identify other methods which the employer could use to communicate essential health and
safety information to their employees.
Q No. 66:
(a) Identify FOUR types of health and safety information that might usefully be displayed on a
notice board within a workplace.
(b) Explain how the effectiveness of notice boards as a means of communicating health and
safety information to the workforce can be maximized.
Ans:
Part a)
1. Health and safety policy
2. Minutes of the health and safety committee meeting
3. Accident / ill-health / absence statistics
4. Good safety initiatives
5. Safety alerts (bad practice identification)
6. Safety awards
7. Details of health and safety training events
Part b)
The most common way in which written communication is used in the workplace is the notice
board.
For a notice board to be effective, it needs to be well positioned within the workplace and there
needs to be a regular review of the notices to ensure that they are up to date and relevant.

If there is a multi-lingual workforce it is beneficial and effective to have any notice board items
written in the main languages to encourage the reading of such information, acceptance and
compliance with requirements as necessary
Q No. 67: Identify a range of methods that an employer can use to provide health and safety
information directly to individual employees.
Ans:
Notice boards
Team briefings
Training sessions including induction & tool box talks
Newsletters & the inclusion of messages with wage/pay slips
Posters
Competitions & signs
& one to one briefing such as appraisal sessions
Q No. 68:
(a) Identify the TWO means by which employers may provide information to employees in
order to comply with the Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations 1989.
(b) Outline the categories of information provided to employees by the means identified in (a).
Q No. 69: Outline the benefits to an organization of having a health and safety committee.
Ans:
It allows a definite point of contact for allowing safety issues to be raised.
Helps to keep management and workers informed of the company health and safety status.
If properly managed it will foster better employee / management relationships with regard to
health and safety.
It allows proper focus on the progress of achieving targets.
Allows points to be raised in the presence of management without undue delay.
Assists in the accurate communication of information from the committee to the workforce.
If demonstrates management commitment to health and safety.
It should improve or at least maintain a positive safety culture.
Q No. 70: In relation to the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977,
outline:
(i) the rights and functions of a trade union appointed safety representative;
(ii) the facilities that an employer may need to provide to safety representatives.
Q No. 71: By reference to the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977:
(a) explain the circumstances under which an employer must form a health and safety
committee;
(b) give six reasons why a health and safety committee may prove to be ineffective in practice;

(c) identify TWO reasons why a safety representative may have cause to complain to an
Employment Tribunal and state the period of time within which such a complaint must be made.
Q No. 72: With reference to the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations
1996:
(i) explain the difference between consulting and informing;
(ii) outline THREE health and safety matters on which employers must consult their employees;
(iii) outline the rights and functions of representatives of employee safety elected under the
Regulations;
(iv) identify four types of information that an employer is not obliged to disclose to an employee
representative.
Q No.73: Representatives of employee safety can be elected to represent employees under the
Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations:
(a) state the criteria that would help determine the appropriate number of representatives of
employee safety in a workplace;
(b) outline the rights and functions of representatives of employee safety elected under the
Regulations;
(c) outline the ways in which an employer can consult with the workforce.
Q No.74: In relation to the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996,
outline the types of facility that an employer may need to provide to representatives of employee
safety.
Q No. 75
(a) Identify the effects of health and safety training on human reliability.
(b) Identify the circumstances from within an organization that might require an employee to
undertake additional health and safety training.
Ans:
(b)
When a work has been employed by an organisation for some time there may be a need for
additional safety training. These needs can vary, and may include:
A general refresher as over a period of time a persons focus may shift and thus they may not
be as safety focused as they should be this may be an issue if a person has not had an accident
and therefore may become complacent.
To ensure that there is a consistent approach to safe systems of work which may have changed
over time and therefore the worker may be somewhat out-dated in their knowledge.
The workplace and work practices may have changed without the worker being consciously
aware of them.
The worker may have moved locations within the same premises and is not aware of some of
the potential hazards in the present location.
It may identify further training needs of the individual this may be an issue with technological
advancement.
Ensuring that the worker remains positive in their heath and safety attitude and helps to foster a
better and more positive health and safety culture

Q No. 75: Explain how induction training programmes for new employees can help to reduce
the number of accidents in the workplace.
Ans:
Such induction training for new workers may assist in reducing workplace accidents and
incidents in a number of ways, including:
Making workers aware of the workplace hazards and risks
By introducing the new starts to related safe systems of work
By ensuring awareness in emergency preparedness procedures to be followed
Making them aware of restricted areas
By training them in the correct and safe use of tools and equipment and ensuring that they
are conversant with their proper use
Ensuring that new starts are aware of the reporting procedures for mal-functioning
equipment
Making them aware of incident and hazard reporting procedures
Making them aware of the sources of help available should further need arise
Such training will foster a positive attitude towards safety and safe working and may
assist in countering any pressure put on them by peers and others
Please note that this question was not concerning the topic of induction training sessions.
Q No. 76: A contractor has been engaged to undertake building maintenance work in a busy
warehouse. Outline the issues that should be covered in an induction programme for the
contractors employees.
Q No. 77: Identify the main health and safety issues to be included in an induction training
programme for goods delivery drivers using small vehicles, both on and off-site.
Ans:
Issues that need to be considered in this training includes:
Operation of the vehicles controls and ways to manoeuvre it safely both forward and in
reverse;
Information on the internal traffic routes and site rules including speed limits together
with the signage and markings used;
The specific workplace hazards such as restricted areas and the presence of hazardous
materials; parking restrictions in force and the method of parking the vehicle safely;
The requirements for giving right of way to pedestrians and other vehicles; information
on the safe working load of the vehicle and how to secure loads and stack them safely
when unloading;
Securing the vehicle after use and the procedures for key management;
The precautions to be taken when refuelling the vehicle;
The need to carry out preoperational checks of the vehicle and the procedures for the
reporting of defects and unsafe conditions;

Health issues such as physical fitness and eyesight;; and the employees legal duties as
contained in relevant country legislation.
Q No. 78. An independent audit of an organization has concluded that employees have received
insufficient health and safety training.
(i) Describe the factors that should be considered when developing an extensive programme of
health and safety training within an organization.
(ii) Outline the various measures that might be used to assess the effectiveness of such training.
(iii) Give FOUR reasons why it is important for an employer to keep a record of the training
provided to each employee.
Ans:
(i)
The objectives of the training - what do you hope to achieve by giving the training and
what the participants will obtain from it
The trainer - whether in-house or external - will have a major impact on the effective
presentation of the training and thus the information retention of the participants
The venue in which the training is held can have a significant effect on the training in
general if it is in poor condition or poorly resourced, the training will be less successful
than if it is at least in a good condition and comfortable
The number of people involved in the training will affect the quality of the training in
some cases larger numbers allow for greater group interaction, which can help, whilst in
other cases smaller numbers allow for more teacher - participant interaction which can
also help
The means of delivering the teaching will significantly affect most of the other factors
here, although it does not necessarily have to be the deciding factor
The company culture and the support from the management team is also a significant
factor in the planning of training delivery
(ii)
There are a range of measures that may be used to assess the effectiveness of training, including:
Participation of attendees
Level of response
Ability to correctly respond to questions
Being able to demonstrate understanding
On the job follow-up for compliance
Reduction of accidents / incidents in aspects of the training delivered
Formal feedback from attendees
Personal feedback
Others asking for similar training
Attentiveness throughout
(iii)
May be legal requirements

May assist in developing training plans / identifying gaps

May be required for evidence following an incident / accident
May reduce penalties in a court of law
Insurance premium reviews
Completing risk assessments
CPD for the worker
To save duplication of training
Management system compliance.
Q No. 78:
(a) Outline reasons why an employee might require additional health and safety training at a
later stage of employment within an organization.
(b) Identify the circumstances that may create a need for a review of health and safety training
within an organization.
Ans:
(a)
When a work has been employed by an organisation for some time there may be a need for
additional safety training. These needs can vary, and may include:
A general refresher as over a period of time a persons focus may shift and thus they may not
be as safety focused as they should be this may be an issue if a person has not had an accident
and therefore may become complacent.
To ensure that there is a consistent approach to safe systems of work which may have changed
over time and therefore the worker may be somewhat out-dated in their knowledge.
The workplace and work practices may have changed without the worker being consciously
aware of them.
The worker may have moved locations within the same premises and is not aware of some of
the potential hazards in the present location.
It may identify further training needs of the individual this may be an issue with technological
advancement.
Ensuring that the worker remains positive in their heath and safety attitude and helps to foster a
better and more positive health and safety culture
(b)
Significant changes in the structure of the organisation

After the introduction of new or changed processes or work methods
Following changes in key personnel
Following changes in legislation
Where audits, risk assessments, monitoring exercises or investigations show that the
policy is no longer effective or relevant
Following enforcement action

& after a sufficient period of time has elapsed since the previous review to suggest that
another one id due.

IGC1, Element 3, Organizing

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NEBOSH IGC1: Element 3, Health and Safety Management Systems 2 - ORGANIZING

Topic 1: Organizational Health and Safety Roles and Responsibilities

1) His or own employees, to ensure their health and safety

Role and key actions required by the employer includes:

1) Ensure competent advice on health and safety matters

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Principal general duties of employers recommended by ILO are:

1) To provide and maintain workplaces, machinery and equipment.

Directors and Senior Managers:

Responsibility of Directors and Senior Managers is to ensure that:

1) The right health and safety policy is put in place.

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Middle Managers and Supervisors:

1) The staff that works directly for them.

1) Providing advice and guidance on health and safety standards.

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Suppliers, Manufactures and Designers:

1) Health and safety must be included in the contract specifications.

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2) All significant hazards must be included in the contract specifications.

Questions and Answers:

Q No. 1: which categories of people does an employer owe a duty to?

Q No. 2: Outline common duties of employees?

Ans: Two general duties of employees are:

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Q No. 6: Following a reportable accident to a contractor while on an employers premises, an

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Other steps that need to be taken by all parties are:

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Age be of sufficient maturity

Trade Union Safety Representative

There is an obligation on designers or manufacturers to do any research necessary to prove safety

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Ans: Part (a),

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1) Previous experience in the type of work expected to be undertaken

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Q No. 13: Identify the criteria when selecting a contractor

1) Do they have an adequate health and safety policy?

11) Can they produce good references indicating satisfactory performance?

Topic 2: The Concept and Significance of Health and Safety Culture

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Health and Safety Culture:

Features of Good Health and Safety Culture:

1) Leadership and commitment to health and safety at all levels

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Relation between Safety Culture and Performance:

An Organization will have either a positive safety culture or a negative one.

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Indicators to Assess Safety Culture:

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5) Compliance with Safety Rules:

6) Complaints about Working Condition:

7) The Influence of Peers:

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Others Indicators in bullets are:

1) Accidents/ incident rates

Q No. 14: Define Health and Safety Culture:

a) Explain the term Health and Safety Culture.

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Factors that could lead to a deterioration in a safety culture could include:

Clear and active senior management commitment to health and safety

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