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Nebosh IGC Element 1 Foundations in Health and Safety Notes
Nebosh IGC Element 1 Foundations in Health and Safety Notes
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Safety
The absence of risk of serious personal injury for example walking under a load suspended from a
crane during a lifting operation is not safe because if load falls serious personnel injuries or death
could result. Staying out of danger area results safety.
3.
Welfare
Access to basic facilities, Such as toilet facility, hand was station, changing rooms, rest places and
where food can be prepared and eaten in hygienic conditions, drinking water and first aid
provision.
4.
Accident
An unplanned, unwanted event which leads to injury or loss, for example a worker on the ground is
struck on head and killed by a brick dropped by another worker 5 meter high from scaffold or a
lorry driver misjudge and hit his lorry with road side barriers. In both examples the act are not
carried out deliberately. Any deliberately attempt to cause injury or loss will not call accident.
5.
Near miss
an unplanned, unwanted event that had the potential to lead to injury(but did not in fact do so) for
example a worker drops a brick form 5 meter high scaffold and it narrowly misses another worker
standing on the ground. No injury result and brick not even broken. The only thing that separates
accident and near misses is OUTCOME of the event. Accident causes loss and near miss does not.
6.
Hazard
Something with the potential to cause harm. For example a lorry moving around a site road is a
hazard because it might run over a worker. Hazard can be classified as:
1.
Physical things which cause harm because of their physical characteristics e.g. electricity,
work at height, radiation, vibration, noise, heat, trip hazards.
2.
Chemical things which can cause harm because of their chemical characteristics e.g lead,
mercury, sulphuric acid, cement dust etc.
3.
Biological living micro organism that cause disease and ill health e.g. hepatitis B virus,
legionella bacteria.
4.
Ergonomic stress and strain put on the body through posture and movement e.g. frequent
repetitive handling of small boxes.
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5.
Psychological things that have the potential to cause injury to the mind rather than the
body e.g. exposure to highly traumatic event.
7. Risk
The likelihood that hazards will cause harm in combination with the severity of Injury, damage or loss
that might occur for example an electrical flex trailing across a busy corridor in a hospital creates a risk.
For example an electrical flex trailing across a busy corridor in a hospital creates a risk. The degree of risk
can be described as high or medium depending on how likely person might trip over that trailing flex
and how badly they might be injured.
8.
Dangerous occurrence-
A specified event that has to be reported to relevant authority by statute law, even if the event did not
lead to fatality or major injury of a worker. For example the failure of the load bearing parts of a crane is
a dangerous occurrence even no person hat be injured. This is reportable event.
9.
Environmental Protection: The prevention for damage to the air, land and water
In order to understand health and safety issue you need to familiar with following things,
Why might the management of an organization not consider health and safety
to be a priority?
The barriers to good standards of health and safety in work place are:
1. Complexity 2. Conflicting demands
3. Behavioral issues
Complexity: workplace can be complicated. Many people involve in many different work
activities need coordination.
Conflicting demands: a common conflict of interest is that between the need to supply a
product or a service at an appropriate speed so as to make a profit, and need to do so safely and
without risk of people.
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Behavioral issues: good health and safety practice often relies on the perfect behavior of
peoples but sometime they do not behave in ideal way. For example a worker on construction
site should wear hard hats to protect form falling object but people sometime deliberately do
not wear hard hats.
Outline the Reasons why an organization should manage health and safety?
There are following main 3 reasons why an organization has to manage health and safety
3. Economic
Accident and ill health cost money. When an accident occurs there will be direct and indirect costs
associated the event. Some of these losses can be Insured against many of them will be uninsured.
When an accident occurs there are two types of losses that the organization may face Direct Costs &
Indirect Costs
Outline the direct & indirect costs that might arise from a workplace accident?
The business case for health and safety
The business case of health and safety Is simply that accident and ill health cost money. When an
accident occurs there will be direct and indirect cost associated with event.
Direct Costs:
The measureable costs arising directly from the accident, for example first aid treatment,
worker sick pay, repairs to or replacement of damaged equipment, fines in the criminal courts
Indirect Costs:
Those costs which are indirectly as a consequences, for example loss of staff from productive
duties in order to investigate the incident, prepare reports, deal with relatives attend court
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proceeding, loss of staff morale, loss of goodwill of customers and damage to public and
industrial image.
Uninsured Costs:
It has been estimated that uninsured losses are between eight and 36 times greater than insured losses.
Some examples of uninsured losses
Loss of raw materials due to accident.
Sick pay for injured workers.
Overtime to make up for lost production
Repair to damaged equipment.
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Article 19 of c155 states that all worker and their representatives have to cooperate with their
employers so that he can fulfill his safety obligations
In addition to the basic right to safe workplace article 19 of c155 gives workers the following
rights.
1. The right to be provided with adequate information on actions the employer has to taken to
ensure occupational safety and health.
2. The right to the necessary training in occupational safety and health
3. The right to be consulted by the employer on all matters of occupational safety and health
relating to their work.
4. The right to leave a workplace which he has reason to think presents an imminent and serious
danger to his life of health and not be compelled to return until it is safe.
Outline the consequences for an employer of non compliance with health and
safety responsibilities?
The consequences of Non Compliance:
A breach of health and safety legislation is usually a criminal offence. Failure to meet legal standards
might lead employer to
1. Formal enforcement action
2. Prosecution of the organization in the criminal court
3. Prosecution of individuals such as director, managers and workers.
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As well as the criminal law consequences there is also the matter of compensation for
workers and other injured by a workplace accident.
1. Taking legal action against their employer through the civil legal system and have prove that
employer had been negligent.
2. Claiming compensation from national or regional compensation schemes witho no requirement
to prove negligence or blame through the use of the legal system.
What are the organizational requirements for effective health and safety
management?
Health and safety management system:
ILO OSH 2001 safety and health system we can summaries the key elements of this system
1. Policy
2. Organizing
3. Planning and implementing
4. Evaluation
5. Action for improvement
6. Audit
7. Continual improvement
Policy:
A clear statement has to be made to establish health and safety as a prime commitment at all level of
organization particularly at the top
Organizing:
A framework of roles and responsibilities for health and safety must be created within the organization
from top management to down to the floor.
Evaluation:
Methods must be developing to monitor and review the effectiveness of the arrangements put into
place. This might be done reactively e.g. by reviewing accident and ill health statistics reports.
Audit:
To ensure that all parts are working acceptably well by systematic and critical examination of the safety
management system
Continual Improvement:
The intention is safety management system will develop over the time to become increasingly
appropriate and useful for company.
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Identify the internal and external sources of information about health and
safety?
Internal & External Information Sources:
Internal information sources:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Accident records
Medical records
Risk assessments
Maintenance reports
Safety representative inspections
Audit reports
Safety committee meeting minutes
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