September 2008

Examiners’ Report
NEBOSH International
General Certificate in
Occupational Health
and Safety - IGC1
Examiners’ Report

NEBOSH INTERNATIONAL GENERAL

CERTIFICATE IN OCCUPATIONAL
HEALTH AND SAFETY

UNIT IGC1: MANAGEMENT OF

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH AND
SAFETY

SEPTEMBER 2008

CONTENTS

Introduction 2

General Comments 3

Comments on individual questions 4

© 2008 NEBOSH, Dominus Way, Meridian Business Park, Leicester LE19 1QW
tel: 0116 263 4700 fax: 0116 282 4000 email: info@nebosh.org.uk website: www.nebosh.org.uk

The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health is a registered charity, number 1010444

T(s):exrpts/I/IGC10809 DW/DA/REW
 Introduction

NEBOSH (The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) was formed in 1979
as an independent examining board and awarding body with charitable status. We offer a
comprehensive range of globally-recognised, vocationally-related qualifications designed to meet the
health, safety, environmental and risk management needs of all places of work in both the private and
public sectors.
Courses leading to NEBOSH qualifications attract over 25,000 candidates annually and are offered by
over 400 course providers in 65 countries around the world. Our qualifications are recognised by the
relevant professional membership bodies including the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
(IOSH) and the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM).

NEBOSH is an awarding body to be recognised and regulated by the UK regulatory authorities:

• The Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) in England

• The Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales
• The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland

NEBOSH follows the “GCSE, GCE, VCE, GNVQ and AEA Code of Practice 2007/8” published by the
regulatory authorities in relation to examination setting and marking (available at the Ofqual website
www.ofqual.gov.uk). While not obliged to adhere to this code, NEBOSH regards it as best practice to
do so.

Candidates’ scripts are marked by a team of Examiners appointed by NEBOSH on the basis of their
qualifications and experience. The standard of the qualification is determined by NEBOSH, which is
overseen by the NEBOSH Council comprising nominees from, amongst others, the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE), the Department for Education and Skills (Df ES), the Confederation of British
Industry (CBI), the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Institution of Occupational Safety and
Health (IOSH). Representatives of course providers, from both the public and private sectors, are
elected to the NEBOSH Council.

This report on the Examination provides information on the performance of candidates which it is
hoped will be useful to candidates and tutors in preparation for future examinations. It is intended to
be constructive and informative and to promote better understanding of the syllabus content and the
application of assessment criteria.

© NEBOSH 2008

Any enquiries about this report publication should be addressed to:

NEBOSH
Dominus Way
Meridian Business Park
Leicester
LE10 1QW

Tel: 0116 263 4700

Fax: 0116 282 4000
Email: info@nebosh.org.uk

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 General comments

Many candidates are well prepared for this unit assessment and provide comprehensive and relevant
answers in response to the demands of the question paper. This includes the ability to demonstrate
understanding of knowledge by applying it to workplace situations.

There are always some candidates, however, who appear to be unprepared for the unit assessment
and who show both a lack of knowledge of the syllabus content and a lack of understanding of how
key concepts should be applied to workplace situations.

In order to meet the pass standard for this assessment, acquisition of knowledge and understanding
across the syllabus are prerequisites. However, candidates need to demonstrate their knowledge and
understanding in answering the questions set. Referral of candidates in this unit is invariably because
they are unable to write a full, well-informed answer to the question asked.

Some candidates find it difficult to relate their learning to the questions and as a result offer responses
reliant on recalled knowledge and conjecture and fail to demonstrate any degree of understanding.
Candidates should prepare themselves for this vocational examination by ensuring their
understanding, not rote-learning pre-prepared answers.

Recurrent Problems

It is recognised that many candidates are well prepared for their assessments. However, recurrent
issues, as outlined below, continue to prevent some candidates reaching their full potential in the
assessment.

− Many candidates fail to apply the basic principles of examination technique and for some
candidates this means the difference between a pass and a referral.

− In some instances, candidates are failing because they do not attempt all the required
questions or are failing to provide complete answers. Candidates are advised to always
attempt an answer to a compulsory question, even when the mind goes blank. Applying basic
health and safety management principles can generate credit worthy points.

− Some candidates fail to answer the question set and instead provide information that may be
relevant to the topic but is irrelevant to the question and cannot therefore be awarded marks.

− Many candidates fail to apply the command words (also known as action verbs, eg describe,
outline, etc). Command words are the instructions that guide the candidate on the depth of
answer required. If, for instance, a question asks the candidate to ‘describe’ something, then
few marks will be awarded to an answer that is an outline.

− Some candidates fail to separate their answers into the different sub-sections of the
questions. These candidates could gain marks for the different sections if they clearly
indicated which part of the question they were answering (by using the numbering from the
question in their answer, for example). Structuring their answers to address the different parts
of the question can also help in logically drawing out the points to be made in response.

− Candidates need to plan their time effectively. Some candidates fail to make good use of their
time and give excessive detail in some answers leaving insufficient time to address all of the
questions.

− Candidates should also be aware that Examiners cannot award marks if handwriting is
illegible.

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 Paper IGC1
Management of international safety and health

Question 1 (a) Outline the importance of monitoring as part of a health and

safety management system. (6)

(b) Identify the:

(i) active (proactive), and (5)

(ii) reactive measures (5)

by which an organisation can monitor its health and safety

performance.

(c) Explain why monitoring reports should be submitted to the Chief

Executive or Managing Director of the organisation. (4)

Apart from the fact that it may be a legal requirement and could well form part of the
organisations quality assurance systems, the importance of monitoring as part of a
health and safety management system is that it provides assurance of compliance
with set standards, identifies areas of non-compliance, enables decisions to be made
on appropriate remedial measures for any deficiencies that are identified and assists
in setting targets for a future improvement in performance. It is also important in that it
demonstrates the commitment of the organisation to health and safety and is a source
of motivation for both managers and employees.

In answering part (b)(i) of the question, candidates could have selected from a
number of active monitoring methods including safety inspections, surveys, audits and
sampling, environmental monitoring, health surveillance, behavioural observation
such as by carrying out safety observation tours and benchmarking against the
performance of other like organisations.

For part (b)(ii), reactive monitoring methods which might be used include accident and
ill-health statistics; incidents of reported near-misses and dangerous occurrences;
property damage; actions taken by the enforcement authorities; the number of civil
claims; an analysis of absences and lost time and the costs involved in all the above.

For part (c), candidates should have explained that there a number of reasons why
copies of the monitoring reports should be submitted to the Chief Executive or the
Managing Director of the organisation. These include the fact that because of his/her
position he/she has ultimate responsibility for health and safety and may wish to
contribute to the review process; has the authority to require appropriate action to be
taken and to authorise the resources that might be necessary and is in a position to
take disciplinary action against employees in cases where this is thought to be
necessary. Additionally his/her involvement may be written into the organisation’s
quality assurance systems and is normally required by ILO and international
standards.

Many candidates confused active and reactive measures and provided superficial
explanations in response to part (c).

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Question 2 An organisation has been found to have inadequate standards of
workplace health and safety. Identify the costs that the organisation
may incur as a result. (8)

The results of providing inadequate standards of workplace health and safety are
normally an increase in accidents and incidents and cases of ill-health amongst the
employees. These result in direct costs such as those arising from lost production
and time dealing with the subsequent investigations; those arising from plant damage
and replacement and clean up activities; paying those involved during absences as a
result of accident or ill-health, having to recruit and train replacement labour and re-
deployment and/or rehabilitation costs on return to work; costs arising from the
possibility of action by the enforcement authorities or by a civil claim from the injured
parties and the inevitable rise in insurance premiums. There are also indirect costs
related to poor staff morale which could lead to industrial unrest and high staff
turnover and the damage done to the organisation’s reputation which could lead to a
loss of orders and a subsequent decrease in its profitability.

Answers to this question were generally to a reasonable standard

Question 3 Identify possible influences on an organisation’s health and safety

management standards. (8)

In answering this question on possible influences on an organisation’s health and

safety management standards, candidates might have referred initially to those arising
from bodies that are involved in framing legislation such as EU organisations and
individual governments, as well as from those bodies that are charged with its
enforcement. Other influences include industry based standards of good/safe
practice; shareholder demands and expectations; that exerted by trade unions in
seeking acceptable standards for their members; those exerted by insurance
companies by placing requirements on employers as a condition of insurance; those
from production demands and the pressure to cut costs in times of economic down
turn; the need to maintain the organisation’s reputation to meet the expectations of
society in general and its customers in particular; the competence and experience of
the workforce and its involvement and cooperation in setting and complying with the
standards and finally the commitment of members of senior management themselves
in setting and enforcing high standards for their company.

Question 4 An organisation is introducing a new work activity that requires a safe

system of work.

Explain:

(a) why it is important to involve workers in the development of a

safe system of work; (4)

(b) why it is important for safe systems of work to have written

procedures. (4)

It is important to involve workers in the development of a safe system of work

because of their knowledge of the particular working environment involved and what
will work in practice. Additionally, their involvement will establish their ownership of
the system and will encourage them to use and follow it once it has been finalised

5
 and introduced. Finally their involvement will emphasise management’s commitment
to health and safety and help to raise its profile within the organisation.

Once a safe system of work is developed, it is imperative that a clear method of

communicating its procedures to the workforce is used and this would be better
achieved in writing rather than orally. The procedures may contain complex
information that will need to be consulted on more than one occasion to ensure the
correct sequence of operations is followed. Additionally, different people will need to
be aware of the procedures and it is preferable to have them written down rather
than pass them on by word of mouth, a method that may not always guarantee
consistency in their presentation. A written document will also be needed for audit
purposes and could be used as evidence in defending an enforcement action or a
civil claim. Finally, the use of written procedures may well be a requirement of the
organisation’s quality assurance procedures.

Many candidates seemed unsure as to the purposes of a safe system of work.

Some attempted to define it, which was not, of course, what was required by the
question.

Question 5 An organisation has had an increase in the number of manual handling

accidents and associated ill-health. Identify sources of information that
may be available to help reduce the risks to the workers. (8)

Sources of information that may be available to an organisation in their quest to

reduce the number of manual handling accidents to members of their workforce
include international agencies such as the ILO; national enforcement agencies such
as the Health and Safety Executive in the United Kingdom; employers organisations
and Trade Unions; national and international standards making bodies such as ISO;
information from manufacturers and also from other organisations carrying out work of
a similar nature; professional health and safety bodies such as IOSH in the United
Kingdom; occupational health services; and consultation with the workers themselves
who from their experience could be in a position to offer information on procedures
that could be followed to reduce the risks.

Candidates experienced problems in answering this question. Many produced short

lists which contained insufficient information to obtain the marks available.

Question 6 (a) Outline why it is important for an organisation to set health and
safety targets. (2)

(b) Identify health and safety targets that an organisation could set. (6)

In answering part (a) of this question, not many candidates appeared to understand
the importance of setting targets in terms of health and safety performance. Some did
suggest that it gave evidence of management commitment, but few were then able to
highlight the importance of targets in motivating staff by providing them with
something tangible to aim for; the important part they can play in facilitating the
measurement and review of performance and for benchmarking against other like
organisations.

Candidates had a little more success in answering part (b) and identified targets such
as reductions in the number of accidents and defined incidents; an improvement in
the reporting of near miss incidents or minor accidents and an improvement in
inspection and audit scores; a reduction in actions taken by the enforcement
authorities and in the number of civil claims; a reduction in sickness absence and

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 absenteeism; an improvement in the outcome of benchmarking of performance
against like organisations; reduced insurance costs; an increase in the degree of
worker involvement and additionally in the number of workers trained in health and
safety.

Question 7 Outline the factors that should be considered when assessing the health
and safety competence of contractors. (8)

This was one of the better answered questions on the paper with most candidates
able to outline a good range of factors that included: the contractor’s previous
experience with the type of work to be carried out; the reputation of the contractor
amongst previous or current clients; the quality and content of the health and safety
policy and the systems in place for its implementation including the preparation of risk
assessments, monitoring and consultation with the workforce; the arrangements in
place for the management of sub-contractors; the level of training and qualifications of
staff (including those with health and safety responsibilities); the contractor’s accident
and enforcement history; membership of professional bodies; equipment maintenance
and statutory examination records; and the detailed proposals, for example method
statements, for the proposed work.

Question 8 (a) Identify the key stages of a workplace risk assessment. (5)

(b) Outline THREE reasons for reviewing a risk assessment. (3)

A good answer to part (a) of the question, and there were many, would have identified
the key stages involved in carrying out a risk assessment as identifying the hazards
associated with the activities and tasks performed at the workplace; identifying who
might be harmed including operators, maintenance staff, cleaners, visitors etc;
evaluating the likelihood and probable severity of the harm that might be caused;
assessing the adequacy of existing control measures and deciding whether additional
measures were required; recording the significant findings of the assessment and
carrying out a review at a later date and revising the findings when necessary.

For part (b), candidates were expected to outline reasons such as changes in the
processes, work methods or materials used; the introduction of new or the
modification of existing plant; the availability of new information on hazards and risks;
the availability of new or improved control measures or techniques; a change in
legislation; changes in personnel, for example the employment of young or disabled
persons; when the results of monitoring of accidents, ill-health and the workplace
environment are not as expected and finally after the passage of time.

Question 9 Outline the benefits to an employer of conducting accident investigations. (9)

In answering this question, Examiners were looking to candidates to outline benefits

such as the prevention of similar accidents occurring in the future; facilitating
compliance with legal requirements and obligations; an improvement in the health and
safety performance of the organisation; an improvement in the morale of the
workforce and its attitude towards health and safety; the prevention of business loss
and the provision of evidence to support a defence in the event of enforcement action
or a civil claim being brought against the employer.

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 Answers provided by candidates were generally lacking in depth. Some may not have
read the question with sufficient care and were content to outline a procedure for the
investigation of accidents which was not what was required.

Question 10 (a) Define the term ‘hazard’. (2)

(b) Define the term ‘risk’. (2)

(c) Identify FOUR means of hazard identification that may be used

in the workplace. (4)

Answers to this question were generally to a satisfactory standard. For part (a)
candidates should have defined “hazard” as something with the potential to cause
harm and for part (b), an acceptable definition of risk would have been the
probability/likelihood that the potential would be realised and its possible
consequence and severity in terms of injury, damage or harm.

Means that may be used to identify hazards in the workplace include carrying out
inspections, observations and safety audits; completing task and/or job analyses and
risk assessments; the study of data on accidents and near miss incidents including
the investigation reports; reference to legislation and its accompanying guidance and
manufacturers’ documents such as safety data sheets; carrying out health
surveillance and consulting with members of the workforce.

Question 11 (a) Identify FOUR types of health and safety information that could
be displayed on a notice board in a workplace. (4)

(b) Identify how the effectiveness of notice boards as a method of

communicating health and safety information can be increased. (4)

In answering part (a) of the question, the types of information that could have been
identified include: the health and safety policy of the organisation; the “Information for
Employees” poster; information regarding health and safety representatives such as
their names and contact details; targets set for the reduction of accidents and ill-
health and information showing the current level of performance against the targets;
forthcoming health and safety events including information on training courses
available; identification of first aid arrangements and procedures for evacuation in the
event of a fire; health and safety posters specific to current campaigns being run;
information on current issues affecting health and safety such as contract work, no go
areas and diversions; and a copy of the Employer’s liability insurance certificate. In
general, most candidates provided answers to an acceptable standard.

They were less successful with part (b), however, which did seem to cause them
problems. Candidates could have identified ways of increasing the effectiveness of
notice boards such as ensuring they were located in a common and prominent area of
the workplace such as the staff room or canteen; dedicating the boards to health and
safety matters; ensuring the information displayed was relevant and current and kept
up to date; giving consideration to all ethnic groups and employees with special
needs; displaying the information in a neat and orderly fashion and making the notice
board eye-catching by the use of colour and graphics and, where possible, allocating
responsibility for the up-keep of the board to a named member of the workforce.

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The National Examination
Board in Occupational
Safety and Health

Dominus Way
Meridian Business Park
Leicester LE19 1QW

telephone +44 (0)116 2634700

fax +44 (0)116 2824000
email info@nebosh.org.uk
www.nebosh.org.uk