NEBOSH National / International

Diploma in Occupational
Health & Safety
Unit DNI Workbook
NEBOSH National / International
Diploma in Occupational Health and
Safety
Unit DNI Workbook

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Contents
Transition to the 2015 Specification Syllabus.........................................................................................5
Unit DNI Assignment – NEBOSH Guidance, Examiners Feedback and General Advice for
Candidates ..........................................................................................................................................................6
1. Assignment Brief .................................................................................................................................7
Layout and General Information .......................................................................................................8
2. Structure of the Report .....................................................................................................................9
3. Report Style ........................................................................................................................................ 10
4 Tutor Support ......................................................................................................................................... 12
5 Marking .................................................................................................................................................... 13
Marking Criteria .................................................................................................................................... 13
6 Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................. 14
7 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 15
8 Review and critical analysis of how Health and Safety is currently managed .................. 17
Leadership.............................................................................................................................................. 18
Risk Profile .............................................................................................................................................. 18
9 Evaluation of Improvements Required .......................................................................................... 19
Effective Communication of Improvements .............................................................................. 19
Financial Justification ......................................................................................................................... 20
10 Conclusions and Recommendations ........................................................................................... 21
11 Bibliography and References.......................................................................................................... 23
12 Appendices ........................................................................................................................................... 24
13 Marking Scheme and Grade Indicators ....................................................................................... 25
14 Quality Standard Checklist .............................................................................................................. 32
15 Submission of the Report ................................................................................................................ 34
PowerPoint Presentation – Notes Pages ............................................................................................... 35
Planned Coursework / Homework .......................................................................................................... 47
Post Course Support .................................................................................................................................... 48
NEBOSH Website – How to Find the current Unit DNI Guides ....................................................... 49

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Transition to the 2015 Specification Syllabus
2017 is a transitioning year during which the 2011 syllabus specification becomes fully
superceded by the 2015 syllabus specification.

The old style Unit D/ ID assignment is being replaced by a new Unit DNI assignment. The
last date available for Unit D/ID submissions is Wednesday 29th November 2017 (this is
the last of four quarterly submission dates available in 2017). Unit D/ID resubmissions will
be permitted up to and including the August 2018 submission.

The first available DNI submission date is XXX February 2017.

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Unit DNI Assignment – NEBOSH Guidance,
Examiners Feedback and General Advice for
Candidates
This advice is drawn primarily from the NEBOSH Guidance for Candidates and is
supplemented with:
• information drawn from Examiners Feedback (which is presented in grey textboxes
throughout); and
• Additional advice from Astutis tutors. Information from NEBOSH
Examiners Feedback
Comprehensive guidance is provided regarding the
presentation, structure, style and submission of the
Unit DNI assignment report. Candidates should study
this document carefully before submitting their Advice from Astutis tutors
assignment.

NB the most current NEBOSH guidance can be downloaded for free from the NEBOSH
students webpages at the address below. This guide is written for both national
students and international students as the DNI is now a common unit.

http://www.nebosh.org.uk/fileupload/upload/Unit%20DNI%20Candidate%20Guidance%
20v3%20Nov16%20FINAL%20%28151116%20rew%29151120169119.pdf

Note: The first DNI submission is February 2017 and it will be some time until
examiners feedback is available. The advice for now is based on the DNI guide and
feedback on similar content in the previous Unit D / ID

The guidance should be read carefully in conjunction with the assignment mark scheme,
which is attached at the end of this guidance document, to provide a clear guide to the
requirements of the assignment report.

It is anticipated that candidates who will perform well in Unit DNI will follow the
detailed guidance provided very closely.

It is clear that they understand and apply the requirements of the said guidance to
structure their report, often using the guidance content to produce section headings
in their work.

It is disappointing, though, that far too many candidates fail to follow the guidance
provided by NEBOSH.

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1. Assignment Brief
The candidate is required to carry out a detailed review of the arrangements for managing
health and safety in a workplace or organisation and to produce justified proportionate
recommendations to improve performance.

The assignment will require the candidate to apply the knowledge and understanding
gained from their studies of elements of Units A/IA B/IB and C/IC in a practical
environment and to carry out critical analysis and evaluation of information gathered
during the review.

Element A11 of the Unit A and element IA9 of Unit IA will also be assessed during the DNI.
The level of work should be that expected of a competent occupational health and safety
practitioner working within an organisation.

The assignment should include:

• An executive summary;
• An introduction that sets the scene by stating clear aims and objectives and a
description of the methodology employed to carry out the assignment; and
• A description of the chosen workplace/organisation and the role of the health and
safety practitioner, to set a context for the assignment.
The candidate will need to produce a review and
critical analysis of how health and safety is currently
managed by the organisation in which the candidate Develop the report
review the: objectives from these
specified areas of
• Leadership; required content.
• Management;
An objective should be
• Worker involvement; expressed as something
• Competence, compliance; that the report is trying
to achieve and deliver
• Risk profile;
so that the reader can
• An evaluation to identify the top three priorities check whether or not
where improvements should be made; the objective has been
fulfilled.
• Conclusions that summarise the main issues
identified in the candidate’s work together with
justified, proportionate recommendations for
improvement based on the outcome of the review; and
• Bibliography and appendices.

The focus of the Unit DNI assignment should be the application of the knowledge and
understanding developed in Units A/AI B/BI and C/CI to a real workplace situation. It
provides opportunities for the candidate to carry out research and demonstrate the ability
to carry out a range of activities that would be expected of a health and safety
practitioner.
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Note: NEBOSH will be using anti plagiarism software for all candidates submissions to
ensure that work submitted for the Unit DNI is the candidate’s own work. It is essential
that the work that you submit is your work and no one else’s.

Layout and General Information

The assignments should be approximately 8000 words in total, excluding the list of
contents, bibliography and appendices. Appendices should only be included if they
support the content of the assignment and kept to a minimum.

Referencing should be either in “Harvard style” or “Vancouver style”.

Font size should be a minimum of 11 to facilitate reading.

The aim of the assignment is to produce a review Consider this and the first
of the health and safety management arrangements paragraph of the assignment
of an organisation and evaluate improvements brief above to help articulate the
required. The candidate must determine the top aim of the assignment
three improvements that would make the most
impact.

It is important that a suitable workplace upon which the assignment research will be
based is chosen.

The workplace should be large enough to provide both an opportunity for the review of
the health and safety management system arrangements. Candidates who have difficulty
identifying a suitable workplace should ask their tutor for advice.

If the organisation is very large, in order that the assignment is manageable the candidate
should limit the area considered. In such circumstances it might be more appropriate to
consider a department or division of the organisation rather than the organisation as a
whole, although obviously, the health and safety management system will probably be
that adopted by the whole organisation.

Candidates should ensure that they understand fully the requirements of the brief and are
recommended to prepare an outline plan of their approach that can be discussed with a
tutor. While it would not be appropriate for tutors to read and amend drafts of the report,
their role is to ensure that the candidate is ‘heading in the right direction’– for example,
they may comment on whether the candidate has chosen a suitable workplace or
situation that satisfies the brief and will give sufficient scope to achieve the necessary
breadth and depth of content required at Diploma level. Tutors must not provide a ‘pre-
mark’.

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2. Structure of the Report
A good assignment is planned well from the outset. Candidates should read the brief and
the detailed guidance carefully and highlight the key words to make sure it is understood
what is required. An outline plan which includes the main headings for the report and the
topics required in each part should be produced. This can be used as a checklist to make
sure that everything has been included when the report is proof read at the end.

The report should be organised in sections which match those set out in the assignment
mark scheme and contain a contents page. To help the reader, each section should be
headed with the appropriate title. The sections are:
• Executive Summary;
• Introduction;
• Aims and objectives;
• Methodology;
• Description of the organisation;
• Review and critical analysis of how Health and Safety is currently being managed;
• Leadership;
• Management;
• Worker involvement;
• Competence;
• Compliance;
• Risk Profile;
• Evaluation to determine top three improvements required;
• Conclusions and Recommendations;
• Bibliography; and
• Appendices.

The report should be approximately 8,000 words in total, excluding the References/
Bibliography and Appendices. No penalty will be applied to reports which exceed 8,000
words but candidates should aim to keep their word count under 12,000 to avoid the main
requirements of the assignment brief becoming lost and the report losing clarity.
Candidates should also note that irrelevant material included in their reports will not
attract marks.

Appendices are pieces of work which support the content of the report. The candidate
should include only material which is an essential aid to an understanding of the content
of the report. Each item in the appendices should be referred to in the report so that the
reader can turn directly to it to find the background to the factor concerned. Appendices
should be kept to the minimum. The reader is not going to spend time reading through a
collection of items which may not be relevant.

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3. Report Style
There are many detailed general guides to
writing reports available on the internet,
often as part of study guides produced by
university departments. A search under
‘writing reports’ will produce links to such
sites. It is strongly recommended that
candidates study such material in order to
understand how to write a report to the
required standard for the assignment.
The report should use a formal style as would
be expected for a report to management.
The report should convey the information as
clearly and concisely as possible. However,
sets of bullet points are unlikely to give
sufficient indication that the writer has a firm
understanding of the subject matter. Some
aspects of the report, for example the review
and analysis of the existing Health and
Safety Management arrangements, might
benefit from a tabular presentation but this
is not the only effective way of presenting
such material.
The report should be easy to read. The
organisation of the report helps this. A
good style is also essential and
candidates should structure their
report into paragraphs and avoid large
blocks of text. Candidates should try
to avoid jargon which is specific to
one sort of organisation such as the
armed forces or health service.
Sentences should be kept relatively
short and to the point. A good rule is
‘one subject one sentence’.
Candidates should check grammar
and spelling and should not use
abbreviations without writing them
first in full. Checking the accuracy of
references to legislation/international
standards, Approved Codes of Practice
(ACoPs) etc. is important as there is no
excuse for inaccurate citation in an
assignment at this level.
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• Consider advice on how to write
University or business reports but
do not deviate from the prescribed
Unit DNI structure
• Report writing advice that makes
reference to BS 4811:1972
“Specification for the presentation of
research and development reports”
should generally be fine
• Write in the past tense and be
impersonal (e.g. this was done,
rather than I did this)
• Be careful of changing tense mid
report. Many candidates begin in
future tense and finish in past
• Use plain English and avoid jargon
• Write for an intelligent lay person
Planning and presentation
• Run a spelling check on their reports and
ask an independent ‘lay person’ to read
the report before submission.
• Avoid:
• Unnecessary tables or images; and
• Scanned copies of handwritten work
or flip charts should be avoided.
• Ensure the report is properly formatted,
with pagination, headers and footers, and
section headings being included.
• Ensure the report is clear, concise, well-
structured and appropriate for an
audience of senior managers.
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 • Assuming that the report is going to be written in around 10 000 words use the
available word count in proportion to the marking scheme
• Introduction (approx. 500 words - 5%)
Review and critical analysis of the Existing H&S management arrangements
(approx. 4000 words - 40%)
• Evaluation of the top three priorities (1000 words for each 3 x 10% = 30 %)
• Conclusions and Recommendations (approx. 1000 words – 10%)
• A further 5% is available for the focus and presentation style
• The Executive summary has to be done in a single side (probably around 400
words rather than the 1 000 that the 10% would suggest)

8 900 Words
Leaving a spare 1 100 words for allocation
Ensure that the report remains balanced and proportionately weighted

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4. Tutor Support
Candidates should ensure that they understand fully the requirements of the brief and are
recommended to prepare an outline plan of their approach that can be discussed with a
tutor.

While it would not be appropriate for tutors to read and amend drafts of the assignment,
their role is to ensure that the candidate is ‘heading in the right direction’– for example,
they may comment on whether the candidate has chosen a suitable workplace or
situation that satisfies the brief and will give sufficient scope to achieve the necessary
breadth and depth of content required at Diploma level. Tutors must not provide a ‘pre-
mark’.

Tutors cannot:
• Get into an iterative process of commenting on a learners work allowing it to be
refined along the way;
• Over coach learners so that the work is partially the tutors;
• Read or pre-mark completed drafts; or
• Give any indication of pass or fail.

Tutors can:
• Review an initial 2 page outline plan to ensure the learner understands the
requirements and is setting off in the right direction; and
• Answer specific questions to help keep the learner on track.

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5. Marking
In each section of the assignment marks are awarded both for the range of factors
considered and the quality of treatment and so candidates need to achieve a balance
between range and depth. Given the level of the Diploma, a large range of factors treated
superficially would not be sufficient to gain a high mark for a particular section.

Marking Criteria
The maximum marks available for each section of the assignment are as follows:

Focus and presentation 5

Executive Summary 10
Introduction 5
Review and critical analysis of the arrangements for
managing health and safety (40 total allocated as follows)
• Leadership 5
• Management 5
• Worker involvement 5
• Competence 5
• Compliance 5
• Risk Profile 15
Evaluation of improvements required 30
(10 marks for each of the three improvements)
Conclusions and recommendations 10

Total 100

Level Descriptors

For each of the following sections of the assignment NEBOSH markers will use level
descriptors to judge your assignment against.

There are three potential levels for each section:

• Level 1 will attract the highest marks per section
These are shown in section11
• Level 2 mid-range of this guide – Marking
• Level 3 the lowest range. Scheme and Grade Indicators

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6. Executive Summary
The executive summary should be written after the candidate has completed the rest of
the report but it should be inserted at the beginning of the report. An executive summary
is written for a person who is not necessarily an expert in the field.

The purpose of the executive summary is to provide a concise overview of the important
points arising from the work and summarise the main conclusions and recommendations
arising from it that can be read in a short time to accommodate the schedule of a busy
reader. It should:
• Highlight the important facts and outcomes;
• State the implications for the organisation (including any costs involved); and
• Inform the reader of the proposed course of action and the benefits.

An executive summary should provide sufficient information to enable a busy senior

manager to make a decision as to whether or not to read the full report and to provide a
persuasive case for implementation of recommendations made. There should be a
description of the measurable impact on performance to capture the reader’s attention.
Solutions to the problems raised should be proportionate and sensible and prompt a
response that is positive.

The executive summary is the only part of the report which is length limited. This
must be no longer than one side of A4 using single-spaced Arial font (size 11) and 2cm
print margins (left, right, top and bottom).

• Write the executive summary in a style and format which will allow it to be read
quickly and easily by the intended audience – senior managers and executives.
• Stick to the allowed one side of A4 paper, using a single-spaced Arial 11 font size (or
similar) and 2cm print margins.
• Write in a concise and persuasive manner.
• ‘Grab the attention’ of the reader and provide them with a clear sense of what is
happening in terms of health and safety management, what more needs to be
done and why it is so important to take action.

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7. Introduction
The introduction provides a foundation for the report and enables the reader to place the
following information and judgements in context.

A well written report will have

clear, stated aims and objectives.
What does the report writer intend
to achieve through undertaking
the assignment? These should be
clearly identified so that the reader
is clear as to what they are. They
provide a signpost to the direction
of the candidate’s work, both to
help keep on track and to orientate
the reader. Referring the
conclusions back to these aims and
objectives will help the reader to
decide how well the assignment
has achieved them.
Properly written aims, objectives and
methodology sections are the key to producing
a good assignment.
Valuable marks can easily be obtained by
properly outlining what is intended to be done
and how it is going to be done.
Meaningful objectives can be used throughout
the writing / preparation of the report to ‘sense
check’ progress; and checked on completion of
writing the report to ensure that the candidate
has done what they intended to do at the
outset.

• Accommodate and personalise the information given in the assignment brief to

develop the assignment objective
• Accommodate and personalise the information given in the contents list within
the assignment brief to develop specific objectives

Candidates need to refer to the aims and objectives that relate to the organisation and not
a reiteration of the assignment brief.

The report should also give a description of the methodology employed in order to carry
out the work for the assignment. This should include what methods of research or
information gathering will be used and what particular methods of presentation and
analysis of findings will be used. This provides the reader with evidence that the work has
been undertaken in a rigorous manner and that the findings are therefore to be relied
upon.

• The methodology employed should describe methods used to research and

develop the assignment. Candidates should describe methodologies such as
literary reviews, existing research data, case studies, surveys, questionnaires, and
interviews and developments of the assignment through subsequent analysis and
presentation of data such as comparative tables, graphical illustrations, Excel
spreadsheets etc.
• The role of the candidate as a health and safety practitioner in setting and
achieving the objectives of the organisation should be explained. Any potential
ethical, or other, conflicts that this role brings in terms of protecting employers,
employees and third parties should also be identified.

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 Candidates who explain and justify the basic principles of their chosen methods tend
to achieve good marks in this area. Clear statements of what research has been carried
out, which models have been chosen and why, are most useful and are usually evident
in better reports.

A description of the chosen workplace/organisation is needed to set the context for

the assignment report. The reader will be unfamiliar with the situation and will need some
background to provide a context for the main body. This should include the size of the
organisation, the nature of work undertaken, and what processes are undertaken, the
employment profile, the work patterns and production schedules employed and if a
department or site has been chosen in a very large organisation, its relationship to the
work of the organisation. Any special situations that are likely to have an impact on health
and safety should also be included. The description should also include the current
arrangements for competent health and safety advice.

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8. Review and critical analysis of how Health and Safety
is currently managed
This is start of the main body of the report which is where the research and analysis that is
undertaken is reported. It is where candidates demonstrate their understanding of health
and safety and their ability to apply it to the situation in the brief.

An overview of the current health and safety management arrangements in the

workplace/organisation should be given. This should be compared to a recognised health
and safety model e.g. HSG65 3rd edition.

Candidates should note that a detailed description of the recognised model used is not
required. The model should be used to critically review the organisation’s health and
safety management system. Candidates should then provide a clear systematic
description of gaps and where no gaps exist, for all areas of the management system,
identify priorities for improvement.

The critical analysis needs to establish “Where are you now?” and requires a review
based on rigorous enquiry of the current arrangements for health and safety under the
core elements of:
• Leadership;
• Management;
• Worker involvement;
• Competence;
• Compliance; and
• Risk Profile (which should focus on significant risks and critical control measures).

For each element the current arrangements should be identified, evidenced and critically
analysed against best practice to identify gaps in the current arrangements. Examples of
areas to be included in each element are provided below. The examples provided are not
a definitive list and some may not be relevant to all organisations.

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Leadership
• Is there health and safety leadership from the top of the organisation? Is it visible?
• Is there a health and safety champion/focus at board level?
• Is there health and safety leadership at all levels within the organisation? Is it visible?
• What examples do leaders set?
• Do they talk about health and safety? When was this last done?
• Is the leadership aware of the organisation’s significant risks and how well they are
being controlled?
• Are the health and safety implications of business decisions recognised and
addressed?
• Is there evidence that the board or leader of the organisation is responsive to the
health and safety information that is reported?

There are other example questions for the other elements within NEBOSH’s DNI guide.

Risk Profile
It is important that this section of the assignment includes a critical analysis of the current
health and safety arrangements not just a description. This means comparing the current
arrangements with identified criteria or standards and making a judgement on whether or
not the current arrangements are acceptable or note. Where arrangements meet or
exceed the relevant criteria then this should be stated.

• When using HSG65 3rd edition (PDCA model) the guidance will need to be
thoroughly read and a checklist developed to facilitate the benchmarking
exercise.

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9. Evaluation of Improvements Required
On completion of the review and critical analysis the information about the current
arrangements should be evaluated to determine the top three improvements that
would make the most impact on improving health and safety performance at the
organisation.

The improvements can be selected from any of the elements and candidates can select all
three improvements from one element e.g. risk profile, from two elements e.g. leadership
and risk profile or from three separate elements e.g. leadership, worker involvement and
risk profile.

Candidates need to justify their choice on the basis of the critical analysis but the key
issue is that these are deemed to be the issues that if addressed will have the largest
impact. These recommendations should be evaluated as being both proportionate
and sensible.
For each improvement candidates need to go on to explain how the improvement will
actually be achieved. Consideration should be given to the following factors:
• Who will be responsible for implementing the improvements?
• What resources are required?
• Is any training required?
• What are the timescales for improvements?
• How will the effectiveness of the improvements be measured, monitored and
reported?
• How will lessons be learnt?
• How will any ethical or other considerations be addressed?

The role of the Health and Safety practitioner should include an explanation on the
distinction between leadership and management and the use of different management
styles to help achieve the improvement selected.

Effective Communication of Improvements

This section should explain the use of different methods of communication media to
promote the improvements. The need for any conflict/change management should also
be included and how roles and responsibilities will be clearly communicated to workers to
ensure that they are understood and implemented.

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Financial Justification
The financial justification for each selected improvement should be outlined by
identifying who is responsible for the required budget and carrying out a cost-benefit
analysis using relevant internal and external sources of information. Candidates should
determine how the budget holder can be influenced to make appropriate health and
safety decisions. The cost benefit analysis should include an estimate of the total
implementation cost for each improvement and the ongoing costs.

Benefits should be given and quantified and costed where possible. Gains should be
outlined and payback periods identified.

This should result in a comparison of the costs against the stated benefits. The financial
justification must link to the judgement of whether recommendations are both
proportionate and sensible.

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10. Conclusions and Recommendations
This section should provide a concise summary of the findings identified in the main body
of the candidate’s assignment. The conclusions should not introduce new issues or
additional relevant factors.

• The key findings should be outlined in chronological and/or priority order.

• Do not introduce new issues or factors.
• Refer back to the aims and objectives to determine whether or not these were
achieved.
• Justified, proportionate recommendations are made based on the three selected
improvements.

The conclusions should start by referring back to the aims and objectives through a brief
discussion of how well they were achieved. The remainder of the conclusions should
follow on logically from the findings in the main body. Candidates should identify the
main findings, possibly by highlighting them on a draft of the main body to make sure
that each of them is referred to in the conclusions.

The recommendations should follow logically from the conclusions and be based on the
three selected improvements in the evaluation section of the main body. For each
recommendation the candidate should provide justification for its inclusion and ensure its
proportionate and sensible in order to encourage management to take the required
action.

The conclusions should:

• Refer to things identified in the main body;
• Refer back to aims and objectives critically assessing whether or not the aims and
objectives have been met;
• Include a summary of key findings; and
• Not include recommendations and other suggestions for improvements.

Recommendations should be based upon the points set out in the conclusions and make
reference to the candidate’s analysis of the health and safety management arrangements.

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The recommendations should lead on from the conclusions and not come as a complete
surprise to the reader. Recommendations should:
• Be justified – Give a reason why each one of them is included;
• Be complete – Make sure that each of the main findings is covered;
• Be practical – The reader should see that they are a realistic proposal in terms of the
resources required; and
• Include a cost benefit analysis – In other words what will the organisation gain by
implementing the recommendations set against the costs involved.

Recommendations should be prioritised. The most pressing issues, those which present
the highest risk levels and those that can be done immediately at little or no cost, should
be addressed first. Candidates should explain the system of prioritisation used.

• The recommendations section should follow on from the main conclusions in a

logical manner, and need to provide any indication of prioritisation, justification
and ‘Cost Benefit Analysis’ in relation to the recommendations.

• Recommendations should be expressed as ‘SMART’ objectives.

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11. Bibliography and References
Candidates are required to show evidence of having carried out research in order to
complete the assignment. This is shown through the detailed referencing and the
bibliography and how you refer to the sources within the body of your report. It is no use
putting in a lot of references if you haven’t read them. There are established conventions
for referencing. The two most common methods used in reports are the Harvard system
and the Vancouver system. An explanation of these referencing systems can be found at:

http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/library/using/harvard_system.html

http://www.libweb.anglia.ac.uk/guides/new_harvard.php

http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/authors/reference_text.asp?site=1

The bibliography provides a list of general references to books and other documents
which were used in the preparation of the report.

• Any work that is not the report writers own should be accredited to the
appropriate author and properly referenced;
• Make sure that references given are current;
• Sources that have been useful in preparing the work but not directly referenced in
the assignment should be listed in a separate bibliography section;
• The Harvard system gives the author and year of publication as a reference within
the text, e.g. the current safety management system will be benchmarked against
the requirements of the 3rd edition of HSG65 (HSE, 2013) and then in the reference
section lists the references by author in alphabetical order;
• The Vancouver system allocates a numerical reference in the text, e.g. the current
safety management system will be benchmarked against the requirements of the
3rd edition of HSG65 (1) and then in the reference section lists the references in
numerical order;
• Pick a University guide to follow (Most University library’s publish referencing
guides – often called “cite’m rite”. Follow the advice diligently; and
• List the referencing guide followed in the bibliography.

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12. Appendices
Appendices are pieces of work which support the content of the report.

The candidate should include only material which is an essential aid to an understanding
of the content of the report. Each item in the appendices should be referred to in the
report so that the reader can turn directly to it to find the background to the factor
concerned. Appendices should be kept to the minimum. The reader is not going to spend
time reading through a collection of items which may not be relevant.

• NB material presented in the appendices cannot attract marks;

• Appendices should be kept to a minimum (avoided if possible) and only used
where cross referencing to it from the main report adds value and aids the reader –
e.g. if a detailed checklist was developed to facilitate the SMS review; and
• Appendices containing HSE publications in whole or in part is unnecessary and
should be avoided.

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13. Marking Scheme and Grade Indicators

Max marks Level 1 (4-5) Level 2 (2-3) Level 3 (0-1)

Focus and The assignment has a clear and The assignment is generally clear The assignment is unclear and
Presentation (5) ethically acceptable focus that and ethically focused but does not unfocused and does not satisfy the
satisfied the assignment brief. satisfy all aspects of the brief and assignment brief. The assignment is
The assignment follows a logical guidance. not logically structured or concise
structure and conveys the The assignment is generally logical and the language is unclear and
information concisely using clear and concise and the language and unstructured.
language and structure and an presentational devices e.g. tables, There is no/inappropriate use and
appropriate range of presentational figures and appendices are mostly range of presentational devices, e.g.
devices, e.g. tables, figure and clear but there is a lack of structure tables, figures and appendices.
appendices. in some areas.
References are limited or cited
References are cited correctly using References are generally cited incorrectly.
a recognised system. correctly.

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Max marks Level 1 (8-10)
Executive Summary The conclusions and
(10) recommendations are summarised.
There is reference to problems that
need resolving with a convincing
case for resolving problems that is
morally, legally and financially
persuasive.
There is a description of a
measureable impact on the
performance that captures the
reader’s attention.
Solutions to the identified problems Solutions to the identified
are proportionate and sensible.
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Level 2 (4-7)
The conclusions and
recommendations referenced but
not adequately summarised.
Problems that need resolving are
not adequately established and the
case for resolving problems does
not cover the moral, legal and
financial aspects.
The measureable impact on
performance to capture the reader’s proportionate and sensible.
attention is not fully described.
problems are partially
proportionate and sensible.
Level 3 (0-3)
The conclusions and
recommendations are not
summarised.
There is no/limited reference to the
problems that need resolving. The
measurable impact on performance
is limited/not included.
The recommended solutions to the
identified problems are not
The case for resolving the problem
is not convincing or morally, legally
and financially persuasive.
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Max marks Level 1 (4-5) Level 2 (2-3) Level 3 (0-1)

Introduction (5) Aims and objectives are clearly The aims and objectives are The aims and objectives are unclear.
stated and there is a description of included but could be clearer and There is limited/no description of
the methodology used to carry out there is a reasonable description of the methodology used to carry out
the assignment. the methodology used to carry out the assignment.
There is a description of the chosen the assignment. There is limited/no description of
workplace and the role of the There is a reasonable description of the chosen workplace or the role of
health and safety practitioner in the chosen workplace but the role the health and safety practitioner in
achieving the objectives of the of the health and safety practitioner achieving the objectives of the
organisation is included. in achieving the objectives of the organisation.
The meaning and application of organisation could be clearer. There is limited/no meaning and
ethical principles is addressed. The meaning and application of application of ethical principles.
ethical principles are included but
could be clearer.

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Max marks Level 1 (4-5) Level 2 (2-3) Level 3 (0-1)

Review and critical The account demonstrates a
analysis of detailed and accurate
arrangements for understanding of the principal
managing health concepts involved.
and safety: The information presented is
• Leadership (5) relevant and is substantiated by
evidence and provides
• Management (5)
comprehensive coverage of the
• Worker situation.
involvement (5)
The relationship between the
• Competence (5) information and the evidence is
clearly expressed.
• Compliance (5)
The review is based on rigorous
enquiry.
The current arrangements are
critically analysed against best
practice demonstrating research
and analytical skills.
There is reference to good practice.
The account demonstrates an The account demonstrates an
understanding of some of the awareness of some of the principal
principal concepts involved. concepts involved.
Information presented may not Information presented is supported
always have fill relevance and the by limited or no evidence and the
justifying information may be weak. relationship to the evidence may
A few important elements may be not be made clear by the account.
absent. Significant areas may be absent.
The review is based on enquiry. The review is based on limited
Some of the current arrangements enquiry and there is limited critical
are critically analysed against best analysis against best practice.
practice with some demonstration There is limited reference to good
of research and analytical skills. practice.
There is some reference to good
practice.

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Max marks Level 1 (11-15)
Review and critical The account demonstrates a
analysis of detailed and accurate
arrangements for understanding of the principal
managing health concepts involved.
and safety The information presented is
Risk Profile (15) relevant and is substantiated by
evidence and provides
comprehensible coverage of the
situation.
The relationship between the
information and the evidence is
clearly expressed.
The review is based on rigorous
enquiry.
The current arrangements are
critically analysed against best
practice demonstrating research
and analytical skills.
There is reference to good practice.
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Level 2 (5-10) Level 3 (0-4)
The account demonstrates an The account demonstrates an
understanding of some of the awareness of some of the principal
principal concepts involved. concepts involved.
Information presented may not Information presented is supported
always have full relevance and the by limited or no evidence and the
justifying information may be weak. relationship to the evidence may
A few important elements may be not be made clear by the account.
absent. Significant areas may be absent.
The review is based on limited
The review is based on enquiry.
enquiry and there is limited critical
Some of the current arrangements analysis against best practice.
are critically analysed against best
practice with some demonstration There is limited reference to best
of research and analytical skills. practice.
There is some reference to good
practice.
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Max marks Level 1 (8-10) Level 2 (4-7) Level 3 (0-3)

Evaluation of The improvement selected is The improvement selected is The improvement selected has
improvements appropriate and justified. reasonably and partially justified. limited/no justification.
required There is an explanation of how the There is some explanation of how There is limited/no explanation of
• Improvement 1 improvement will be achieved and the improvement will be achieved how the improvement will be
(10) the role of the health and safety and some explanation of the role of achieved or of the role of the health
practitioner in implementation. the health and safety practitioner in and safety practitioner in
• Improvement 2
The communications required are implementation. implementation.
(10)
explained and there is an outline of There is some explanation of There is limited/no explanation of
• Improvement 3 the financial justification for the communications required and a the communications required.
(10) improvement. partial outline of the financial
There is limited/no outline of the
There is evaluation of the justification for the improvement. financial justification for the
recommendations to ensure that There is some evaluation of the improvement.
they are both proportionate and recommendations to ensure they There is limited/no evaluation of
sensible. are both proportionate and the recommendations to ensure
sensible. they are both proportionate and
sensible.

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Max marks Level 1 (7-10)
Conclusions and There is a concise summary of the
recommendations main findings and no introduction
(10) of any new issues or factors.
There is reference to the aim and
objectives and if they were
achieved.
Justified, proportionate
recommendations are made based
on the three selected
improvements.
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Level 2 (4-6) Level 3 (0-3)
There is a reasonable summary of The main findings are not
the main findings with limited summarised and there are new
introduction of new issues and issues and factors introduced.
factors.
There is limited/no reference to the
There is some reference to aims and aim and objectives and if they were
objectives and if they were achieved.
achieved.
There is limited/no reference to
Recommendations are based on the justified, proportionate
three selected improvements. recommendations made based on
the three selected improvements.
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14. Quality Standard Checklist
Check
The report begins with an Executive Summary
The Executive Summary does not exceed one page of Arial 11 font
The report has an introduction (starting on a new page)
The aims of the assignment are clearly stated. (sub-headed)
The objectives of the assignment are clearly stated. (sub-headed)
The study methodology is clearly described. (sub-headed)
The introduction provides a description of the organisation. (sub-headed)
The role of the health and safety practitioner in achieving organisational objectives is
included.
The meaning and application of ethical principles is addressed.
The assignment has a main body (starting on a new page) (headed findings)
The findings include a review of the existing Health and Safety Management
arrangements
The review of arrangements is sufficiently broken down into the elements of leadership,
management, worker involvement, competence, compliance and risk profile.
The risk profile is evidenced against best practice demonstrating research and analytical
skills?
The assignment includes an evaluation of the three main improvements required.
Each improvement is justified and the role of the health and safety practitioner in
achieving the improvement is discussed.
Communication of improvements is considered.
Improvements stated are financially justified.
Improvements stated are proportionate and sensible.
The report contains clear conclusions and recommendations
The conclusions refer back to the aims and objective (how well were they achieved?)
The conclusions refer back to the main findings
The conclusions do not introduce any new concepts (not discussed in main body)
The report contains clear recommendations relating to each of the conclusions
The recommendations are justified (give reason)
The recommendations are practical
Cost benefit analysis of recommendations is given
References are included using a recognised system
Bibliography shows research material appropriately referenced
Appendices are attached

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 Concluding Checklist from Examiners Feedback
• Write the reports in a clear and concise manner;
• Use the mark scheme to help structure reports;
• In the introduction state what is to be done and how;
• Include cost benefit justifications for recommendations;
• Support main recommendations with a persuasive argument for implementation;
and
• Check accuracy and clarity of references.

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15. Submission of the Report
Assignment reports should be submitted before the set submission dates which are
published by NEBOSH annually and available on the NEBOSH website at
https://www.nebosh.org.uk/students/default.asp?cref=206&ct=2

• Submission dates are now quarterly in February, May, August and November of
each year

Late submissions will not be accepted and candidates should plan for the completion and
submission of the assignment in sufficient time to meet the submission deadline date.

Candidates intending to submit an assignment must register through their accredited

course provider using the appropriate form and paying the appropriate fee. No refund of
fees will be made in cases where candidates register but fail to submit.

Following registration candidates will receive a pre-submission email which confirms their
registration and includes instructions for electronic submission of their assignment.

Assignments must be submitted electronically directly to NEBOSH. Candidates should

ensure that their accredited course provider’s name/number is not shown anywhere in the
assignment. Candidates should include their NEBOSH student number on each page of
their assignment.

Candidates are strongly advised to keep a copy of their assignment.

Assignments must be the candidate’s original work. Assignments will be submitted by

NEBOSH to the Turnitin UK text-matching service and added to the Turnitin database.

General information on how Turnitin works can be found at -

http://turnitin.com/en_us/what-we-offer/feedback-studio

Cases of plagiarism or collusion will be dealt with severely and are liable to result in the
assignment being disqualified and the candidate being banned from future registrations.
Any candidate who provides an opportunity for another candidate to use his/her
assignment inappropriately shall be liable to the same sanction.

After the completion of the marking process candidates will be informed of the total mark
for their submission and the marks for each section.

Candidates must achieve a pass standard of 50% in the assignment in order to satisfy the
assessment criteria for the award of National Diploma or International Diploma.

If a candidate is referred they can register to resubmit at a later date so long as this is
within their enrolment period.
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Planned Coursework / Homework
Time has been allocated for Unit DNI briefings at the end of Unit B (week 4 of the course)
and at the end of Unit C (week of the course).

It is recommended that:
1. You obtain the current NEBOSH guide and examiners feedback (when available) to
familiarise yourself with the requirements of the DNI assessment well before the
briefing at the end of week 4.
2. You prepare an outline plan between weeks 4 and 5 of the course and look to find
some time for a discussion with your tutor during week 5 or 6 to ensure you are on
track.

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Post Course Support
Should you require further support on Unit DNI after completing the six weeks of study
you are still able to contact your tutors for advice.

If, because of teaching commitments etc, a particular tutor is unavailable an email to

UnitDNIsupport@astutis.com will enable the administration team to find an alternative
tutor, or line up an appointment for a discussion.

NB tutors are able to answer queries and provide general advice and support. Tutors are
not permitted to over coach, provide examples of successful assignments, or pre-mark
assignments ahead of submission.

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 NEBOSH Website – How to Find the current
Unit DNI Guides
The latest vesrsions of guidance and feedback can be found at:
https://www.nebosh.org.uk/Students/default.asp?cref=1646

Alternatively you can navigate your way from the NEBOSH homepage as follows

Click on
“Students”

Click on “Currently
studying”

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 Scroll down to
find NEBOSH
National Diploma
in Occupational
Safety and Health
or International
Diploma in
Occupational
Safety and Health

Click on
“Assignment
brief Unit DNI”

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astute: clever, discerning, far-sighted, incisive, ingenious,
insightful, intelligent, inventive, keen, knowing,
knowledgable, observant, perceptive, prudent,
quick-witted, ready, resourceful, shrewd,
strategical, tactical, wise …

tutis (latin): protected, safe, secure …

astute + tutis = astutis

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