Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Unit IA
Managing Health and Safety
Revision Guide
NEBOSH INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMA UNIT IA
MANAGING HEALTH AND SAFETY
REVISION GUIDE
RRC acknowledges with thanks the co-operation of NEBOSH in the production of this
guide.
© RRC International
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, mechanical,
photocopied or otherwise, without the express permission in writing from RRC.
© RRC International
Contents
Guide! 1
Performance 65
Element IA9: The Role of the Health and Safety Practitioner 168
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Unit IA Revision Guide: Introduction
Revising Effectively
Using the Syllabus
Your secret to success is the Guide to the NEBOSH International Diploma. This sets out
the structure of the course and contains the syllabus. If you don’t already have a copy
of the syllabus, we strongly recommend that you buy one, keep it with you and read
it every day. All NEBOSH exam questions are set from the syllabus, so as you become
more familiar with it you’ll be less likely to be ‘thrown’ by a surprise question.
Keep in mind that you’ll be expected to apply your knowledge to both familiar and
unfamiliar situations!
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Unit IA Revision Guide: Introduction
As exam questions are taken from the syllabus, mapping your study notes against the
syllabus can be a very useful revision technique. If you have studied with RRC you will
see that the material follows the syllabus quite closely, but this exercise is important to
help you appreciate the overall ‘picture’. When you’re studying one specific section
in isolation, it can be very easy to lose sight of how the material fits together, what
practical use it is, or how a health and safety practitioner might make use of it in real life.
Referring back to the syllabus will put each topic in perspective and help you see how
it relates to the field of health and safety generally. It will also help you cross-reference
the material with other related topics, which you may have to do in more complex exam
questions.
To get this overview, you need to know the elements that make up the course and how
they relate to the RRC sections. Each element (e.g. Unit IA, Element IA1: Principles of
Health and Safety Management) includes two important sections:
Learning Outcomes, which detail what you should be able to explain, understand,
assess, carry out, etc. after completing the element.
Content, which gives you the topics you should be fully familiar with.
You can use both these sections of the syllabus to test whether you have the relevant
skills, knowledge and understanding for each element, or whether you need to look
again at certain topics.
An idea for an effective revision technique is to take a pin (blunt, of course, for health
and safety reasons!) and randomly stick it in any part of the syllabus. Then write down
what you know about that topic. This might be very little at first, in which case go back
to your study notes and summarise the key issues that you need to work on. Make a
note of this topic, then return to it a few weeks later and see how much more you can
remember. If you practise this regularly, you will eventually cover the entire syllabus and
in the process find that you understand and retain the material much more effectively.
This is ‘active revision’, as it actively tests your memory to see what you have learnt - and
it is far more effective than ‘passive revision’ where you simply read your study notes and
usually switch off after 30 seconds, taking in little of the material.
You will find it easier if you make sure that you have an overall understanding of the
topic first, then fill in the detailed knowledge requirements later. Ask yourself searching
questions on each topic such as:
‘What use is this?’,
‘How would a health and safety practitioner apply this in real life?’,
‘What is the point of this topic?’,
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Unit IA Revision Guide: Introduction
until you feel that you fully understand why a health and safety practitioner would need
to know about each area. Once you have this level of general understanding, the details
will be much easier to retain, and in some cases you may be able to derive them from
your own workplace experiences.
Your revision aim is to achieve this comprehensive overview of the syllabus. Once you
have done this, you will be able to at least say something about each of the topic areas
and tackle any question set on the syllabus content.
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Unit IA Revision Guide: Introduction
The Exam
You should aim to arrive at the exam venue early. Exams are stressful enough at the best
of times. Travelling to get there just in time or, worst case scenario, arriving late will not
help your nerves.
You have three hours to complete your answers. Ten minutes’ reading time is allowed
before the start of the exam during which you may read the exam paper but you may
not write anything.
Your answers should be written into a standard answer booklet. This answer booklet
contains lined A4 paper with a cover. You complete the cover with a few personal details
as instructed and then write your answers inside. There is a space at the top of each
page for you to indicate which question you are answering on that page.
The exam contains six compulsory short questions in Section A; each of these is worth a
maximum of 10 marks. The exam paper states that you are advised to spend 15 minutes
on each of these questions.
It also contains five long questions in Section B. You have to answer any three of these
five questions. Each of these is worth a maximum of 20 marks. The exam paper states
that you are advised to spend 30 minutes on each of these questions.
The only difficulty with following the advice on the exam paper is that it leaves you no
time to pause during the exam and no time for reviewing your answers at the end.
It is recommended that you reduce the amount of time that you dedicate to each of the
short questions. Here is a suggestion:
Six questions × 12-13 minutes each = 75 minutes (approx.)
and
Three questions × 30 minutes each = 90 minutes (total)
This leaves around 15 minutes of spare time. You might use some of this time to:
Pause briefly between questions to give yourself a short break from thinking and
writing.
Make a careful decision about which three Section B questions you intend to answer.
Briefly review your answers before the exam ends.
Whichever time management plan you decide is right for you, you must put this plan
into effect. Don’t forget - you can take a watch into the exam with you. Take your
watch off and put it on the table in front of you. As you start each exam question write
the start time and projected finish time on the exam paper next to the question. You
don’t need to remember what time you started or intend to finish - it is written down in
front of you. As you write your answer, make sure that you check your watch to ensure
that you do not run over your intended finish time.
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Unit IA Revision Guide: Introduction
If you write the finish time down, check your watch and stick to your intended plan
- then you cannot go wrong with time management during the exam. If you do not
have a plan, or if you have a plan but fail to follow it in the exam room, then time
management can go horribly wrong.
Plenty of students run out of time. Don’t let it happen to you!
Exam Strategy
Understanding everything in the syllabus is of no use if you have poor examination
technique. To achieve maximum marks, you will need to:
Read the question carefully.
Understand what information is being requested. It is important to identify the
command word within the question, as this will give you an indication of the depth
of knowledge required in your answer. Typical command words used by NEBOSH in
Diploma exam questions include identify, outline, explain and describe. (The next
section of this guide has further information about these command words and their
meaning.)
Understand the breadth of knowledge required.
Look at the marks available for the question or part of the question – that is a clear
indication of the amount of information required and time to be spent on it.
Read the question again to ensure you understand its meaning.
Produce a plan to organise your thoughts.
Provide the information in a logical and coherent way.
Manage your time effectively – you need to allocate your time evenly throughout
the exam to take into account the number of marks allocated per question.
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Unit IA Revision Guide: Introduction
Outline
Give a brief summary of the item or its key features. A detailed explanation is not
required, but the answers must be more than just a single word or phrase.
Example:
Question: Outline TWO categories of worker who might be more vulnerable to risk in
a workplace.
Answer: Lone workers – workers who work away from immediate and direct
contact with their work colleagues.
Young people – workers who because of their age lack experience in the
workplace, are immature and have a poor perception of risk.
Describe
Give a detailed written account of the subject or item. Sufficient so that someone
reading that description can visualise the item in their mind’s eye.
Example:
Question: Describe the ‘statement of intent’ section of a health and safety policy
document.
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Answer: The statement of intent is usually a one page document with a title at the
top of the page followed by several paragraphs of text. At the bottom of
the document there will be the name and signature of the person at the top
of the organisation (e.g. the Managing Director), along with the date the
document was signed and a date when the document will be reviewed. Each
paragraph of text on the page will summarise the key aims and objectives of
the organisation with regards health and safety.
Explain
Give an understanding of why or how something happens. With more detail than an
outline would require.
Example:
Question: Explain the moral reason why an organisation should maintain high
standards of health and safety.
Answer: The moral reason for maintaining high standards of health and safety arises
from the basic human sense of right and wrong. When workers or others are
injured or made ill by work activity they will experience pain and suffering.
This pain and suffering is morally unacceptable if it can be avoided.
Give
Provide without explanation. Is often used in conjunction with example (as in: ‘give an
example of’).
Example:
Question: Outline the meaning of the word ‘hazard’ and give one work-related
example.
Answer: The word hazard means ‘something with the potential to cause harm’. An
example of a work-related hazard would be an electrical flex trailing across
the floor of a workroom that presents a risk of tripping.
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Unit IA Revision Guide: Introduction
If you have studied at NEBOSH Certificate level you may well recognise these command
words from Certificate-level exam questions.
NEBOSH also uses other command words in Diploma exam questions. These words,
and an interpretation of their meaning, are presented below, along with part-question
examples to illustrate their use:
Analyse
Break down the subject into its component parts and examine their relationship.
Example:
Question: Analyse the data presented in the table and suggest reasons for the
difference in safety performance.
Assess
Present judgments of relevant factors and their importance.
Example:
Question: Assess the significance of the court ruling in R. v. Swan Hunter concerning
the interpretation of Section 2(2)(c) of the Act.
Calculate
Undertake a mathematical process. N.B. It is important to always show your working out
when presenting calculations.
Example:
Question: Using the data in the table, calculate the 8-hour TWA exposure to flour
dust for bakery operatives.
Comment
Give a justified opinion on the issue.
Example:
Question: Comment on the Managing Director’s point of view and give reasons why
they are incorrect.
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Consider
Show your thinking about the subject matter.
Example:
Question: Consider the impact of the Director’s decision on the safety culture of the
organisation.
Define
Give a broadly acceptable meaning of a word or phrase.
Example:
Question: Define the phrase ‘safety culture’.
Demonstrate
Prove by logical reasoning.
Example:
Question: Using the data in the two tables, demonstrate that the trend in accident
frequency rate is upwards and discuss possible reasons for the increase.
Determine
Come to a decision or conclusion by investigation.
Example:
Question: Determine the root causes of the incident.
Discuss
Critically analyse the subject matter.
Example:
Question: Discuss the findings of the committee and analyse the strengths and
weaknesses of its recommendation.
Distinguish
Separate the subjects by highlighting differences.
Example:
Question: Distinguish between Acts of Parliament, Regulations and Orders.
Evaluate
Show the value of the subject by careful examination.
Example:
Question: Evaluate the use of risk-rating matrixes in the risk assessment process.
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Unit IA Revision Guide: Introduction
Justify
Support by using fact or reasoning.
Example:
Question: Justify this choice of respiratory protective equipment as opposed to the
cheaper alternative.
Recommend
Present as a personal choice of action with some justification.
Example:
Question: Recommend a course of action for the Managing Director to follow that
will allow the company to discharge its legal duties in these circumstances.
Review
Overview the subject matter and summarise .
Example:
Question: Review the information that is likely to be requested by the insurance
company when investigating this claim for compensation.
Further information on these command words and their use is available directly from
NEBOSH. A full guide giving specific examples of exam questions and full suggested
answers that clearly illustrate the use and meaning of each word is available at no cost
from www. nebosh.org.uk.
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Unit IA Revision Guide: Introduction
The examination process may seem complex, but success is simply a case of averaging
around half marks or more for each question. Marks are awarded for giving ideas that
are relevant to the requirements of the question, and convincing the examiner that you
understand what you’re talking about. If you have the knowledge and understanding
gained from studying the syllabus as set out above, then this should not be a problem.
Another important exam skill is to carefully read and analyse the question so that you
are clear about what is required to answer it. Once you have done this, you will be ready
to plan your answer (though for some short answers you can get away with not doing a
plan). This will help you structure your thoughts in order to provide a coherent response
to the question. The other important reason for planning is to allow you to jot down key
words, which may help you recall memories associated with those subjects.
The more you study past exam questions, the more familiar you will become with the
way they tend to be phrased and the kind of answer the examiners are looking for.
Students often make the mistake of going into too much detail on specific topics and
failing to address the wider issues. If you only deal with half of the relevant issues you
can only achieve half of the marks! Try to give as broad an answer as you can, without
stepping outside the subject matter of the question altogether. Ensure that you explain
each issue to convince the examiner that you have a sufficient understanding. Giving
relevant workplace examples is a good way of doing this.
You can find a sample Unit IA exam paper in the NEBOSH guide to the Diploma. You
can obtain Examiners’ Reports from NEBOSH.
Last-Minute Preparation
Finally, a useful way to combine syllabus study with exam practice is to attempt to set
and answer your own exam questions. By adding a question word, such as ‘explain’
or ‘describe’, in front of the syllabus topic areas, you can produce a whole range of
questions. This is excellent exam practice because it serves as a valuable topic revision
aid, and, at the same time, requires you to set out your knowledge just as you would
under exam conditions.
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Moral
Employer owes a duty of reasonable care to his employees.
Society expects employers to ensure the health and safety of their workforce.
It is unacceptable to place employees in situations where their health and safety is at
risk.
Legal
Preventive - enforcement notices issued by enforcement inspectors.
Punitive - criminal courts impose fines and imprisonment for breaches of legal
duties.
Compensatory - employees are able to sue in the civil courts for compensation.
Economic
Insurance will cover some costs of accidents and ill-health, such as:
Compensation claims from employees.
Damage to motor vehicles.
Other costs that cannot be insured against:
Fines from criminal prosecutions.
Loss of highly trained and/or experienced staff.
Effects on employee morale and the resulting reduction in productivity.
Bad publicity leading to loss of contracts and/or orders.
Organisations can find it very difficult to fully quantify costs of accidents for a variety of
reasons. The company may:
Lack resources (expertise/time/people) to perform the analysis.
Lack understanding that some costs exist and so miss them entirely.
Suffer from under-reporting/non-reporting (and so be unaware).
Not know the full cost for a long time (on-going civil case, effect of loss of goodwill,
etc.).
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The Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle based on the approach in HSG65
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The basic elements are very similar to ISO 45001. It is intended that the safety
management system should be compatible with, or integrated into, other management
systems within the organisation.
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Though it may make sense in theory, implementing an IMS is not an easy task, and there
is a variety of factors to be taken into account.
Arguments in favour of the integration of management systems include:
More cost-effective.
Avoidance of duplication.
Improvements in one system are more likely to carry over to other systems,
including a positive safety culture.
Disadvantages of integration include:
Possible increased bureaucracy.
Creation of unnecessary change.
Relevant staff may require more training.
Exam-Style Questions
Long Questions
1. Explain the purpose and key features of each stage of the safety management
model described in the UK HSE document Managing for Health and Safety
(HSG65). (20)
3. A financial review within your organisation has resulted in a proposal to the Board of
Directors to cut its health and safety budget and to cancel a capital project that was
designed to lead to significant improvements in the working environment.
As the organisation’s Health and Safety Manager, explain why this proposal should
be rejected and justify your opinion. (20)
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Model Answers
Long Questions
Question 1
Interpretation
This is a straightforward question but there are a few key words to pick up on. An
explanation is required - so depth and detail is expected. Each stage of the HSG65 Plan,
Do, Check, Act model must be analysed. The purpose and key features of each element
must be discussed, so for each element consider: what is it for, what does it do and what
is it made up of, what does it look like, what ideas does it encompass?
Plan
Plan - what you want to achieve, who will be responsible for what, how you will
achieve your aims, and how you will measure your success.
Do - identify your risk profile, organise your activities to deliver your plan.
Check - measure your performance, assess how well the risks are being controlled
and investigate the causes of accidents, incidents or near misses.
Act - review your performance and take action on lessons learned, including from
audit and inspection reports.
Suggested Answer
The diagram of the HSG65 Plan, Do, Check, Act model would be useful to include in
your answer to this question.
The model starts with Plan, where we need to think about where we are now and
where we need to be. What do we want to achieve, who will be responsible for what,
how will we achieve our aims, and how will we measure success? We will need to write
down this policy and the plan to deliver it. We also need to decide how we will measure
performance, using leading and lagging indicators (active and reactive indicators) rather
than just accident figures. Planning should also consider fire and other emergencies and
the need to co-operate with anyone who shares the workplace, future changes and any
specific legal requirements that apply to the organisation.
The Do stage starts with identifying the organisation’s risk profile, assessing the risks,
identifying what could cause harm in the workplace, who it could harm and how, and
what needs to be done to manage the risk. From this, priorities can be identified (i.e.
the biggest risks). Activities need to be organised to deliver the plan, including involving
the workforce and providing adequate resources and competent advice. To implement
the plan we need to decide on the preventive and protective measures required and
put them in place. These can include providing and maintaining the right tools and
equipment to do the job, training and instruction to ensure competence and supervision
to make sure that the arrangements are followed.
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Check involves measuring performance to make sure that the plan has been
implemented. We need to assess how well risks are being controlled and investigate the
causes of accidents, incidents or near misses. In some circumstances formal audits may
be useful.
The final Act stage requires review of performance and learning from accidents and
incidents, ill-health data, errors and relevant experience, including experiences of other
organisations. We can then revisit plans, policy documents and risk assessments to see if
they need updating and take action on lessons learned, including those from audit and
inspection reports.
Question 2
Interpretation
This question is scenario based and, though a lot of detail is not presented on the
scenario, there are a few key features that must be recognised. Firstly, the QMS is ISO
9001 compliant. We can safely presume that that compliance must stay in place, which
can complicate integration. Secondly, there is an SMS and an EMS, but these are not
stated as being certificated to a standard, i.e. we are not told that they are ISO 45001
and ISO 14001. We can perhaps assume that they are not.
We are asked to prepare a brief; in other words write a report. It should look passingly
like a report, though detailed report formatting is not required. The target audience
is the Board (of Directors), so technical language can be used, provided it is explained.
Most importantly we are asked to outline the potential benefits of integration and of
staying put. The marks are evenly divided between the two options. Note that we are
not explicitly asked for the disadvantages of either option.
Plan
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Question 3
Interpretation
This is a straightforward question requiring a defence to be presented to the threat of
financial cutbacks. Note that the short scenario given threatens cuts to the health and
safety budget and the cancellation of a capital project.
While a separate defence does not have to be presented to both threats, the arguments
used must be applied to both threats. Note that your answer should look report-like and
your language should be for the non-specialist.
Plan
Moral, legal and economic arguments.
Moral - policy obligation to staff. Personal impact of accidents and ill-health.
Industrial relations and PR implications of moral failure.
Directors’ personal values. (Put last.)
Legal - compliance with legal requirements, enforcement notices, prosecution,
avoidance of legal action against directors and/or managers, compensation.
Economic - costs of failure; direct costs, indirect costs. Uninsured losses, hidden
nature of losses. Financial benefits of good standards, especially working
environment.
Suggested Answer
This report has been prepared following the proposal to the Board to cut the health
and safety budget and cancel the health and safety capital project. The report will argue
for the rejection of this proposal based on three basic principles: the sound economic
argument that underpins good health and safety management within this organisation,
the legal implications of failing to manage health and safety effectively, and the moral
imperative. Each of these arguments will now be discussed in detail.
The Economic Argument
Health and safety (H&S) failings cost money; in fact they can cost a lot of money. And
while it is true that putting good H&S standards in place also costs money, the costs
associated with failures far outweigh the costs of implementation. There are two ways
in which this organisation may fail to ensure H&S - one is a failure to ensure safety. This
leads to accidents. The other problem is failure to ensure health; this leads to ill-health,
sickness and chronic disease. Both accidents and ill-health have direct costs associated
with them. For example, a workplace accident leads to production downtime, damage
to equipment, plant and premises, and loss of product. Damaged equipment and
premises must be repaired or replaced. This in turn usually leads to indirect losses to
the organisation - losses that do not stem directly from the event itself, but flow from
it as inevitable consequences. Lost product must be re-made, which incurs overtime or
additional labour costs.
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Personnel who have been injured remain absent from the workplace; they are paid
full salary during their absence and at the same time the organisation has to employ
temporary labour to cover their work. In some instances this temporary labour solution
cannot be applied and then other workers in the workplace have to pick up the work of
their absent colleague. This leads to overworking, fatigue and stress which in turn leads
to an increase in human error and higher absenteeism.
While some of the costs highlighted above are quite apparent, some may be hidden to
the organisation; others are non-discoverable in nature. If industrial relations are severely
damaged by a workplace accident, that reflects in poor productivity, higher absence
rates and reduced efficiency. But how could that be exactly costed out? The answer is it
cannot be. If bad publicity were to result from a workplace accident, that might have a
direct effect on our customers’ willingness to do business with us. Again, this could be a
very significant cost that would be difficult to quantify and discover.
The above arguments relate to workplace accidents and ignore the cost implications
of work-related ill-health. Occupational ill-health often results from poor working
conditions and poor working environments. It almost invariably leads to workplace
absence and, in some instances, may be severe enough to warrant dismissal on medical
grounds. There are costs associated with the worker absence, the management of that
absence and the legal action that often results from such ill-health and dismissals, not to
mention the poor industrial relations and PR that can accompany such illnesses.
Studies which have analysed workplaces looking for the costs associated with workplace
accidents suggest that the uninsured losses to an organisation are greater than the
insured losses by a factor of 8× as a minimum. In other words, our insurance company
cannot be approached to fund the vast majority of losses that we incur when we injure
people at work or make them sick. We fund those losses ourselves
None of the above included any comment about the financial implications of legal
actions, which this report will now move on to consider.
The Legal Argument
There are legal standards that we must comply with and failure to comply can lead to
enforcement action being taken against us in the form of legally binding notices that
require us to carry out such improvements or to stop certain activities. This enforcement
action invariably carries with it the costs associated with carrying out the improvement
to the enforcement officer’s timescale, or stopping an activity that we find to be
financially beneficial. This is not to mention the bad IR and PR that is usually associated
with these enforcement notices. In other instances, failure to achieve legal compliance
may result in prosecution. Directors may also face personal liability for legal failing of
the organisation that they direct. Needless to say, all of the above legal actions carry
with them the risk of incurring huge legal fees in mounting a defence (and paying the
prosecution legal fees in the event of the case being lost).
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In addition, injure a worker, or cause ill-health, and we may well be sued by the injured
party. These cases may result in the payment of compensation to injured victims.
Though this money may come from our insurers in the first instance, it invariably leads
to higher insurance premiums in the short- and long-term as those insurers attempt to
claw back their losses from us.
The Moral Argument
We have a clear policy obligation to our staff to ensure their ongoing health, safety and
welfare. That has been made clear in the statement of intent signed by our Managing
Director as the headline of our H&S policy. Aside from the legal and financial arguments
discussed above, we must also consider the huge personal impact of accidents and
ill-health that can and do occur as a result of our H&S standards. One worker may
be injured or made ill, but that one person has a family, friends and colleagues. The
impact of a serious accident or case of ill-health has wide-ranging implications. We
must reflect on our own personal values and decide whether we would wish to see the
unpleasant and sometimes tragic consequences of poor H&S standards occurring in our
organisation.
In conclusion, I would state that cutbacks cannot be made to the H&S budget, nor to
the capital project, on the basis of the three arguments described above. We owe it to
ourselves, to our workforce and to our shareholders to retain our H&S budgets so that
we are best able to avoid the losses that workplace accidents and ill-health might cause.
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Laws of Contract
Contract law has many implications in respect of occupational health and safety and
establishes the relationship between an employer and employee or contractors, and
those who manufacture articles or substances and those who buy them.
A contract of employment implies that:
–– The employer will take reasonable care to ensure the health and safety of the
employee.
–– The employee will carry out his or her work with reasonable care and skill.
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When articles and substances are manufactured, contracts are established between
the producer (or manufacturer) and the consumer (or end user).
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Meaning of ‘Self-Regulation’
Self-regulation is the process whereby an organisation monitors its own adherence
to health and safety standards, rather than having an outside agency, such as a
governmental body, monitoring and enforcing them.
Benefits are:
The organisation can set and maintain its own standards without external
interference.
If problems arise, the organisation can:
–– More easily keep its own internal affairs private.
–– Avoid the significant national expense of establishing an enforcement agency.
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Disadvantages are:
Attempts to self-regulate may fail because individual organisations may believe there
is little advantage in establishing good standards if similar organisations choose to
ignore them.
Employees who work in a self-regulated organisation may experience poor standards
with an increased frequency of accidents and ill health.
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Exam-Style Questions
Short Questions
1. An organisation has decided to adopt a self-regulatory model for its health and
safety management system.
Distinguish between:
(a) the benefits; and (6)
(b) the limitations (4)
of self-regulation in connection with the management of health and safety.
2. (a) Outline the benefits and limitations of prescriptive legislation. (5)
(b) Outline the benefits and limitations of goal-setting legislation. (5)
Give examples in both cases to illustrate your answers.
3. (a) Outline the meaning of the phrase ‘punitive damages’ in the context of a
compensation award, and clearly identify the purpose of these damages
and to whom they are paid. (5)
(b) (i) In the context of claims for compensation, outline the meaning of
the term ‘no fault liability’. (2)
(ii) In the context of claims for compensation, outline the meaning of
the term ‘breach of duty of care’. (3)
Long Questions
4. (a) In relation to the improvement of health and safety within companies,
describe what is meant by:
(i) corporate probation; (2)
(ii) adverse publicity orders; (2)
(iii) punitive damages. (3)
(b) Outline the mechanism by which the International Labour Organisation
can influence health and safety standards in different countries. (7)
(c) Explain the role of legislation in improving workplace health and safety.
(6)
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Model Answers
Short Questions
Question 1
Interpretation
This question simply asks you to explain the benefits of self-regulation; i.e. speed,
flexibility and ownership, versus the limitations arising from poorer compliance.
Plan
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Question 2
Interpretation
This question is clearly structured and simply requires a comparison of prescriptive and
goal-setting legislation in terms of benefits and limitations. Note that the benefits of
one type of legislation, i.e. “prescriptive legislation is not difficult to enforce”, is the
limitation of the other, i.e. “goal-setting legislation is more difficult to enforce”.
Plan
(a) The benefits of prescriptive legislation are that its requirements are clear and
easy to apply and it provides the same standard for all. It is not difficult to
enforce and does not require a high level of expertise.
Its limitations are that it is inflexible and may be inappropriate in some
circumstances by setting standards too high or too low. It does not take
account of local risks and may need frequent revision to keep up with changes
in technology and knowledge.
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(b) The benefits of goal-setting legislation are that it has more flexibility in the
way compliance may be achieved and it is related to actual risk. Also it can
apply to a wide variety of workplaces and it is less likely to become out of
date.
These benefits are countered by the fact that it may be open to wide
interpretation and the duties it lays down and the standards it requires may be
unclear until tested in courts of law. As a result it may become more difficult
to enforce and may require a higher level of expertise to achieve compliance.
Question 3
Interpretation
This, again, is a well signposted question and simply asks you to outline key concepts
relating to punitive damages, no fault liability and duty of care.
Plan
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Suggested Answer
(a) “Punitive damages”, are a financial or monetary award which, while paid to
a claimant, are not awarded to compensate them, but in order to reform or
deter the defendant and similar persons from pursuing a course of action such
as that which damaged the claimant. As such they are both a punishment and a
deterrent. The amount of the award is determined by a court and is not linked
to the losses suffered by the claimant.
(b) (i) “No fault liability” is a liability which is independent of any wrongful
intent or negligence. As such, an injury alone is sufficient to confer
liability with compensation being paid either by an insurance company or
from a government fund.
(ii) There are three standard conditions that must be satisfied in order to
establish a breach of duty of care. These are that a duty of care was
owed by an employer to his employee; that the employer acted in
breach of that duty by not doing everything that was reasonable to
prevent foreseeable harm and lastly that the breach led directly to the
loss, damage or injury.
Long Questions
Question 4
Interpretation
This is another well signposted question, this time a long question. The first part simply
asks you to describe the concepts of corporate probation, adverse publicity orders, and,
again, punitive damages. If you are familiar with these concepts, then providing the
answer should not pose a problem. The second and third parts of the question require
a little more thought in order to indicate the way in which both the ILO, and national
legislation influence, in their own ways, health and safety standards in the workplace.
Plan
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Question 5
Interpretation
The NEBOSH syllabus in IA2.4 ‘The Role of Non-Governmental Bodies and Health and
Safety Standards’ requires you to be able to give “Examples of relevant influential parties
(employer bodies; trade associations; trade unions; professional groups (e.g. IOSH, ASSE,
Board of Certified Safety Professionals); pressure groups, public, etc., and their role in
influencing health and safety performance”, consequently this question comes as no
surprise. The bodies referred to are already listed in the syllabus so all we need to do is to
expand on their individual roles in influencing health and safety performance.
Plan
Relevant influential parties:
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Employer bodies
Represent interests of employer.
CBI in UK:
–– Main lobbying organisation for UK business.
–– Works with government, legislators, policy-makers to help UK businesses
compete more effectively.
Trade associations
Membership of companies who operate in a particular area of commerce.
Promote common interests/improvements in quality, health, safety, environmental
and technical standards:
–– Publication of guidelines, information notes, codes of practice, and regular
briefing notes on technical issues and regulatory developments.
–– Sharing of good practice.
–– Provision of news and events.
–– Meetings, workshops, seminars to enable networking/exchange of information/
ideas on technical and safety issues.
Trade unions
Organisation of workers.
Common goals in key areas wages/hours/working conditions.
Negotiates with the employer on behalf of its members:
–– Contracts.
–– Wages.
–– Work rules.
–– Complaint procedures.
–– Workplace safety and policies.
Agreements negotiated binding on rank and file members.
Unions may appoint safety representatives:
–– Investigate accidents.
–– Conduct inspections.
–– Sit on a safety committee.
Professional groups (e.g. IOSH)
Individuals who work in a particular profession.
Achieved a defined level of competence.
Members pay a subscription/receive benefits.
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Safety is of prime importance in any industry and there is usually a way of publicising and
circulating safety messages to the members on a regular basis.
Membership of a trade association is generally available to companies and organisations
active in the relevant industry.
Trade Unions
A trade union is an organisation of workers who have formed together to achieve
common goals in key areas such as wages, hours, and working conditions. The trade
union negotiates with the employer on behalf of its members and negotiates contracts
with employers. This may include the negotiation of wages, work rules, complaint
procedures, rules governing hiring, firing and promotion of workers, benefits, workplace
safety and policies. The agreements negotiated by the union leaders are binding
on the rank and file members and the employer and in some cases on other non-
member workers. In the UK, Unions may appoint safety representatives from amongst
the workers who may investigate accidents, conduct inspections and sit on a safety
committee.
Professional Groups
A professional group is an organisation of individuals who work in a particular
profession and have achieved a defined level of competence. Members typically pay a
subscription to join the group and receive a range of benefits. In the UK, the Institution
of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is the largest body for health and safety
professionals. It is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that sets professional
standards, supports and develops members and provides authoritative advice and
guidance on health and safety issues.
Pressure Groups
A pressure group is an organised group of people who seek to influence government
policy or legislation. They can also be described as ‘interest groups’, ‘lobby groups’ or
‘protest groups’. They carry out research, lobby members of parliament and so aim
to influence public and ultimately government opinion. One example in the UK is the
Centre for Corporate Accountability. This is concerned with the promotion of worker
and public safety. Its focus is on the role of state bodies in enforcing health and safety
law and investigating work-related deaths and injuries.
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Defence barriers between the hazard and a major incident prevent the incident,
(e.g. containment of the hazard, safe operating procedures, etc.), provide warning of
danger, (e.g. an alarm) and mitigate the consequences, (e.g. means of escape).
However, the barriers are not perfect and can be defeated by:
–– Active failures - unsafe acts which have immediate effects on the integrity of
the system, usually committed by those directly involved in the task. The cause
of the failure will be due to an error (accidental) or a violation (deliberate).
–– Latent failures - at the strategic levels, both in the organisation and external
environment, which remain dormant until they interact with the local factors,
unsafe acts and work environments and increase the likelihood of an active
failure (e.g. lack of supervision, maintenance failure).
When the gaps created by active failures align with those created by the latent
conditions, the opportunity exists for a serious outcome.
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The starting point is the undesired event (called the Top Event).
The immediate and necessary contributory fault conditions leading to that event are
added next.
These may each in turn be caused by other faults, etc.
Each branch of the tree is further developed until a primary failure (such as a root
cause) is identified.
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Pie Charts
Circular diagram, where the pie is divided into ‘slices’ representing the fractions into
which the total of the variable is divided.
Line Graphs
Rather than using a bar chart or histogram, the information can be displayed as a series
of data points connected by straight lines.
Shows the relationship between two variables. Many graphs are needed to show all the
values in a table of data. It is possible to plot a number of sets of values on one graph if
one of the variables remains the same for each. The slope of the graph shows the rate of
change
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Interviewing Witnesses
Types of Witness
–– The victim.
–– The eyewitness.
–– People who can offer corroborative statements.
Interviewing Technique
–– Put the person being questioned at ease.
–– Carry out interviews at the scene of the accident if possible.
–– The investigator should be looking for the witness’s version of the accident.
2. Analysis of Information
Examine all the facts, put them together to establish what actually happened and
determine why it happened. Discover the immediate, underlying and root causes by
systematically working through the event.
3. Identify Control Measures
Identify all possible control measures and select the ones which are most suitable
(taking account of reasonable practicability and the effectiveness of different control
types).
4. Plan and Implement
Report to management summarising all available evidence accurately and
recommend future action necessary to prevent a recurrence.
Plan what has to be done and do it, setting timescales (short-term versus long-
term), allocating specific actions to individuals and checking that the proposed
actions have actually been implemented.
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Exam-Style Questions
Short Question
1. Witnesses can often provide essential information for accident investigations.
Describe the various issues to think about during the interview process so that the
best quality of information relating to a workplace accident can be obtained from
witnesses. (10)
Long Questions
2. An accident has occurred where a forklift truck skidded on a patch of oil and
collided with an unaccompanied visitor, causing a crush injury to their leg.
(a) Outline, with justification, why the accident should be investigated. (4)
(b) Outline the actions necessary to collect evidence for the investigation of
the accident. Assume that the initial responses of reporting the accident and
securing the scene have taken place. (8)
(c) Describe the factors which should be taken into account when analysing the
information gathered as evidence. (8)
3. Accident investigations can vary in terms of duration, size and specialisms of the
investigation team and resources allocated.
(a) Explain why it is important for an organisation to investigate workplace
accidents. (10)
(b) Outline the factors that would influence the level of investigation required
following a workplace accident. (10)
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Model Answers
Short Question
Question 1
Interpretation
This question simply requires you to describe the best way to carry out an accident
investigation interview in order to obtain the facts. If you have been involved in accident
investigations previously, then much of this answer will be familiar to you from past
experience.
Plan
Interview as soon as possible after the event - injury/shock make this difficult.
Suitable environment.
Put witness at ease.
Interview one witness at a time.
Establish good rapport.
Purpose - preventing recurrence, not to apportion blame.
Record the findings.
Establish facts.
Avoid leading questions/implied conclusions.
Sketches/photographs.
Listen to witness without interruption.
Give sufficient time to answer.
Issues summarised/agreed.
Suggested Answer
The first requirement is to interview as soon as possible after the event although injury
or shock may make this difficult. The interview should be carried out in a suitable
environment where the witness can be put at ease. Only one witness should be
interviewed at a time, with the interviewer taking time to establish good rapport. The
purpose of the interview should be explained, that of preventing a recurrence and not
to apportion blame, and also the need to record the findings. Questioning techniques
should establish facts and avoid leading questions or implied conclusions. Sketches
and photographs may help with the interview. Finally, the witness should be listened to
without interruption, given sufficient time to answer, and the issues discussed should be
summarised and agreed at the end of the interview.
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Long Questions
Question 2
Interpretation
We have a simple scenario here and the answer must relate back to this scenario
wherever necessary. There are three parts to the question, so our answer must be in
three parts. Note the marks breakdown. Part (a) is simple enough. Part (b) is concerned
with the collection of evidence following the event. Part (c) is concerned with the
analysis of the investigation evidence; this is perhaps the part of the question most open
to misinterpretation. Factors to consider (things to think about) = organisational, job and
personal factors = HSG48.
Plan
Why investigate - causes, prevention, insurance, morale of staff, IR, PR.
Evidence collection:
–– From scene - photos, sketch, samples, text, CCTV.
–– From witnesses - interview; from records & documents - risk assessments,
maintenance logs, etc.
Factors:
–– Organisational - culture, peer group pressure, practices, etc.
–– Personal - drugs/alcohol, training, experience, attitude, etc.
–– Job - shift, comfort, environment, etc.
Suggested Answer
(a) The accident should be investigated for various reasons. First, investigation
allows for the identification of the immediate and underlying causes of the
accident and the various factors that may have contributed to it. This in turn
should allow for the identification of the corrective actions necessary to prevent
a recurrence of this event and others like it.
Second, any investigation gives the organisation a good opportunity to assess its
compliance with legal requirements and best practice.
Third, an investigation provides an opportunity for management to
demonstrate a clear commitment to health and safety and show that they are
interested. This has a direct impact on the safety culture of the organisation and
on employee morale. Indeed, employee morale would suffer badly if the event
were not investigated.
Fourth, the factual evidence collected during the investigation will be vital in
deciding liability issues should there be a civil claim for compensation based on
this accident.
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(b) Assuming that first-aid assistance has been given to the injured visitor, and
that the scene has been secured, the first actions must be to collect evidence
from the scene itself before that evidence becomes contaminated. This would
be done by photographing the scene, or perhaps even videoing it, drawing
sketches and taking measurements to annotate that sketch. It would also be
appropriate to write a brief description of the scene including any additional
information that may be relevant but that is not apparent from photographs
or a sketch, (e.g. a loud tannoy, or high or low ambient temperatures in the
workplace). CCTV footage may be available and should be secured.
Factual information about the environment around the accident scene must
also be gathered, so the condition of the floor, light levels, markings on the
floor, the presence of pedestrian walkways and signage must all be recorded
in some way. The oil patch must be photographed in situ before clear up and
perhaps a sample taken as evidence.
The position of the forklift truck must be carefully recorded and any forensic
evidence that shows its route must also be noted (such as skid marks on
the floor, collision marks on surrounding structures such as racking, etc.).
The FLT must also be carefully examined to determine its condition and the
acceptability of its safety-related features. This examination should also take
into account the position of any load on the FLT and the capacity rating of the
FLT.
The oil spill on the floor will have to be investigated in more detail to determine
its source and the reasons for its presence on the floor.
Failures in the spill detection and clear-up procedures may be identified.
Following investigation of the physical evidence, the background documents
and records must be scrutinised and copies may have to be taken. Risk
assessments, safe systems of work, operating procedures, FLT maintenance and
inspection logs, training records and other company documentation will all
have to be examined.
Another vital source of information must also be addressed during the
investigation and that is, of course, the witnesses. The FLT driver should be
isolated from other people to prevent possible contamination of their evidence.
They should be interviewed about the event as soon as possible to prevent the
natural process of reviewing an event and then embellishing it. Other witnesses
would also be interviewed as soon after the event as possible, including the
injured party, although this may depend on their availability. Other personnel
who did not directly witness the scene, but who have information relevant to
the investigation, may also be interviewed and this would include reception
staff who greeted the visitor to site, and maintenance personnel who recently
carried out work on the FLT.
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(c) The various factors that will have to be analysed in order to determine the
causes of this accident can be thought about in various ways, but one way that
might be useful is to consider organisational, job and personal factors.
Organisational factors that should be considered in the analysis would include:
The safety culture of the organisation, especially as perceived by the staff
and the FLT driver.
Peer group pressure and the influence of this on the behaviour of the driver
(he may have been speeding because to drive slowly is considered unmanly)
and the visitor (they may have been in a group of peers and behaving
recklessly).
Pay and reward schemes in operation. The FLT driver may have been
incentivised to drive fast due to the pay and reward system.
Personal factors that should be considered would include:
The basic personality traits of the driver, their attitude towards health and
safety in general and pedestrian safety in particular.
Their training in FLT driving, including basic skills training, job-specific
training and any induction training they may have had into the workplace.
The FLT driver’s experience and their general reliability and competence
level.
The intelligence level of the driver and their ability to understand
instructions.
The driver’s fitness as assessed against the fitness criteria that exist for FLT
drivers.
Factors that may have compromised the driver’s ability to function correctly,
such as fatigue, stress, drugs and alcohol.
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Job factors would play an enormous part in the analysis and the following factors
would have to be considered:
Signage in the workplace, markings on the floor and the provision of barriers
to segregate pedestrians and vehicles.
The levels of supervision in the workplace.
Procedures and rules in place to govern the movement of visitors around the
site.
Procedures and rules relevant to the movement of FLTs within the
workplace.
Maintenance, testing and inspection regimes in place for the FLT.
Shift patterns, hours of work and workload allocation within the workplace.
Question 3
Interpretation
A two-part answer is required here. Part (a) requires an explanation, so depth and detail
are implied. The question itself is very direct. Part (b) requires an outline of factors, but
again is quite direct.
Plan
Identify causes (underlying and immediate), take corrective action, identify cost,
promote positive culture, and provide information for legal reporting and insurance
claims.
Seriousness or potential seriousness (severity, number involved), nature of accident
(complexity), use of permits, breach of legal requirements or may involve a civil
claim.
Suggested Answer
(a) There are many important reasons why an organisation should investigate
workplace accidents. These might be considered under the following areas:
Identification of causes. The true causes of an accident must be discovered
if any form of effective corrective action is to be taken. It is important that
the true underlying causes are identified as well as the immediate causes.
These principles are clearly identified in both the simple domino theory of
accident causation as well as the more complex multi-causality theory.
To take corrective action to prevent recurrence. Unless the true root
causes and underlying causes of accidents are known, then effective
corrective action to prevent recurrence cannot be identified and taken. The
prevention of accidents is a legal, moral and economic imperative for an
organisation.
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Nature of accident. Many accidents are very simple in their causation. They
take little time to investigate and little time to analyse. A complex and in-
depth investigation is not going to reveal any hidden depths and therefore
is unwarranted. An organisation can learn all it needs to know with a simple,
quick investigation.
Permits-to-work. Any event involving permits-to-work (PTWs) will be,
by the very nature of PTWs, high-risk work and often complex high- risk
work. It is therefore often sensible to undertake a thorough and detailed
investigation to ensure that the permit system is working correctly. Any
accident occurring under permit control implies a failure of the permit
system itself and therefore must be taken seriously (if the permit system was
working well, then the accident would not have happened).
Any event that results in the necessity to report to the enforcing authorities
should be investigated in more depth and detail because of the reporting
requirements. This is not because a complex investigation is required to
discover the facts of the event. Often these events are relatively simple.
Instead, it is because of the potential involvement of the enforcer at some
stage after the event has been reported. Site visits, enforcement actions and
ultimately prosecution may result from the report and therefore it is in the
interest of the organisation to collect detailed factual information should the
need arise.
Similarly, any event which seems to indicate that there has been a breach of
legal requirements (and possible enforcement action that may follow) must
be investigated to a higher degree.
Finally, as was mentioned above, any event that appears to involve significant
injury or loss to a person, and therefore may result in a civil claim, should be
investigated in more depth and detail because of the liability issues that may rest
on having detailed factual evidence and analysis from the time of the event.
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Lagging Indicators
Measure loss events that have already occurred.
Quantify an organisation’s safety performance in terms of past incident statistics.
Promote reactive rather than proactive management.
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Control Measures
Assessment of the effectiveness of control measures is an area of performance
measurement best achieved by systematic review:
Supervisor daily assessment.
Sectional manager monthly review.
Quarterly review of a department.
Annual review of total organisation.
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Objective/Subjective
Objective measures - detached from personal judgment and often factual; not
always possible to use objective measures.
Subjective measures - based on someone’s opinion, judgment or bias; may get
different results from different people.
Qualitative/Quantitative
Qualitative measures are not represented numerically and use descriptors such as
“good” or “poor”.
Quantitative measures are numerical, e.g. number of accidents reported; can be
compared between periods.
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Safety Surveys
Make sure that aspects of safety are not overlooked in the general run of inspection.
Generally results in a formal report and an action plan to deal with any findings.
Safety Conversations
Provide the opportunity to respond to non-compliant behaviour in an effective but
non-confrontational manner.
Used to deliver feedback, describe a safer alternative, listen to the response and
close the conversation in a productive manner.
Behavioural Observations
Used in Behavioural Change Programmes with the ultimate aim of improving
individual behaviour.
The key principle is to positively reinforce the desired behaviour and deter or even
punish the undesired behaviour.
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Review Process
Inputs to a Review Process
A range of information is used as the basis of a review, including:
Internal performance data, e.g. audit, accident, ill-health and incident data, safety
climate data.
Achievement of specific objectives.
External standards and legislation.
Expectations of stakeholders.
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Exam-Style Questions
Short Questions
1. (a) Using examples, explain the differences between active and reactive systems
for monitoring health and safety performance. (6)
(b) Outline FOUR limitations of using accident and ill-health data as a means of
measuring health and safety performance. (4)
Long Question
3. As a health and safety practitioner advising at a large organisation, you have
decided to develop and implement an in-house auditing programme for the
organisation’s health and safety management system.
Describe the range of organisational and planning issues that would need to be
addressed in the development of the audit programme. Note that you do not need
to identify the specific factors to be audited. (20)
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Model Answers
Short Questions
Question 1
Interpretation
Part (a) of this question asks for an explanation of differences, so some depth and detail
is required here. Part (b) requires an outline of four possible limitations.
Plan
(a) Active systems measure the compliance with standards, whereas reactive
monitoring measures previous failures in performance, enabling an
organisation to learn from its mistakes. Active measures are often referred to
as leading indicators, since they measure achievement of objectives and targets
and therefore indicate the direction that the organisation is currently taking.
Reactive measures are often referred to as lagging indicators since they reflect
where the organisation has already been - its history, in effect. Completion of
safety inspections might be used as an active measure; number of accidents
during a time period might be used as a reactive measure.
(b) Reactive data, such as accident and ill-health statistics, can be seen as rather
limited because they measure failure, even though there might have been
successes in other areas. They are therefore inherently negative. This
data as a measure of performance provides only a prediction, rather than
a determinant, for the future. The data lags current performance; it does
not lead current performance. Health statistics can be very limited, simply
because occupational diseases have a long latency period, so current data
reflects workplace standards that existed years previously. One final limitation
of reactive data is that they are extremely reliant on good reporting systems.
Poor reporting leads to poor data quality and consequently poor meaning.
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Question 2
Interpretation
This question is quite straightforward, but note that there are two parts to it hidden in
the last sentence. We are asked to explain the inherent weaknesses in using accident
rates as an indication of success and we are also asked for alternative measures that
might have been used instead.
Plan
Under-reporting and effect.
Auditing, inspections, sampling, surveys.
Suggested Answer
Accident rates may have been a poor measure to use to indicate the success of the
campaign because there may have been under-reporting of accidents prior to the launch
of the campaign. This under-reporting would have led to an artificially low accident rate.
The campaign would then have raised awareness of safety issues within the industry.
This draws people’s attention to safety and accident reporting. As a result, accident
reporting improves despite the fact that the underlying accident rate might not change
at all or might even go down. Consequently the apparent accident rate increases during
and after the campaign. This is a common occurrence as safety awareness improves
within industries and organisations.
Other techniques that might have been used as an alternative to accident rates to
measure the effectiveness of the campaign might have included:
Auditing workplaces before and after the campaign to get an in-depth view of safety
management systems and their effectiveness.
Safety inspections of sites to gather a snapshot of the standards within workplaces
and the standards of behaviour.
Safety sampling exercises where representative numbers of workplaces are visited
before and after the campaign to make reliable predictions about the industry as a
whole.
Attitude surveys given to workers before and after the campaign to see if there was
any change in workers’ opinions about safety.
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Long Question
Question 3
Interpretation
Though this question is scenario-based, there is very little detail about the organisation
and therefore we have to express our answer in very general terms. Note the comment
about not considering specific factors to be audited. This question is concerned with
the planning and organisational arrangement issues that must be considered when
establishing an audit system.
Plan
Resources. Schedule.
Senior management support. Personnel.
Scope. Training.
Audit system. Feedback process.
Software. Launch.
Suggested Answer
The organisational and planning issues that would have to be addressed would include:
Correctly identifying and then gaining the resources required (money, time and
personnel) through careful planning and analysis.
Gaining the support of directors and senior managers so that:
–– Those resources are made available.
–– Access is authorised to all of the necessary information and personnel across the
organisation.
–– Access to the senior managers themselves during the audit process is agreed.
The scope of the auditing to be carried out must be decided upon; will the audit
stick to health and safety issues, or range across other areas as well? And which parts
of the organisation are to be audited? These will be particularly important questions
to answer with regards geographic locations to be audited and consequently the
legal standards that will apply.
The type of auditing will also need to be decided upon. Will a proprietary system
be purchased, or will one be developed from scratch internally, or a combination of
the two? The manager will have to decide on whether to use a scored audit system
or one more reliant on narrative judgments. A software system may need to be
purchased to run the audit system, and again, decisions will have to be taken as to
the type of software and resource requirements.
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An audit schedule will have to be designed, taking into account the resources made
available for conducting audits, the size of the organisation and the frequency
required. The frequency of auditing may have to vary from one part of the
organisation to another, depending on the risk level presented by the different parts
of the organisation.
Some thought will have to be given to the personnel who will carry out the audits.
Their time will have to be secured as well as their personal commitment to the
process. Training and ongoing support will have to be made available and this may
have to be supplemented with background knowledge building as well. This will, of
course, require the co-operation of their managers.
The methods used to provide feedback on audit findings, the type of feedback given,
the methods used for resolving disagreement with feedback and the review process
will all have to be considered and finalised.
Consideration must be given to how the audit programme will be launched. This
might involve clear communication of the programme, its aims, methods and
processes through various media. A test pilot may have to be carried out to ensure
the efficient working of the system and the acceptability of the scheme to others.
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Internal Information
Relevant to risk assessments.
Limited in quantity.
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Semi-Quantitative
A semi-quantitative risk assessment involves the systematic identification and analysis
of hazards from a specified activity, and their representation by means of both qualitative
and quantitative descriptions of the frequency and extent of their consequences, to
people or the environment.
Semi-quantitative risk assessments may also use a simple matrix to combine estimates of
likelihood and consequence in order to place risks in rank order.
Quantitative
These assessments are sometimes referred to as Quantified Risk Assessment (QRA) or
Probabilistic Risk Analysis (PRA).
A quantitative risk assessment is the application of methodology to produce a
numerical representation of the frequency and extent of a specified level of exposure
or harm, to specified people or the environment, from a specified activity. It is used to
calculate probabilities or frequencies of specific event scenarios.
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Acceptability/Tolerability of Risk
Risks may be classified into three categories:
Acceptable - no further action required; risks insignificant or trivial and adequately
controlled. They are of inherently low risk or can be readily controlled to a low level.
Unacceptable - certain risks that cannot be justified (except in extraordinary
circumstances) despite any benefits they might bring.
Tolerable - risks that fall between the acceptable and unacceptable. Tolerability
does not mean acceptable but means that society is prepared to endure such risks
because of the benefits they give and because further risk reduction is grossly out of
proportion in terms of time, cost, etc.
Increasing individual risk and societal concerns
Unacceptable
Tolerable
ALARP region
Acceptable
Tolerability of risk
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There is a range of failure tracing methods that are based on treating the fault, failure or
events systemically, including:
Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOPS).
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA).
Fault Tree Analysis (FTA).
Event Tree Analysis (ETA).
Parallel system
A B
Series system
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Mixed systems:
Mixed system
The basic principle is to break down the overall system into component series and
parallel systems and treat each separately.
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Exam-Style Questions
Short Question
1. Outline the range of internal and external information sources that may be useful
in the identification of hazards and the assessment of risk. For each source, indicate
the type of information available and how it contributes to hazard identification or
risk assessment. (10)
Long Question
2. A complex manufacturing site situated close to a housing estate includes a storage
vessel containing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It has been calculated that a
major release of the LPG in the vessel could occur once every one hundred years
(frequency = 0.01/year). This LPG release, in combination with the presence of
an ignition source (probability, p = 0.1), would lead to a vapour cloud explosion
on the industrial site. However, if the wind is blowing from the prevailing direction
(p= 0.6) and the wind is slow and stable (p = 0.5), the LPG vapour cloud would
drift over the housing estate where it might be ignited (p = 0.9).
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3. (a) Outline the potential uses and limitations of Fault Tree Analysis (FTA). (4)
(b) A power press operator has to reach between the tools of a hydraulic power
press between each operational stroke of the machine. It is possible that in
event of a machine fault the operator could be at risk of a crushing injury to
their hand. This crushing injury could be caused due to the press tool falling
by gravity (fault a). Alternatively, it could be caused by an unplanned powered
stroke of the press (fault b). The anticipated frequencies of the underlying
failures that would lead to either of these faults (a or b) are given below:
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Model Answers
Short Questions
Question 1
Interpretation
There is a lot of structure in this question, even though it is not broken down into
specific parts. The question clearly asks us to outline internal and external information
sources. I think a 50:50 split between the two sources is sensible here (though this is not
clearly indicated). The question also asks for a range - this indicates that we must take
a step back and take in the wide view; focus too narrowly on one set of sources and you
will miss marks. For each source of information we are clearly told to indicate the type
of information available and how it is useful, and everything relates to risk assessment.
Plan
External:
–– Relevant governmental agencies (OSHA/UK HSE).
–– European Safety Agency.
–– ILO.
–– WHO.
–– Professional and trade bodies.
Internal:
–– Accident investigation reports, etc.
–– Inspection reports.
–– Audit results.
–– Maintenance logs.
Suggested Answer
External information sources that might prove useful during the risk assessment process
would include:
National governmental enforcement agencies such as the UK’s HSE, USA’s OSHA,
Western Australia’s Worksafe. These all produce legal and best practice guidance and
statistics.
International bodies such as the European Safety Agency; the International Labour
Organisation; the World Health Organisation.
There are various professional bodies that have an interest in occupational safety and
health and these bodies often issue guidance that can help in hazard identification
and risk assessment. In many instances specific advice can be obtained relevant to a
specific issue.
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This guidance can often be augmented by further guidance available from trade
bodies and trade unions - these organisations can often give excellent practical
guidance based on their close working knowledge of the practical issues arising.
They are in a good position to indicate exactly what the principal hazards associated
with their kind of work are, and the consequent risks.
Finally, information can be obtained from manufacturers or suppliers which can
indicate the extent of a hazard and the relevant control options that might be
necessary. For example, safety data sheets from chemical suppliers provide essential
information on the chemical nature of a hazardous substance and necessary controls.
Similarly, the noise and vibration magnitude data from a machinery supplier can
give an insight into the potential noise or vibration exposure and the subsequent
exposure controls necessary.
Internal information sources might include:
Accident and near-miss reports and investigation reports. These are useful because
they will clearly identify hazards that either have or had the potential to cause injury.
They may also be useful during the risk assessment process because they help in the
evaluation of likelihood and severity of injury, and hence the degree of risk.
Inspection reports may be useful in identifying the easily observed hazardous
conditions in the workplace and also the common types of control failure. This
process not only helps the hazard identification process, but also influences risk
assessment; the effectiveness of various control options can be better estimated
based on current controls.
Audit reports may also be useful in a similar way by identifying hazards that have
been overlooked and the effectiveness of existing controls.
Maintenance logs may be useful in determining the effectiveness or otherwise of
particular controls in the workplace, such as automatic warning systems, guards and
PPE.
Long Questions
Question 2
Interpretation
This looks like a very intimidating question, but once you get into it, it’s not as bad as it
looks (honestly!). It’s a three-part question, so a three-part answer is required. Note the
marks for each part. Part (a) is the bit with the maths. This requires you to have a clear
vision of what event tree analysis is; start with the initiating event and deal with possible
consequences - use a simple binary decision-making logic diagram. Part (a) clearly
indicates that two calculations are required. Workings out must be shown for each. Part
(b) asks you to comment on the results. It is worth stating the obvious here. Part (c)
is concerned with a hierarchy of control options and is not concerned with the specific
technical control necessitated by bulk storage of LPG (a Unit IC topic).
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Plan
I wouldn’t plan the answer here because the plan would need to be so well developed
you might as well just draw up the full answer, and part (b) can’t be answered until you
know the outcome of part (a).
Suggested Answer
(a) The event tree should look something like this:
(Remember that the probabilities on each yes/no branch point must add up to 1,
so having been given the probability of there being an ignition source on site as
0.1, the probability of there NOT being an on-site ignition source (and therefore
no on-site explosion) must be 1 - 0.1 = 0.9. This is a vital step to remember when
calculating the probability of an off-site explosion because the question itself does
not give you this vital number - you have to work it out for yourself.)
An explosion will only occur on site if the release encounters the on-site ignition
source. The frequency of such an occurrence on-site is 0.01 x 0.1 = 0.001/yr, which
is once every 1,000 years (i.e. 1/0.001).
An off-site ignition will only occur if: the vapour isn’t ignited on site AND the wind
is in a certain direction AND the wind speed is < 8 m/s AND the vapour finds an
ignition source in the housing estate. Thus, the expected frequency of off-site
explosion is 0.01/yr x 0.9 x 0.6 x 0.5 x 0.9 = 0.00243 per year. This result can be
alternatively expressed as approximately once in about 411 years (obtained by
taking the reciprocal of the previous figure, i.e. 1/0.00243).
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(b) The results show that the risk to members of the public is greater than the risk to
employees on site. Figures allow comparison with benchmark data, e.g. the UK HSE
proposes an individual risk of death from workplace activities as one in a million per
annum. Here the greater risk to members of the public is clearly unacceptable and
given the fact that an explosion would be likely to cause multiple fatalities, both of
these expected frequencies would appear unacceptable.
(c) A standard hierarchical approach - elimination, substitution or minimisation
of quantity/use of LPG, reduce probability of release (protective systems,
maintenance, operation, ignition sources, emergency procedures, siting of tanks) -
will contribute to minimising the risk in this situation.
Question 3
Interpretation
This is another of those rather scary-looking questions that looks worse than it really
is. Note that there are four parts to the question and so you need four separate parts
to your answer. Part (a) is very straightforward. Part (b) (i) has the maths, but as long as
you have a clear idea of what FTA is about it should be OK. Remember to always show
your workings. Part (ii) is a continuation of part (i) and if your part (i) answer is wrong
then part (ii) can be difficult. Part (iii) is similarly linked to part (i), so a mistake in (i)
might mislead you. Note that a detailed technical understanding of power presses is not
required here; the question is about the practical application of FTA.
Plan
This is another question where a plan would be so detailed that you might as well just
get on with the answer.
Suggested Answer
(a) FTA is used for analysis of events which may have multiple causes. The probability/
frequency of the “top event” can be quantified provided there is sufficient data on
the probabilities/frequencies of the underlying events. It also helps identify critical
stages where intervention might be most effective (to reduce the probability of
the top event occurring). However, complex events require skill to work out and
of course the top event probability calculation is only as good as the data which is
input into the calculation.
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Powered Gravity
stroke fall
f = 0.05 + 0.2 + 0.1
f = 0.05 + 0.1
= 0.35/yr
= 0.15/yr
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Insurance
Advantages of insurance are that the:
Loss will be dealt with smoothly.
Insurer can get hold of the funds quickly.
Insurer can provide advice.
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Risk Sharing
Involves financing risks that are manageable and transferring those that are not.
Methods include:
–– A deductible portion of excess.
–– Re-insurance.
–– Co-insurance
Risk Retention
With knowledge - no further action planned to deal with it:
–– There aren’t any control options available.
–– The only options are unacceptable or can’t be implemented yet.
Without knowledge - ineffective risk assessment system.
Risk Transfer
Most commonly by insurance.
Tends to be used in conjunction with other risk management options.
Risk Reduction
Apply control measures, according to the hierarchy of risk control.
Most common way to manage risks.
Decreases the likelihood and/or severity of undesired consequences through
preventative measures and/or contingency plans.
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Medium Fund
Low No action
Relationship between probability and severity
Evaluating Risks
–– Evaluating the risks that cannot be avoided.
–– The level of risk is compared against agreed risk criteria to decide on the most
appropriate risk control options.
Combating Risks at Source
Control the risk as close to the point of generation as possible to prevent its escape
into the workplace.
Adapting Work
–– Adapting the work to the individual.
–– Consider ergonomic principles and design the work to suit the person.
Adapting to Technical Progress
Many risks disappear from the workplace as better processes and methods are
introduced.
Replacing
The dangerous with the non-dangerous or the less dangerous.
Developing Policy
–– Developing a coherent overall prevention policy.
–– Requires the employer to look at all aspects of the health and safety
management system rather than simply concentrating on basic workplace
precautions.
Prioritising Measures
Giving collective protective measures priority over individual protective measures.
Giving Appropriate Instructions
To employees.
Cost.
Proportionality.
Effectiveness of control.
Legal requirements and associated standards.
Competence of personnel.
Relevant training needs.
Permit-to-Work Systems
A permit-to-work is a formal written document of authority to undertake a specific
procedure and is designed to protect personnel working in hazardous areas of activities.
Essential Features
Permits should:
Define the work to be done.
Say how to make the work area safe.
Identify any remaining hazards and the precautions to be taken.
General Application
Electrical equipment and supplies.
Machinery.
Overhead travelling cranes.
Chemical plant.
Radiation hazards.
Confined spaces.
Exam-Style Questions
Short Questions
2. Production line workers in a textile plant are required to use knives routinely as part
of their work. Outline the factors to be considered when developing a system of
work designed to minimise the risk to these workers. (10)
Long Question
3. An investigation of a serious accident has concluded that maintenance operations
in a particular area of a factory should have been subject to a permit-to-work
system. Identify and explain the main factors that should be considered when
setting up such a system. (20)
Model Answers
Short Questions
Question 1
Interpretation
This question has a clear structure, so your answer should follow suit. Note that you are
asked for an example in each case; failure to provide one would imply that full marks
cannot be awarded even if your explanation is full.
Plan
Avoidance - don’t do it, e.g. get someone else to do it for you.
Reduction - control the risk; hierarchy, e.g. substitute chemical.
Transfer - insure the risk, e.g. liability insurance.
Retention - with or without knowledge.
Suggested Answer
(a) Risk avoidance: actively avoiding or eliminating the risk. This might be done by, for
example, discontinuing or avoiding a risky process or activity or by eliminating a
hazardous material. Closing down a butchery operation within a food factory (with
the hazards associated with that operation) and buying in ready-prepared meat
from a supplier is an example of risk avoidance.
(b) Risk reduction: reducing the level of residual risk. This might be done, for example,
by adopting a hierarchy of measures to control the risk, such as removing one
hazardous agent and introducing another less hazardous agent in its place, or
adopting an engineering control by guarding a piece of machinery, or adopting a
safe person strategy by training workers so that they are aware of a hazard and can
behave accordingly.
(c) Risk transfer: transfer of risk to a third party. This is often done by insurance. If
the risk is realised and a loss occurs then the insurance policy will pay for the loss,
so the financial risk has been transferred from the workplace on to the insurer (at
a cost). Alternatively risk might be transferred to a contractor. Here, a separate
organisation is retained to undertake an activity that the workplace does not want
to carry out directly. However, because of the complexity of health and safety (and
contract) law, it must be remembered that liability for losses may be laid at the
door of the workplace and not just the contractor.
(d) Risk retention: accepting a residual level of risk within the company. This is often
done with the knowledge of the workplace (i.e. knowingly) where the risk is
small and the costs of reducing the risk seem disproportionate to any benefit. If
a loss occurs, then the organisation will have to cover that loss from revenues.
Sometimes a risk may be retained without knowledge (i.e. unwittingly). This can
occur when a risk has not been recognised (and therefore goes uninsured) or when
a risk is recognised and insurance is put in place, but the insurance fails to cover
the loss. This might occur if the loss is greater than the amount of insurance cover
purchased, if there is a large excess, or if there are policy exclusions that mean the
insurer avoids payment.
Question 2
Interpretation
This question outlines a simple scenario. Implicit in the question is the fact that knives
have to be used, so elimination of knives is not an option. The question asks for factors
to consider or “things to think about” when developing the safe system of work. An
outline is required, so a brief explanation of a range of factors is necessary.
Plan
Task analysis, risk assessment, control of risk. Must consider elimination (automation,
process change), type of knife, environment (space constraints, lighting), individual
factors (age, attitude, skill), PPE, consultation with workforce, training.
Suggested Answer
The first factor to consider is the identification of the tasks requiring the use of knives
(by task analysis, for example). This might then be followed by risk assessment. The
people at risk, the hazards and various risk factors must be identified and recorded in
this risk assessment. The correct methods needed to control the risk must be designed
and implemented. During the risk assessment process the potential for risk elimination
by automation or process change should be considered (though it must be expected
that use of knives will remain). Consideration must be given to the type of knife
(safety features), safe storage of knives, safe carrying of knives and knife sharpening
arrangements. The environment must be considered (factors such as space constraints
and lighting), as must individual factors relevant to workers using knives (age, attitude,
skill). Suitable PPE must be selected and supplied. Worker training in much of the
above will be necessary.
Long Question
Question 3
Interpretation
Make sure that you have clearly identified the key words in the question. The whole
focus of the question is the set up of a permit-to-work (PTW) system. The only piece of
information of importance in the first part of the question is to pick up on the fact that
the PTW system is to address maintenance operations.
Plan
Factors to consider:
Defining what the permit system covers (tasks to be performed, legal requirements,
personnel responsibilities).
Selection, training and competence of personnel (assessment, records, certification).
What the permit itself prescribes (validity conditions, emergency procedures, the
tasks, hand-back conditions).
How the work should be co-ordinated and monitored.
Suggested Answer
Maintenance operations in a factory environment may involve various high-risk
types of work, such as work on large complex items of machinery, work on pressure
systems, work on high-voltage electrical systems, work in confined spaces, work on
plant containing hazardous chemicals, work at height and work on plant at extremes
of temperature, to name but a few. Often multiple hazards will exist at the same time
and generate high and complex risk. Consequently maintenance work may often be
designated as high risk and made subject to permit-to-work (PTW) control. In these
cases, a PTW system must be carefully designed and implemented to ensure safety at all
stages of the maintenance work.
Various factors must be considered when such a system is being designed, developed
and implemented:
In the first instance the system parameters must be clearly identified so that there
is a clear understanding of what the permit system covers. The system must define
which work is covered by the permit system and which work falls outside of permit
control. This may sometimes be subject to legal requirements. For example,
confined space entry should always be made subject to permit control as a matter
of course. In other instances the use of a permit system will be dependent on
perceived risk on site (e.g. hot work). The definition of permit parameters must
also identify the key site personnel and what their specific responsibilities and
authorities actually are with regards the permit system. Personnel with responsibility
for authorising work under the permit system must be clearly identified, as must
personnel who have responsibility delegated to them in the absence of key
Transactional
Based on the assumption that people are motivated by reward and punishment and
social systems work best with a clear chain of command.
The transactional leader creates clear structures setting out what is required and the
associated rewards or punishment.
The organisation and therefore the subordinate’s manager has authority over the
subordinate, and the Transactional Leader allocates work.
The main limitation is the assumption that individuals are simply motivated by reward
and exhibit predictable behaviour.
Servant
Based on the assumption that leaders have a responsibility towards society and those
who are disadvantaged.
The aim is to serve others and help them to achieve and improve.
Key principles include personal growth, environments that empower and encourage
service, trusting relationships to encourage collaboration and the creation of
environments where people can trust each other and work together.
It can be an appropriate model for the public sector or other large caring employers.
However, it may be seen as too soft for the private sector where the needs of
shareholders, customers and market competition are more important.
Courts/Tribunals
The Organisation
Legislation
Trade Unions
Public Opinion
External influences on the organisation
Types of Organisations
Concept of the Organisation as a System
A system is a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a united
whole.
The organisation is viewed as an integrated complex of interdependent parts which
are capable of sensitive and accurate interaction among themselves and within their
environment.
Agency Workers
Businesses and self-employed people using temporary workers must provide the
same level of health and safety protection for them as they do for employees.
Providers of temporary workers and employers using them need to co-operate and
communicate clearly with each other to ensure risks to those workers are managed
effectively.
Before temporary workers start they need to be covered by risk assessments and
they need to know what measures have been taken to protect them.
Choosing a Contractor
Determine the technical and safety competence required by the contractor.
Ask the contractor to supply evidence of that competence.
Supply information regarding the job and the site, including site rules and emergency
procedures.
Ask the contractor to provide a safety method statement outlining how they will
carry out the job safely.
Checking on Performance
Are contractors working to agreed safety standards?
Have there been any incidents and were they reported?
Have there been any changes of circumstance, e.g. change of personnel?
Review
Regularly review the procedures to ensure currency and effectiveness.
Formal Consultation
The obligations under ILO Occupational Safety and Health Convention 1981 (C155),
Article 20 can be fulfilled by the appointment of:
Workers’ safety delegates (often called “safety representatives”).
Workers’ safety and health committees and/or joint safety and health committees.
Worker Representatives
The main role of representatives is to work proactively to prevent worker exposure to
occupational hazards and typical activities include:
Workplace observations and inspections.
Examination of records.
Listening to complaints.
Reading information.
Asking members represented what they think.
Informal Consultation
Discussion Groups
These consist of a group of individuals coming together to discuss issues of mutual
interest. In the workplace, groups may be formed, often from volunteers, to deal
with a number of issues both work and non-work-related.
Safety Circles
Small groups of employees who meet informally to discuss safety problems in their
immediate working environment.
Departmental Meetings
Attended by shop-floor representatives, supervisory and management staff who
meet frequently, often once a week, to discuss general matters affecting their
department.
Worker Discussions
Formal or informal discussions by groups of employees.
E-mail and Web-based Forums
–– The intranet to access and seek information.
–– E-mails to clarify and engage in two-way communication on health and safety
issues.
“An attitude to safety which pervades the whole organisation from top to bottom
and has become a norm of behaviour for every member of staff from the board of
directors down to the newest juniors.”
Group Formation
People join into groups with people with similar outlooks.
A lot of work situations involve group work or committees and discussion groups.
Group Reaction
The group tends to create rules, and arranges for division of labour.
In small groups, individuals can exert more influence.
Group Development
Groups develop ‘pecking orders’ in terms of the amount of speech and influence
permitted. Dominant individuals struggle for status and an order develops.
Group Control
A group will:
Establish standards of acceptable behaviour or group ‘norms’.
Detect deviations from this standard.
Have power to demand conformity.
Job design.
Work equipment.
The UK’s HSE publication HSG48, Reducing Error and Influencing Behaviour, associates
the following with good safety performance:
Effective communication.
Learning organisation.
Health and safety focus.
Committed resources.
Participation.
Management visibility.
Balance of productivity and safety.
High quality training.
Job satisfaction.
Workforce composition.
Indicators of Culture
These include:
Housekeeping.
The presence of warning notices throughout the premises.
The wearing of PPE.
Quality of risk assessments.
Good or bad staff relationships.
Accident/ill-health statistics.
Statements made by employees, e.g. “My manager does not care” (negative culture).
Some of these indicators can be easily noticed by a visitor and help to create an initial
impression of the company.
Climate - subjective assessment of the way people within the organisation perceive
its structures, roles, rules and authority.
If managers are not seen at the “sharp end of activity” then they are not interested
in the job or health and safety.
Strong Leadership
Managers at all levels need to demonstrate strong leadership and not give inconsistent
or mixed messages.
Indirect
This brings about change but is not necessarily the primary reason for carrying out
the action, e.g. risk assessments and training.
Importance of Feedback
Crucial, to ensure that any changes implemented are working successfully.
Exam-Style Questions
Short Questions
1. (a) Explain briefly what is meant by the ‘health and safety culture’ of an
organisation. (2)
(b) Outline, using practical examples, the barriers to the development of a
positive health and safety culture within an organisation. (8)
2. (a) Explain the reasons why an organisation should establish mechanisms for
effective consultation with employees on health and safety matters. (4)
(b) Outline a range of both formal and informal consultation mechanisms that
could contribute to effective worker consultation. (6)
3. The senior management of an organisation wishes to introduce a number of new,
safer working procedures but has met with resistance from the workforce.
Outline the steps that managers could take to gain the support and commitment
of staff when introducing the changes. (10)
Long Questions
Model Answers
Short Questions
Question 1
Interpretation
Part (a) is asking for a straightforward explanation of the phrase ‘health and safety
culture’. Note that only 2 marks are available here. Part (b) is asking for an outline of a
range of reasons why it might be difficult to improve the culture. Note that you must
give practical examples to illustrate your answer.
Plan
Beliefs, values, behaviour. Positive or negative.
Reorganisation, lack of confidence, poor leadership, no resources, no commitment,
poor communication.
Suggested Answer
(a) The health and safety culture of an organisation is the system of shared values
and beliefs about the importance of health and safety in that workplace. The
culture is how workers at all levels within the organisation think and feel about
health and safety, and about how this translates into their behaviour. The culture
may be positive or negative and will pervade the whole organisation from top to
bottom.
(b) There are many possible barriers to the development of a positive health and
safety culture within an organisation. These are not dissimilar to the factors that
promote a negative health and safety culture and include the following:
Company reorganisations - change is unsettling for all people in an
organisation and during times of change people may lose their belief in the
company and its aims and means. For example, a company downsizing and
making workers redundant will struggle to secure worker commitment to
a health and safety policy that states that “people are our most valuable
asset”.
Lack of confidence in management - if workers do not trust management
to make sound decisions about the direction of the organisation and
the methods used, then they will not engage in initiatives started by
management.
Plan
(a) Reasons:
Ownership of safety measures by employees.
Improved perception of value of H&S.
Use of employee knowledge.
Encourage ideas from employees.
(b) Arrangements:
Safety committees.
Consultation with safety representatives.
Consultation at departmental meetings.
Informal consultation by leaders with employees.
Consultation during accident investigation or risk assessment.
Tool box talks.
Discussion at safety circles.
Staff appraisals.
Questionnaires/suggestion schemes.
Suggested Answer
(a) Reasons:
Effective consultation arrangements with employees can result in a number of
benefits relating to health and safety matters in the workplace. These include the
development of ownership of safety measures by employees and an improved
perception of the value and importance of health and safety. There is also the
opportunity for the input of employee knowledge to ensure more workable
improvements and solutions to health and safety problems. Finally, effective
consultation encourages the submission of improvement ideas by employees.
(b) A key formal consultation arrangement is the establishing of a health and
safety committee. Another essential arrangement is consultation with safety
representatives. These may be trade-union-appointed representatives or elected
representatives. Planned direct consultation can take place at departmental
meetings or team briefings. Less formal consultation can also take place during
risk assessments or accident investigations.
Other informal consultation arrangements include day-to-day meetings with
leaders and employees, tool box talks, safety circles or improvement groups, staff
appraisals and questionnaires or suggestion schemes.
Question 3
Interpretation
This question presents a simple case study that can be answered, in the main, from your
own experience. How would you overcome resistance to change to safer work methods?
Find out why, consult, explain, involve, train, review.
Plan
Reasons for resistance.
Consult with workforce (formal/informal).
Step-by-step approach.
Clear explanation to the workforce.
Involve workforce in proposals.
Demonstrate benefits of change.
Training incentives.
Senior management commitment.
Review.
Suggested Answer
The first step to gain support and commitment from the staff should be to find out
what the reasons for resistance are. Might there be fear of redundancy, de-skilling or
simply a general dislike of any type of change? The most important requirement is to
effectively consult with the workforce. This could be through formal means; such as the
safety committee, or more informally; through day-to-day meetings with leaders and
employees, tool box talks, safety circles or improvement groups. A steady, step-by-step
approach with trials and pilots of the proposed changes will ease the introduction, as will
clear explanations of any proposed changes and the reasons for those changes. It will be
important to actively involve the workforce in the proposals, take on board suggestions
and offer training in the new methods. It will also be valuable to demonstrate the
benefits of change, such as improved accident rates and production rates. A final part of
the process should be continuing demonstration of senior management commitment
and regular review of the changes to learn from any mistakes.
Long Questions
Question 4
Interpretation
This is another organisational change question, similar to short Question 3, but we are
given more details about the scenario which need to be included in the answer. So, we
need to think about how reducing costs, increasing productivity, reducing the workforce,
increasing responsibilities, automating processes and outsourcing maintenance tasks will
impact on health and safety and how these changes should be managed. Consequently,
consultation, staff involvement, communication, risk assessment, training and
monitoring of standards will be essential elements of the proposed strategy.
Plan
Clear policy.
Allocation of senior management responsibilities.
Set performance measures.
Amend plans where safety is compromised.
Consultation at all levels.
Involve employees.
Communicate.
New risk assessments with employee involvement.
Map job skills.
Assess training needs.
Capture/replace lost process knowledge/experience.
Procedures to manage risks in outsourced tasks.
Mitigate employee anxiety (communication/job replacement/redundancy).
Allocate time and resources.
Monitor safety performance.
Review change process and safety implications.
Suggested Answer
The strategy should commence with the organisation making a definite statement
of safety objectives as part of the change process so that the policy regarding health
and safety during the change is well understood. It should be clear that plans will be
amended if it is identified that the change process is adversely affecting health and
safety.
There should be senior managers identified with clear responsibilities for managing
safety during the change and performance measures identified and set, against which the
impact of the change can be measured. To maintain the health and safety culture there
should be regular consultation at all levels in the organisation and employees and their
representatives should be involved in working groups dealing with the change. In this
way the organisation can utilise employee experience and also encourage ownership of
the change process.
In addition, there should be regular communication of plans and progress. The planned
change will render current risk assessments invalid and therefore a programme of risk
assessment revision will need to be undertaken with full involvement of employees. The
new roles will require mapping of job skills and experience and also an assessment of
training needs.
Because the proposed change will result in a much smaller workforce, this will lead to
loss of informal knowledge and process experience which will need to be identified and
preserved before employees are made redundant.
The move to outsourcing will lead to increased use of third parties and contractors,
and therefore these new risks will need to be managed, and also consideration given to
contractor competence.
The proposed changes will be stressful for the workforce and therefore steps need to
be taken to mitigate employee anxiety by regular and honest communication, help with
job replacement and an open approach to redundancy. It will also be important not to
rush through the changes and to allow adequate time and resources for training and
implementation of the new structure.
Finally safety performance should be monitored during and after the change and there
should also be regular review of the process and its safety implications.
Question 5
Interpretation
This question fits right into the third party control section of Element IA7. The first part
is straightforward - how do you assess the suitability of a contractor? Note an outline is
required, not just a list of key words. Note the marks.
Part two is concerned with organisational factors, i.e. the management of the work. It is
not concerned with the practicalities of doing the work.
Plan
Experience, references, policy, competence, history, trade member, tests, risk
assessments and method statements.
Work schedules, inductions, security, accident reporting, accessibility/restrictions
(including emergencies), emergency procedures, hazards, waste, information.
.
Suggested Answer
(a) The criteria to be considered when selecting a competent building contractor are
fairly straightforward and would include:
Previous experience with this type of work.
Reputation with previous/current clients (obtained by taking up references).
Content and quality of health and safety policy document and risk
assessments.
Level of training and competence of staff.
Accident and enforcement history (accident statistics going back over 3-5
years; enforcement notices and prosecutions).
Membership of relevant professional bodies.
Equipment and statutory examination records.
Examples of risk assessment and method statements for work carried out.
(b) The organisational measures that may need to be considered to ensure safety of
office staff during the work:
Clear agreement on work schedules and timescales that are then clearly
communicated to all contractors and the office staff.
Induction issues for contractors - so that they understand the implications of
their work for office staff.
Security procedures such as signing in/out.
Accident reporting procedures - so that in the event of an incident involving
office staff, the project manager is informed immediately.
Clear communication and co-ordination on the means of escape that have to
be maintained to ensure office worker safety as the project progresses.
Procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency.
Information on hazards in the building (e.g. utilities and asbestos location/
presence) that not only present a hazard to contractors, but also present a
hazard (if disturbed) to office workers.
Arrangements for delivery and storage of materials - so as not to interfere
with office worker access and egress or emergency escape routes.
Removal of waste that may pose a hazard to office workers.
Information on parts of the building where access might be temporarily
restricted.
Question 6
Interpretation
The first part of this question is concerned with how health and safety culture might
be assessed. Two important words appear in the question; indicators and measures.
How might an external assessor discover and qualify an organisation’s health and
safety culture? Part two of the question is concerned with organisational factors, i.e.
characteristics of the organisation that might influence success.
Plan
Suggested Answer
(a) The indicators and measures that could be used to assess the health and safety
culture of an organisation would include:
Attitudes towards health and safety by workers/managers and the
acceptance of health and safety responsibilities. This might be assessed by
questionnaire or interview.
The extent of communication on health and safety within the organisation.
This might be assessed by viewing all of the various forms of communication
that are apparent.
The integration of health and safety into other management functions (e.g.
purchasing). This might be assessed by reference to policy and procedure
documentation and by interview.
The influence of health and safety on management decision-making. This
might be assessed by reviewing management meeting minutes and by
interview.
The effectiveness and composition of the safety committee. This could be
assessed by viewing meeting minutes and by interview.
The status of the Safety Adviser. This could be assessed by examining the
position of the safety adviser within the organisation and by reference to
salary.
The relationship with the enforcement agencies.
The quality of the health and safety policy and its effectiveness. This might be
assessed by reading policy documentation and by audit.
Self-Actualisation
Esteem
Task
needs Social
Safety or
Security
Biological
If the earlier needs are not satisfied, the person may never get round to doing much
about the later ones.
Not all individuals achieve self-actualisation; many have unsatisfied needs and therefore
their achievements are merely compensations, and they are left frustrated and unhappy
Vroom (Expectancy Theory)
Vroom defined motivation as a process whereby the individual makes choices
between alternative forms of voluntary activities.
Employee effort leads to performance and performance leads to rewards.
The choices made by the individual are based on estimates of how well the expected
results of a given behaviour will lead to the desired results.
Motivation is based on three factors:
–– The expectancy that effort will lead to the intended performance.
–– The instrumentality of this performance in achieving a particular result.
–– The desirability of the result to the individual (valence).
If employees are going to be motivated then all three factors must be positive.
If any are not achieved, employees will not be motivated.
Blanchard
The key psychological needs of an individual are autonomy, relatedness, and
competence. If these are satisfied in a workplace employees will become highly
motivated and more engaged.
The Blanchard model identifies a spectrum with six Motivational Outlooks:
Disinterested – the person finds no value in the project or task and considers it a
waste of time.
External – the project or task only provides the person with an opportunity for
more money or other external gain.
Imposed – the person participates in the project or task only because they feel
pressured to do so.
Aligned – the person links participation to a significant value such as learning from
others or having others learn from them.
Integrated – the person participates in the project or task because they can link it to
a life or work purpose important to them.
Inherent – the person enjoys the activity and wants to participate.
Optimal motivation theory can help managers understand how individuals are motivated
and consequently how a leader’s role might activate such motivation in the workplace.
Perception of Risk
Human Sensory Receptors
Sight.
Hearing.
Taste.
Smell.
Touch.
Perception
Perception of Danger
Factors involved are:
Signals from the sensory receptors.
Expected information from the memory.
These two signals combine to give us a ‘picture’ of the situation of hazard, which is then
processed by the brain. The decision is then to take, or not to take, action.
Perceptual Set
Sometimes called a ‘mindset’; we perceive not only the problem, but also the answer
and set about solving the problem as we have perceived it.
Further evidence may become available which shows that our original perception
was faulty, but we fail to see alternative causes and solutions.
Perceptual Distortion
The perception of hazard is distorted (possibly due to work rates, physical effort, bonus
payments).
Errors in Perception Caused by Physical Stressors
Influences may be fatigue, overwork, overtime, stresses from the workplace, and stresses
from home and outside activities.
Cognitive Processing
On-line processing - decisions which have to be made as a work process is in
operation.
Off-line processing - decisions which can be made after consideration of a number
of alternatives.
Selection of Individuals
Matching Skill and Aptitudes
Competency-based interviewing - often used to try to identify whether the skills, talents
and abilities of the candidate match the requirements of the job.
Training and Competence Assessment
To get only those workers who will conform to safety standards.
On-the-Job Training
Provides trainees with experience which is a combination of work-based knowledge
and the development of skills.
Off-the-Job Training
–– Lectures.
–– Seminars.
–– Programmed instruction.
Fitness for Work
Some jobs, often called ‘safety critical’, involve activities that require a person’s
full, unimpaired control of their physical and mental capabilities, e.g. tower crane
operator.
Health Surveillance
Health surveillance involves implementing systematic, regular and appropriate
procedures to detect early signs of work-related ill health among employees exposed to
certain health risks, and then taking appropriate action. Examples include hearing tests,
lung function tests and blood tests for substances such as lead.
Organisational Factors
Effect of Weaknesses in the Safety Management System on the
Probability of Human Failure
Inadequacies in Policy
–– Inefficient co-ordination of responsibilities.
–– Poor management of health and safety.
Setting of Standards
Failing to set standards may lead to inconsistencies in performance and behaviour.
Information
Should be accurate and timely.
Planning
A failure to plan will cause failings in all aspects of the safety management system,
e.g. inadequate or absent risk assessments.
Responsibilities
Everyone involved must understand what their role is and how this integrates into
the system.
Monitoring
A failure to monitor will mean that an organisation will not know whether it is
achieving minimum standards.
Informal Groups
Within any organisation there is a ‘grapevine’. This is usually very effective in
communicating gossip and information. Since the source is difficult to trace, the
information might not be totally reliable. So superimposed on the formal organisational
structure is an informal structure of communication links and functional working groups.
These cross all the barriers of management status and can be based on:
Family relationships.
Out-of-work activities.
Experience or expertise.
Horizontal communication.
Inward and outward communication.
Job Factors
Effects of Job Factors on Probability of Human Error
Task Complexity
Can have a significant effect on the propensity for human error; tasks involving complex
calculations, decisions or diagnoses present more opportunity for such error and should
be broken down into simpler units to give greater clarity.
ENVIRONMENT
Fumes/Gases Heat/Cold Glare/Darkness Vibration Noise
MAN
MACHINE
Display Bells Switches
Dials Buzzers Knobs
Counters Hooters Levers
Gauges Lights Pedals
Ergonomic ‘fit’
Aircraft Cockpit
Interface easily with all the controls.
Controls/displays fitted in a logical way.
Safety-critical switches cannot be inadvertently operated.
Emergency controls clearly identifiable, easy to use and situated in a suitable
location.
Pilot must be able to adjust position to obtain the best field of vision.
CNC Lathe
Operator can access the key pad or keyboard easily and use keys comfortably.
Operator can adjust operating position.
Stress can affect performance and an individual’s ability to make decisions and work
effectively.
Exam-Style Questions
Short Questions
Long Questions
4. Describe what is meant by ‘skill-based’, ‘rule-based’ and ‘knowledge-based’
behaviour and explain how each of these operating levels can give rise to human
error and how, in each case, such error may be prevented. Illustrate your answer
with reference to practical examples and actual incidents. (20)
5. In relation to human error:
(a) Distinguish between routine, situational and exceptional violations. (6)
(b) Outline, with appropriate reference to actual major incidents, the factors
that might promote routine violations at work. (14)
6. Outline the design features of both controls and displays on the control panel of
complex process machinery that could reduce the likelihood of operator error.
(20)
Model Answers
Short Questions
Question 1
Interpretation
This is a relatively straightforward question. Perception is obviously a key word since it is
the whole focus of the question and has even been defined in the question. Note you
are asked for a range of factors; focus too narrowly on one or two ideas and you will miss
the bigger picture.
Plan
Fatigue, drugs and alcohol, training, experience, aptitude, IQ, environment, sensory
impairment.
Suggested Answer
The range of factors that might affect how people perceive hazards in the workplace
are mostly factors associated with the person themselves. These personal factors would
include issues such as:
The effects of fatigue. A tired person is less likely to take note of sensory
information that an alert person would detect early.
Drugs and alcohol. These have an obvious effect on mental processes and, in some
instances, will be psycho-active and therefore directly interfere with the processing
of sensory information.
Education and training. A trained person will know the meaning of various sensory
inputs, will recognise their importance and act accordingly. An untrained, poorly
educated person may not make the same associations between sensory input and
hazards.
Experience. Inexperienced workers often fail to recognise hazards for what they
are and underestimate the risk associated with hazards precisely because they lack
experience. More experienced workers do not fall into the same trap.
Aptitude. Some individuals will have an innate ability to respond to sensory stimuli
in an appropriate manner.
IQ. A worker with low IQ may struggle to correctly perceive the level of risk
associated with a particular hazard, particularly if the hazard is not visible in nature.
A person with high IQ may be better able to interpret sensory information and
translate that into hazard awareness.
Environmental factors may interfere with a worker’s ability to perceive hazards in the
workplace. Factors such as low light levels, dust, noise and extremes of temperature
can have an effect on hazard perception. This is not only due to direct interference
with the senses themselves, but also to the psychological influence of environmental
extremes.
Question 2
Interpretation
This question is concerned with rule breaking, and with the reasons for rule breaking
(rather than the classification of rule breaking). Though the question is not subdivided,
there are two clear parts: organisational and behavioural reasons.
Plan
Organisational - recruitment, induction itself, peer group pressure, culture.
Behavioural - age, experience, culture, IQ, attitude, sensory perception.
Suggested Answer
Organisational factors that might lead new employees to disregard instructions given
during induction training might include:
The employee selection process, whereby poor recruitment and selection processes
allow employees with poor attitude, intelligence and behaviour patterns into the
workplace.
A poor induction process that fails to engage the employees, especially if the training
provided is not applicable to actual practice in the workplace.
The absence of refresher training.
A lack of awareness on the part of experienced workers for the safety of new
starters.
Peer group pressure coming to play on new starters forcing them to disregard
instructions so as to fit in with their newly acquired peer group.
Poor levels of supervision such that inappropriate behaviour is not detected or
challenged early.
Poor safety culture (including lack of management commitment) within the
organisation, which will be perceived by new starters early on.
The behavioural factors are those that relate specifically to the character of the
employee themselves, rather than relating to the organisation in which they find
themselves working. The behavioural factors that might lead to employees disregarding
instructions given during induction training might include:
A lack of familiarity with the working environment.
Poor risk perception as a result of young age and/ or a lack of workplace experience.
Issues associated with the cultural background of the individual and consequently
the beliefs and values that they bring into the workplace.
Language issues that might arise as a result of the nationality or cultural background
of the worker, their reading ability and any learning difficulties they may suffer from.
Sensory impairments such as deafness, impaired hearing, impaired sight.
Low IQ or poor mental capabilities leading to difficulties in understanding
instructions or the true nature of hazards and risks.
Question 3
Interpretation
This question is asking for an outline of measures. Be aware that improving human
reliability means in the context of improving safety-related behaviour (reducing the risk
of human error, violations, etc.). We are not concerned with improving time keeping,
quality or any other aspect of “reliability”.
Plan
Employee selection, training (induction, refresher, etc.) and supervision; management
commitment; incentive schemes; workplace/equipment ergonomic assessments of the
workplace; improving working environment; job rotation (monotony/boredom); rest
breaks (fatigue/attention span); communication and consultation.
Suggested Answer
There are many ways of improving human reliability in the context of safety-related
behaviour. If these measures are taken, then there is less likelihood that workers will
break safety rules or will be subject to human error.
Employee selection - recruiting the right worker for the job is an important measure.
For example, a worker with a high IQ working on a monotonous job is more likely to
bend and break the rules to relieve the monotony.
Training (induction, job-specific and refresher) - in the absence of proper, effective
training, workers will not know how to behave correctly and consequently will have to
do what they see as best.
Supervision - it is vital that workers are supervised to an adequate level in the workplace
so that non-compliance and errors are detected and corrected early. This prevents bad
habits from forming and sends a clear message to the worker: rule breaking will not be
tolerated.
Demonstrable management commitment - without strong leadership workers will not
feel motivated to behave correctly.
Incentive schemes - if workers see some form of reward for good behaviour then they
are more likely to comply with rules, etc. and they are also more likely to exercise care
when performing their duties because they have a personal reason for caring about
outcomes. Incentives can be financial in nature, but may have no financial value at all
(e.g. employee of the month schemes).
Workplace/equipment ergonomic assessments of the workplace - it is important
that the environment and the equipment and workstation of employees are designed
and laid out to be as comfortable as possible and to minimise the chances of error.
Job rotation is a good way of relieving monotony and boredom and maintaining some
form of interest.
Allowing for appropriate rest breaks - workers do not become so excessively fatigued
that decision making becomes poor (also to maximise attention span).
Good workforce communication and consultation - so that workers feel engaged
in the decision-making process in the workplace and therefore feel a greater level of
commitment to work.
Long Questions
Question 4
Interpretation
This is a complex question, but is set out in a very clear way. A description of
Rasmussen’s three behaviour models is required. These must be related back to the
main types of human error outlined in HSG48. You should also include an explanation
of how these types of human error can be avoided. Examples must be included for full
marks to be awarded.
Plan
Rasmussen - skill-, rule- and knowledge-based behaviour modes.
Errors - skill-based slips and lapses; rule-based mistakes; knowledge-based mistakes.
Error prevention - skill-based: minimise fatigue and distractions, cross-checks and
supervision.
Rule-based - training, supervision, background knowledge, drills for rare events.
Knowledge-based - competence, time, oversight, access to resources.
Suggested Answer
These three levels of behaviour (skill-, rule- and knowledge-based) are based on the
work of Rasmussen and they underlie the basic types of human error described in the
HSE guidance note HSG48: Reducing Error and Influencing Behaviour.
Skill-based behaviour occurs when a person is carrying out tasks that are routine and
familiar. They may be physical tasks such as pushing a button on a control panel or
mental tasks such as adding a column of figures in the head. The person is not using
any higher-level reasoning skills in performing the tasks - they are acting automatically.
In this mode of operation, two types of human error can occur: slips and lapses. A slip
occurs when the person performs an action incorrectly. For example, an experienced
crane operator attempts to lower a load slowly, but applies too much pressure to the
control lever resulting in a sudden violent lowering of the load. A lapse occurs when a
person omits a step in a process. For example, an experienced machine operator forgets
to remove the chuck key from a grinder, resulting in the key being ejected on start-up.
These types of human error, which occur when a person is behaving in skill-based mode,
can be avoided by ensuring that people are not fatigued; this might require attention
to shift patterns and hours of work, as well as ensuring that adequate breaks are taken.
Ensuring that individuals undertake a variety of tasks may help, by avoiding complacency
and reducing repetitiveness and boredom. Minimising distractions in the workplace can
reduce the likelihood of lapses. The Paddington rail crash, involving a signal passed at
danger, was probably caused (in part) by a skill-based error on the part of the driver who
omitted to correctly recognise the danger signal. Slips and lapses can also be minimised
by introducing double-checking systems into the work routine so that others check
that certain actions have been carried out correctly. Supervision to detect errors is also
useful.
Rule-based behaviour is more complex than skill-based behaviour. Here a person
is starting to use reasoning skills with some higher-level decision making. However,
because the person is familiar with the situation (or thinks they are) they have a set of
options that they can choose from in order to help them decide on appropriate action
to take. In short, a logical approach is made to a situation along the lines of “if A, then
B”, where B is the rule to apply if situation A occurs. In this mode of operation, one type
of human error can occur: rule-based mistakes.
A rule-based mistake occurs when a person incorrectly applies a rule to a situation. For
example, a security guard attempts to evacuate a building during a bomb-threat; they
know the rule for fire is “get out and stay out” and they incorrectly apply this rule to
the bomb threat situation. The correct procedure would be to stay in the building. The
security guard has applied a general rule incorrectly to a situation.
This type of human error can be prevented by providing clear guidelines to follow for
all foreseeable eventualities, by training people in correct diagnosis of problems and
the rules to apply, and by practice of the rules so that they become well known. Good
supervision and process design can also minimise this type of error. The Kegworth air
crash was caused, in part, by rule-based mistakes on the part of the pilot (shutting down
an engine that he thought was on fire, when in fact the other engine was on fire). Rule-
based mistakes can also be minimised by good background training (education) so that
workers are more able to recognise the risks inherent with applying simplistic, rule-based
solutions to problems, and by exposing workers to rare event situations so that they
become aware of times when standard rules do not apply (e.g. conducting emergency
drills).
Knowledge-based behaviour occurs when a person or group of people are trouble-
shooting and problem-solving. It involves higher cognitive skills, reasoning and decision
making. It occurs when an unusual situation arises and the people involved have to take
action and make decisions based on their knowledge and understanding of the situation
rather than relying on a ‘rule of thumb’.
The type of human error that occurs during this mode of operation is the knowledge-
based mistake. This occurs when a person makes a mistake because they do not fully
understand the situation or the system they are working on, or they lack background
knowledge. For example, an electrician electrocutes themselves while fault finding on a
complex electrical system because they lack the competence to correctly diagnose the
problem safely.
This type of human error can be minimised by ensuring that people have the right level
of competence for their roles, i.e. training, background knowledge and understanding. It
can also be minimised by allowing people time to think a problem through and correctly
diagnose problems and solutions. If time constraints are imposed, then knowledge-
based mistakes are far more likely to occur. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster was largely
caused due to knowledge-based mistakes - operators made incorrect decisions during a
simulation exercise because they did not have the background knowledge to correctly
interpret information being fed back to them by the reactor. Competent operators
would have made different decisions. Knowledge-based mistakes can also be minimised
by ensuring that workers are overseen by competent persons and that they have access
to sources of advice, either within or external to the organisation.
Question 5
Interpretation
This question is set in two parts so must be answered in the same way. Note the marks.
Part (a) is itself broken down into three topics, so each part will be relatively short. Part
(b) requires a much more in-depth description of factors. Note that part (b) is only
concerned with the promotion of routine violations (not situational or exceptional
ones); also note the comment about reference to actual major incidents. You do not
have to base your entire answer on actual major incidents, but clearly you should refer to
several as you give your answer.
Plan
(b) Routine violations often occur due to cutting corners to save time/energy,
which is encouraged by: awkward, uncomfortable or painful working posture;
excessively awkward, tiring or slow controls or equipment; difficulty in
getting in or out of maintenance or operating position (posture); equipment
or software which seems unduly slow to respond; high noise levels which
prevent clear communication; frequent false alarms from instrumentation;
instrumentation perceived to be unreliable; procedures which are hard to
read or out of date; difficult to use or uncomfortable personal protective
equipment; unpleasant working environments (dust, fumes, extreme heat/
cold, etc.); inappropriate reward/incentive schemes; work overload/lack of
resources.
In addition, there are the following factors: perception that rules are too
restrictive/impractical/unnecessary (particularly true where there has been
lack of consultation in the drawing-up of rules); belief that the rules no longer
apply; lack of enforcement of the rules (e.g. through lack of supervision/
monitoring/management commitment - even sanctioned by management
“turning a blind eye” in order to get the job done); or new workers starting
a job where routine violations are the norm and not realising this is not the
correct way of working (may be due to culture/peer pressure or lack of
training). Examples could include Herald of Free Enterprise capsize (bow
doors left open), Piper Alpha (permit procedures).
Question 6
Interpretation
This whole question is focused on the idea of human error (or operator error), so
think slips, lapses and mistakes - not rule breaking. Note the key words - “controls
and displays”. Note that we are not given a specific panel or process, so we are free to
discuss general principles.
Plan
Controls: minimise number needed, easily operated (position), ordered logically
(follows process), require positive action - with feedback to indicate successfully
operated, stereotyping/conventions (switches up for off, down for on; knobs
clockwise for increase, etc.), position controls next to corresponding displays,
emergency controls (prominent, distinctive), etc.
Displays: visible, labelled, positioning of safety-critical displays, conventions/
stereotyping (colours on dials relating to danger and safe conditions, dials increase
the same way, etc.), analogue vs digital (appropriateness), glare avoidance.
Suggested Answer
It is important, during the design of control panels for industrial equipment, to consider
the possibility of human error. Equipment operators may be subject to human error,
they may commit skill-based errors (slips and lapses) and they may make mistakes (both
rule-based and knowledge-based). These errors might result in highly undesirable
consequences and therefore must be prevented. This can be done by careful design of
controls (those parts of the control panel that an operator has to interact with to make
changes to the operation of the equipment) and displays (those parts of the panel that
deliver information to the operator about the status of the equipment).
Desirable features of controls might include:
Minimise the number needed so as to avoid operator confusion.
Place controls in positions where they are easily operated.
Ensure that controls are ordered logically (e.g. in such a way that the operation of
the controls follows the logical order of the process being controlled).
Design controls so that they require positive action in order to be operated and
cannot be operated accidentally or knocked. For example, a hand brake of a car
cannot be released simply by pushing down on the lever.
Ensure that feedback is available to the operator to indicate successful operation of
the control.
Obey any stereotyping/conventions that might already exist for that type of control.
For example, switches up for off, down for on; knobs turn clockwise for increase, etc.
It may be possible and desirable to position controls next to corresponding displays.
For example, if a knob alters temperature it might be desirable to site the knob next
to the temperature readout.
Emergency controls should be prominent and distinctive so that they are easy to see
and activate. They might be positioned near to the operator’s position so that they
are within easy reach in the event of emergency.
Controls that have to be operated frequently might be positioned close to the
operator for ease of access, while those that are used infrequently might be
positioned further away.
Controls might be laid out in an arc around the operator so that they can all be
activated without the need to over-reach.
Controls that require force to operate should be power or servo assisted.
Controls must not be overly sensitive; minor changes to the control should not
result in excessive changes to the parameter being controlled.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Analyses the costs associated with loss events and compares them with the costs
associated with preventing or otherwise reducing the risk.
Cost-benefit graph
Problems:
Not all costs and benefits can be assigned reasonably accurate financial value.
Benefits may not be seen immediately.
Some costs and benefits are one-off, others are recurring.
Cost areas could include:
Organisational
Costs of staff, and the time involved.
Design
Engineering aspects.
Planning
Safe methods of work.
Operational
Costs of running and maintaining safety systems.
And Finally...
Hopefully, this Revision Guide has provided you with relevant practice questions as
well as some ideas for tackling them. It should also have shown that the questions are
straightforward, but that it is vital that you READ THE QUESTION and answer the
question that is written (not the one that you want it to be!).
In order to do well in the exams, it is really important to practise as many exam questions
as possible - the Examiner’s Reports for previous exams can be purchased from NEBOSH
(+44(0)116 263 4700) or online at www.nebosh.org.uk. These Examiner’s Reports do
not provide model answers, but nevertheless highlight important points that should have
been included in your answer.
Lastly, don’t panic about the exam, but do ensure that you are prepared - you want to
make sure that all your hard work will be rewarded.
Good luck!