NEBOSH INTERNATIONAL GENERAL CERTIFICATE

– UNIT IG1
Management of Health and Safety

GROUP EXERCISES

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Element 1: Why We Should Manage Workplace Health and Safety

1. Group exercise:

Why might the management of an

organisation not consider health and safety
to be a priority?

Answer:

This is taken from the study question in the

course notes:

• Ignorance of legal duties.

• Lack of care for staff welfare.

• Focus on output and profitability at

expense of worker well-being.

• Cost to the business - taking a short-

term view.

• Ignorance of true cost to the business

of worker ill health.

• Competition within the business for

access to limited funds.

• Unwillingness or lack of resources to

devote time to H&S management.

• Failure to perceive hazards in their

operations.

• Cavalier attitude to the management

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 of risks.

Any other or similar reasons, usually

associated with a narrow view of ‘business
management’, or lack of humanitarian
considerations. Answers at this stage should
be directed towards legal, moral and financial
reasons without actually declaring the next
phase of the element.

2. Group exercise:

An employee at your workplace has been

seriously injured in a workplace accident.

In groups, list the possible effects and

implications of this accident on the:

• Injured employee.

• Company.

• Line manager.

Answers:

Injured employee:

• Pain and suffering, lost time/wages,

impact on family, on-going impact on
work.

The company:

• Payment of sick pay, overtime cover

for employee, recruitment costs for

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 replacement, insurance claims,
fines/prosecutions, increased
insurance premiums.

The line manager:

• Loss of skills from team, time and cost

of retraining replacement, effect of
overtime cover on shifts.

3. End of Section 1.1 Exercise

1. What are the three main reasons for

managing health and safety?

2. What should an employer provide to

ensure health and safety:

1. Safe place of
_______________

2. Safe plant and

______________

3. Safe _______ of work

4. Training, _____ and

competency of ______

Answers:

1 - Moral, social (or legal), economic

(financial)

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 2 - Fill in the blanks:

• Safe place of work.

• Safe plant and equipment.

• Safe systems of work.

• Training, supervision and

competency of staff.

4. Group exercise:

An employee has been injured at work.

Identify potential:

• Direct costs of the accident.

• Indirect costs of the accident.

Answer:

Examples of direct costs:

• Fines in the criminal courts.

• Compensation payable to the victim,

which is likely to be met by insurance
cover and will therefore result in an
increase in insurance premiums.

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 • First-aid treatment.

• Worker sick pay.

• Repairs to, or replacement of,

damaged equipment and buildings.

• Lost or damaged product.

• Lost production time while dealing

with the injury.

• Overtime to make up for lost time.

• Costs associated with the

rehabilitation of the injured worker
and their return to work.

Examples of indirect costs:

• Loss of staff from productive duties in

order to investigate the incident,
prepare reports, undertake hospital
visits, deal with relatives, attend court
proceedings.

• Loss of staff morale (which impacts on

productivity, quality and efficiency).

• Cost of remedial action following an

investigation, e.g. change of process
or materials and/or the introduction
of further control measures.

• Compliance with any enforcement

notice served.

• Cost of recruiting and training

temporary or replacement labour.

• General difficulties in recruiting and

retaining staff as an indirect result of

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 the accident.

• Loss of goodwill of customers

following delays in production and
fulfilling orders.

• Activation of penalty clauses for

failing to meet delivery dates.

• Damage to public image and business

reputation.

• Damage to industrial relations,

perhaps leading to industrial action
(e.g. strikes).

5. Group exercise

Discuss the criminal- and civil-law

implications of the following:

• A technician escapes injury by diving

under a bench when a vessel blows
up as a result of a design defect.

• A 12-year-old boy breaks his arm

falling into a pit while playing on an
unfenced building site.

• A machine operator is blinded in one

eye by a colleague trying to help him
remove a jammed machine part using
a hammer. There is a safe way to
remove the jammed part, which does
not involve the use of a hammer, and
the area they are in is a mandatory
eye-protection zone.

• A scaffolder is electrocuted when the

pole he is carrying touches a live

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 overhead cable. The scaffolder works
for a company contracted to a roofing
company, in turn contracted to a
factory owner.

Answer:

This needs a careful approach.

Knowledge of British/European/American
law should be used, but the compensation
culture differs considerably from state to
state, particularly in developing countries,
where it may hardly exist at all.

6. End of Module 1.2 Exercise

1. What are the two main standards that

the ILO has produced for health and
safety? What do countries do with
these standards?

2. What are employers’ responsibilities

under R164?

3. What are employees’ responsibilities

under R164?

4. What action could be taken against

organisations breaking health and
safety law?

Answer:

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 This is quite tough and is a discussion point to reinforce the points covered previously.

1 - ILO has produced C155 and R164, which are then ratified by countries and implemented
in national law.

2 - Specifically, Article 10 of R164 puts the following obligations on employers:

• To provide workplaces and work equipment, and use work methods, which are safe
and no risk to health.

• To provide appropriate instructions and training.

• To provide necessary supervision.

• To put in place health and safety arrangements adapted to suit the size and nature
of the undertaking.

• To provide any necessary personal protective clothing and equipment free of charge.

• To ensure that the hours of work do not adversely affect employees’ safety and
health.

• To remove any extreme physical and mental fatigue.

• To stay up to date with knowledge in order to comply with the above.

• In this way, the responsibility is placed directly on the employer. However, it is also
recognised that individual workers have a critical part to play in keeping workplaces
safe, so workers are also given duties.

3 - Take reasonable care of their own safety and that of other people who might be affected
by the things that they do and the things that they fail to do.

• Comply with safety instructions and procedures.

• Use all safety equipment properly and not tamper with it.

• Report any situation that they believe could be a hazard and which they cannot
themselves correct.

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 • Report any work-related accident or ill health.

4 - Formal enforcement action (improvement or prohibition notices or similar).

- Prosecution of the organisation.

- Prosecution of individuals.

- Compensation through the civil courts.

7. End of Module 1.3 Exercise

1. To whom does an employer owe a

duty with regard to health and safety?

2. How can directors influence health

and safety?

3. What are the key worker

responsibilities?

4. What would you look for/check when

selecting a contractor?

Answer:

- own employees to ensure their H&S

- other workers (not employees) e.g

contractors

- visitors

- members of the public

2 - directors ensure that:- policy is in place,

resources are allocated, the right people are

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 in place with clear roles and responsibilities,
there is a senior manager with H&S
responsibility, there are competent person(s)
appointed to advise on H&S, the H&S
performance is reviewed. The directors
cascade their vision to junior managers
through targets and objectives

3 - Workers have a responsibility to take

reasonable care of their own health and
safety and the health and safety of other
people who might be affected by the things
that they do (their acts) and the things that
they fail to do (their omissions). Workers also
have a responsibility to co-operate with their
employer (for reasons of health and safety).
These duties apply when the worker is at
work.

- A copy of their health and safety

policy.

- Examples of risk assessments.

- The qualifications and training records

of staff.

- Membership of a professional
organisation or certified body.

- Records of maintenance and test for

plant and equipment.

- Names of previous or current clients.

- Accident history records.

- Records of enforcement action taken

by authorities against them.

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 - Proof of adequate resources, such as
access to specialist safety advice.

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Element 2: How Health and Safety Management Systems Work and
What They Look Like
1. End of Module 2.1 Exercise

What are the key elements of the

ILO-OSH health and safety management
system?

Answer:

Policy, Organising, Planning and Implementation, Evaluation, Action for Improvement, and
Audit. Continual improvement is also important.

2. Group Discussion Point

Why might the health and safety policy of

two organisations be different?

Why isn’t there a prescribed, ‘one size fits all’

approach to developing a policy?

Answer:

Discuss the fact that the nature of the

organisation, its structure and
‘characteristics’ will be very different. Also
ask the group to consider the nature of the
work that is undertaken and whether this is
an important factor - clearly it is, and the
hazards posed due to the operations will

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 greatly influence the policy.

Perhaps consider the needs of a large

hospital and a small window-cleaning
business as examples - which would you
expect to have the more detailed policy
documents? Is this reasonable? What would
the impact of making the same demands be
on the small company? This can lead to a
discussion of the fact that the policy should
be tailored to the needs of the organisation.

3. Group exercise

• Why is an organisation’s health and

safety policy so important?

• Why might two organisations doing

similar work have different policies?

Answer:

1 - The health and safety policy of an

organisation is an important document that
sets out the organisation’s aims with regard
to health and safety, who is responsible for
achieving these aims, and how the aims are
to be achieved. This can be expanded on
during the discussion!!

2 - It should reflect the particular

circumstances of the individual organisation:
the hazards and risks, the size and the
complexity of the organisation. The policy

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 must therefore be developed and tailored to
fit the particular organisation that it exists to
serve.

4. Group exercise

Targets may be included in the statement of

intent to show commitment to improvement.

What targets could be included? (General

examples only needed.)

Answer:

E.g. accident-rate reduction.

Reduced absence.

Active monitoring participation.

Delivery of key objectives e.g. risk

assessments, delivery of a training
programme.

5. Individual Activity

Can you think of any other specific health

and safety hazards?

Write down as many as you can think of,

which you believe should be included in the
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 Arrangements Section of a Health and Safety
Policy.

Answer:

A list of typical topics appears on the next

slide of the presentation.

Specific Risks and Problems

• Lone working.

• Noise-exposure control.

• Vibration-exposure control.

• Control of exposure to toxic materials.

• Control of crowds.

• Control of transport risks.

• Specific health surveillance

requirements.

• Waste disposal.

6. H&S Policies

How can a policy be effectively

communicated?

When should it be reviewed?

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 Answer:

Use your knowledge of the subject to discuss

answers that are suggested among the
group.

7. End of Module 2.2 Exercise

1. What are the three key parts to a

health and safety policy?

2. What type of targets might be

referenced in the policy (and where)?

Answers:

• The General Statement of Intent

outlines the importance that the
organisation places on health and
safety and the commitment that can
be expected. It sets aims and
objectives for the organisation to
achieve. It is signed by the person in
overall control of the organisation.

• The Organisation section highlights

the roles and responsibilities that
exist at all levels within the
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 organisation. It shows the lines of
responsibility and accountability.

• The Arrangements section provides

the detail on how the organisation
manages health and safety. It outlines
the general arrangements that relate
to health and safety management and
the specific arrangements that relate
to individual health and safety topics
and issues.

• The Statement of Intent may also set

targets for the organisation to
achieve. Possible targets might relate
to:

• Accident rates: to achieve a reduction

in the accident or ill-health rate.

• Active monitoring: to successfully

complete a number of active
monitoring activities, e.g. successful
completion of 90% of all supervisor
safety inspections over a year.

• Completion of key activities - such as

the completion of risk assessments
across the organisation.

• Delivery of training to all workers.

• Development of a consultation
process to engage the workforce.

• Benchmarking against other

organisations.

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Element 3: Managing Risk – Understanding People and Processes
1. Group exercise:

What factors could result in the deterioration

of an organisation’s health and safety culture
and hence safety performance?

Answer:

Use your knowledge of the subject to discuss

answers that are suggested among the
group.

2. Group exercise:

Identify a few examples of workplace

communication from the following
categories:

• Verbal communication.

• Written communication.

• Graphic communication.

What are the merits and limitations of each

method?

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 Answers:

 Policies.

 Procedures.

 Worker handbooks.

 Procedural manuals.

 Safety briefings.

 Seminars.

 Training courses.

 H&S Meetings.

 Toolbox talks.

 Memoranda.

 Emails.

 Notices, poster campaigns.

 Films.

 Signs.

3. Group exercise:

What are the merits and limitations of using

safety posters as a form of propaganda?

Answer:

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 Use your knowledge of the subject to discuss
answers that are suggested among the
group.

4. Co-operation and Consultation

What is the difference between consulting

and informing workers?

Answer:

Consulting: Two way exchange of information

and opinion between the employer and
employee.

Informing : One way flow of information to

the employee.

Answer on next slide.

5. Group exercise:

What makes an effective committee?

Answer:

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 Answers on next slide of the presentation:

Effective committees will depend on:

• Who is on the committee.

• How often the committee meets.

• Who will act as chairperson.

• What authority the committee will

have.

• What will be discussed.

• How the discussions will be recorded.

• How issues will be followed up.

6. Group exercise: FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT

OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY

You will be shown the following slide for COMBINED WITH THE
20 seconds.
EXPERIENCE OF MANY YEARS

You are asked to count the number of “Fs.”

Answer:

There are 6.

7. Group exercise:

Consider a specific hazard and discuss in

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 groups the difference between the:

• hazardous properties of the activity,

article or substance, and

• the risk of harm occurring.

Answer:

A good example is a bottle of concentrated acid.

Hazard = corrosive

Risk - depends on use:

School experiment:

1. In bottle, well labelled, child closure, locked in technicians cupboard:

• What is the hazard? corrosive

• What is the risk? risk is low

2. Decanted into an unmarked beaker for an experiment with 25 x 15-year-old

teenagers left alone while the technician returns the bottle to the store:

• What is the hazard? corrosive

• What is the risk? risk is high

It is important to note that the hazard had exactly the same properties/potential in each
scenario but because of the way it was used and the people exposed the risk changed.

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 8. Group exercise:

Sources can be:

• internal, or

• external

to the organisation.

List all the internal and external sources you

can think of and discuss them.

Answer:

Answers on next slide of the presentation.

9. Group exercise:

Discuss the benefits and limitations of PPE as

a risk control method.

Answer:

Answers on next slide of the presentation.

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 10. Group exercise:

Lawn Mowing:

Using task analysis, prepare a brief risk

assessment and suggest control measures to
reduce the risks involved with this activity.

Alternative Group Exercise:

In groups, carry out a risk assessment on

these premises:

• Use Steps 1 to 4.

• Use the risk scoring system.

Present your findings to the other groups in

20 minutes.

Answer:

Discuss the various responses to this

question given by the students.

11. Worked example / group exercise

The Steps In Changing a Wheel:

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 Step 1 - park the car in a safe location.

Step 2 - remove equipment from boot.

Step 3 - loosen wheel nuts.

Step 4 - jack up car.

Step 5 - remove wheel nuts.

Step 6 - replace wheel and wheel nuts.

Step 7 - lower car, remove jack.

Step 8 - tighten wheel nuts.

Step 9 - replace equipment in boot.

For each step:

• First identify the hazards.

• Then identify the controls.

So, Step 1 (changing wheel) might have:

• Hazards - traffic, risk of violence.

• Controls - select location off-road if possible, use hazard lights, if you feel area is
unsafe/at night or if vulnerable group, call recovery service and stay in car.

Suggest hazards and controls for each step of the worked example “changing a wheel”.

Answers:

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 Flipchart/record the responses if possible.

No doubt the students can add to this process flow - that’s fine! You may also comment
that an alternative is ‘park somewhere safe, phone the roadside assistance organisation’.

12. Group exercise

Using SREDIM, develop a simple safe system

of work for the task allocated to your group:

• Making a cup of tea.

• Making a batch of cement with a

cement-mixer.

• Painting a ceiling (emulsion).

Answer:

Here, we are looking for students to formulate a simple safe system of work by identifying
key steps in the process and implementing sensible controls. Look to see if they have a step
bringing the raw materials/equipment to the worksite, if they have identified the hazards
and implemented controls adequately.

Encourage the groups to feedback and comment on each other’s work.

You can stress that these are small, simple tasks but SREDIM would work for anything, from
making tea to making a bus. It is a technique practitioners use to break an activity down in
order to understand it, then control it.

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 13. Group exercise

What emergencies could occur other than

fire?

Answer:

Answers on next slide of the presentation.

14. Group exercise

Discuss the issues that you would need to

consider to decide the level of first-aid cover
in your workplace.

Answer:

Answers on next slide of the presentation.

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 15. Group exercise

What factors would you consider when

selecting individuals to be first aiders?

Answer:

Answers on next slide of the presentation.

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Element 4: Health and Safety Monitoring and Measuring
1. Group exercise:

In groups, list the topic headings that should

be included on an inspection checklist for use
in your workplace.

Design a rough format for the inspection

check sheet.

Answer:

Main topics on next slide of the presentation:

Typical topics in a generic inspection checklist:

• Fire safety.

• Housekeeping.

• Environment issues.

• Traffic routes.

• Chemical safety.

• Machinery safety.

• Electrical safety.

• Welfare facilities.

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 2. Group exercise:

Discuss the first thing you should do when

arriving at an accident scene and then the
later steps.

Consider what type of equipment you may

need to assist you.

Answer:

First actions:

• Make the scene safe.

• Check casualty.

• Get help.

• Consider other bystanders.

• Who will be in the team?

• Gather factual information.

• Analyse the information and draw conclusions.

• Identify suitable control measures.

• Plan the remedial actions.

Equipment:

• PPE.

• Camera.

• Measuring tape.

• Plans of area.

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 • Pens and pencils and paper.

3. Group exercise:

A worker is struck by a load being carried on

a pallet by a forklift truck.

Outline possible immediate and underlying

causes of the accident.

Answers:

Immediate Causes:

• Failure to secure the pallet.

• Poor positioning of the tuck close to the pedestrian exit.

• Aggressive braking by the driver.

• Inattentive pedestrian steps into the path of the forklift truck.

Underlying or Root Causes:

• No training for the driver.

• Lack of segregation of vehicles and pedestrians.

• Poor driver induction.

• Poor truck maintenance.

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 • No refresher training.

4. Group exercise

What sort of things are likely to hinder good

accident and near-miss reporting?

What can an organisation do to make it more

likely that incidents will be reported?

Answers:

• Unclear organisational policy.

• No reporting system in place.

• Overly complicated reporting procedures and forms.

• Excessive paperwork.

• Takes too much time.

• Blame culture.

• Apathy.

• Lack of training on policy and procedures.

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 5. Group exercise

What is the difference between an audit and

an inspection?

Answer:

Answers on next slide of the presentation.

6. Group exercise

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of

an external and an internal audit.

Answer:

Answers on the following two slides of the

presentation

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 7. Group exercise

What active and reactive measurements of

health and safety performance would need
to be reviewed annually?

Answer:

Answers on next slide of the presentation.

NB. Annual plans, targets and key

performance indicators.

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