IGC revision questions

8/10/2019 IGC revision questions

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/igc-revision-questions 1/46

Revision Session

IGC 1 Module



Question #1

Replacement & retraining of staff is a cost that

an organisation may face following a workplace

accident.

L ist EIGHT other possible costs to an

organisation when an employee has been

seriously injured in such an accident. (8)



Question #1

There were many possible responses to this question & candidates couldhave chosen from a list of possible costs that includes those associated with:

• lost production,

• staff absence & temporary replacement,

• repair of damaged plant & equipment,

• damage to products,• investigation & remedial action,

• additional administration incurred,

• an increase in insurance premiums,

• fines & damages awarded & court & other legal representation.

• Also relevant are the intangible costs arising from a loss of business image& the detrimental effect on employee morale resulting in reducedproductivity.



Question #2

Outl ine FOUR main components of the health

and safety management system described in

BS OHSAS 18001:2007 Occupational healthand safety management systems. (8)



Question #2

BS OHSAS BS 18001:2007

• OH&S Policy

• Planning

• Implementation and operation

• Checking and corrective action

• Management review



Question #2


• OH&S Policy

– Establish overall direction

– Consistent with overall business policies

• ISO 9000 and ISO 14000

• Planning

–OH&S objectives

– Documented procedures

• Identification of hazards, risks and control measures

• Identification of legal and other standards



Question #2


• Implementation and operation

– Control

– Competence

– Co-operation – Communication

• Checking and corrective action

– Active and reactive

• Management review

– Audit

– Continual improvement



Question #3

(a) Outl ine the requirements whereby employers must prepare a written statement of their health and safety policy. (2)

(b) Explain the purpose of EACH of the following

sections of a health & safety policy document:(i) “Statement of Intent”. (2)

(ii) ”Organisation”. (2)

(iii ”Arrangements”. (2)

(c) Outl ine the issues that are typically included in thearrangements section of a health & safety policydocument.

(8)



Question #3

For part (a), H&S policy is to show the commitment of the mostsenior person to health and safety and to bring this to the attention ofall stakeholders. The health and safety policy may be a legalrequirement, but is the starting point of every effective safetymanagement system

For part (b) the 2 marks available for explaining the purposes ofeach of the 3 sections of a policy document, good answers identifiedthat:

• “a statement of intent” demonstrates an organisation‟s commitmentto, & sets organisational objectives for, H&S; e.g. zero accidents

• the “organisation” section identifies the H&S responsibilities &channels of communication within the organisation; e.g. Directors,General Manager, Project Managers etc.

• & the “arrangements” section deals the practical means for achievingthe objectives laid down in the policy statement; e.g. Procedures,

Risk Assessments, Safe System of Work etc.



(c) These included:

• systems of work;

• H&S training, provision of PPE;

• specific types of hazard (e.g. machinery, hazardous substances, manualhandling, fire etc);

• control of contractors;• safety of visitors;

• accident reporting & investigation procedures;

• first-aid facilities;

• emergency procedures;

• employee consultation;• & monitoring & review procedures.

Question #3



Question #4

A company intends to use the services of an outside contractorfor office cleaning, both within and outside normal office hours.

An invitation to tender for the work has been issued.

(a) Outl ine the checks that the company should make whendeciding on the health and safety competence of contractorstendering for the work. (6)

(b) Outl ine the duties that the company will owe to thecleaners. (4)

(c) Identi fy the actions that the company should take to help

insure that the health and safety of their own and thecontractors employees are not put at risk. (10)



Checks on Contractors

• Experience of the type of

job and industry

• References

• Enforcement history

• Safety management

system / policy

• Competent Advice• Risk assessments and

method statements

• Accident record

• Trade / professional body

membership

• Employee competence

• Selection and

management of sub-

contractors

• Liaison with the client

• Monitoring and

supervision

• Insurance



(B) Duties company will owe to

cleaners – Landlord‟s duties – safe place, safe access

and egress, safe plant and equipment, safesubstances e.g. cleaning agents

– Provision of information e.g. workingtimings, hazards existing at the premises

– Induction training, explaining emergencyprocedures

– Risks to the safety of the contractor‟semployees arising from their own work andworkplace



(C) Actions the Company

should take:

Plan the job especially the sequence of

cleaning, timings (out of office hours) etc.

Establish communication channelsincluding accident reporting

Regular inspections of the contractor‟s

operation



Question #5

(a) Outl ine the key health and safetyresponsibilities of employers which are

common in many countries. (4)

(b) Outline the key health and safetyresponsibilities and rights of employees which

are common in many countries. (4)



(a) Employers

• Provision of:

– Safe workplace, work equipment and substances

• Including safe systems of work

– Safe and competent fellow employees• Including selection

• information, training, instruction and supervision (ITIS)

– Welfare facilities

– Emergency procedures

– Consultation with employees or their representatives

• Not charging employees for health and safety

measures



(b) Employees

• Co-operation with employer, to meet employer‟s

legal obligations

• Consultation with employer

• Reporting dangerous situations to employer

• Rights to receive information, instruction and

training

• Duty of care to themselves and other persons byworking safely

– Using equipment and following safe systems of work

as informed / trained.



Question #6

(a) Identi fy the factors that place young personsat greater risk of accidents at work. (4)

(b) Outl ine the measures that could be taken to

minimise the risk to young persons. (4)



Question #6

In their answers to part (a), Examiners were looking for candidates toidentify the factors such as:

• lack of perception of risk or of ability to avoid risk (because of limitedknowledge, experience &/or lack of training),

• the individual‟s stage of physical development,

• & the tendency of young persons to take risks & to respond to peer grouppressure.

For part (b), candidates were expected to outline measures such as:

• the completion of risk assessments with young persons specifically in mind,

• induction programmes, careful supervision or mentoring by an experiencedco-worker,

• clear lines of communication, & limits on the number of hours worked.



Question #7

Outl in e FOUR advantages & FOUR disadvantages ofusing „propaganda‟ posters to communicate health &

safety information to the workforce. (8)



Posters are commonly used as a medium for passing on health & safety

messages to the workforce & most candidates will have used them or seen

them in use.

The question was generally well answered but excellence was achieved only

by the candidates who thought practically about the issues involved,

structured their responses under the separate headings of advantages &

disadvantages, & provided a reasonable outline as required.

Question #7



Advantages of posters include:

• their relatively low cost, (allowing them to be displayed in the lost appositepositions)

• their brevity (allowing messages to be easily understood),

• their use in reinforcing verbal instructions or information,

• & in providing a constant reminder of important health & safety issues,

• & their potential to allow employees to become involved in their selection &hence in the message being conveyed.

Question #7



Disadvantages include:

• the need to change posters on a regular basis if they are to be

noticed,

• the fact that they may become soiled, defaced & out-of-date,

• & the possibility that they might be seen to trivialise serious

matters.

• they provide no direct way of assessing whether the message

has been understood,

• & they may be perceived by unscrupulous employers as an

easy, if not particularly effective, way of discharging their

responsibility to provide health & safety information,

• & even of shifting the responsibility onto the workforce for any

accidents that may occur.

Question #7



Outl ine the reasons that may prevent a verbalinstruction being clearly understood by an

employee. (8)

Question #8



The reasons why someone might misunderstand an instruction may

be due to:

• the way that verbal information is given (e.g complex, jargonistic,

ambiguous, not in the usual language of the receiver, in a heavydialect;

• distorted by the means of communication such as telephone or

tannoy;

• inconsistent with body language;

• due to the environment (e.g noisy) or due to some limitation on the

part of the receiver (e.g. mental or physical difficulty),

• Inattention;

• lack of knowledge or experience;

• restricted by PPE.

Question #8



(a) Explain the meaning of the term „motivation‟.

(2)

(b) Other than the lack of motivation, ou tl ine SIX

reasons why employees may fail to comply

with safety procedures at work. (6)

Question #9



For part (a), most candidates were able to provide a reasonable explanationof „motivation‟, which is essentially the driving force behind the way thatsomeone strives to achieve a goal or objective (e.g. to work safely).

For part (b), candidates were asked to outline six reasons that mightaccount for the failure of employees to comply with safety procedures.

They could have chosen from a number of reasons including:• lack of management commitment;

• over familiarisation with the tasks to be performed;

• repetitive work, leading to boredom & lack of concentration;

• peer group pressure;

• wilful disregard of laid-down procedures coupled with inadequate orineffective supervision;

• fatigue & stress;

• lack of communication, training & consultation.

Question #9



An organization has introduced a new work process for which a

risk assessment is required.

(i) Outl ine the steps that should be used in carrying out the

risk assessment, identifying the issues that would need tobe considered at EACH stage. (8)

(ii) Explain the criteria that must be met for the assessment to

be deemed „suitable & sufficient‟. (4)

(iii) Identi fy the various circumstances that might require areview of the risk assessment. (8)

Question #10



In answering part (i) of the question, candidates were expected to outlinesuch steps as:

• the need to define the process or task that is being assessed;

• identifying the hazards involved & determining their possible consequences;

• identifying the number & types of person exposed;

• evaluating the associated risk by assessing the likelihood & severity of harmthat could be caused;

• evaluating the adequacy of existing controls & the need for additionalmeasures to secure compliance with legislation & other standards;

• & recording the results of the assessment together with making

arrangements for its monitoring & review.

Question #10



(ii) They were expected to refer to such matters as:

• Ensure all aspects of work activity are reviewed.

• Take account of the way the work is organized.

• Identify the significant hazards and risks• Evaluate the risks

• Identify employees and others at risk

• Identify control measures

• Ensure that residual risk is low.• Ensure that staff undertaking RA have sufficient knowledge andexperience.

• Ensure that the RA is valid for a reasonable time.

Question #10



Answers to part (iii) of the question tended to be better, possibly because ithas appeared several times previously as a short-answered question.

Typical circumstances include:

• a change to the process, work method or substances in use;

• the introduction of new & modified plant;

• the availability of new information on hazards & risks;

• accidents or incidents of ill-health;

• the results of monitoring &/or auditing;

• a change in the requirements of legislation;

• action taken or advice given by an enforcement authority or insurancecompany;

• & a change in personnel, in particular the involvement of young persons,new or expectant mothers or disabled persons.

Question #10



(a) Ident i fy TWO situations where a permit-to-work would be appropriate. (2)

(b) Out l ine the key elements of a permit-to-work

system. (6)

Question #11



For part (a), most candidates were able to identify 2 situations where a

permit-to-work might be considered appropriate, choosing in particular from

work:

• in confined spaces,

• work in flammable atmospheres,• work on electrical equipment,

• hot work,

• & maintenance work on dangerous process plant or production machinery.

Question #11



Part (b), the first of which would be a description &

assessment of the task to be performed (including the

plant involved & the possible hazards).

This will determine the need for, & nature of, other key

elements – namely:

• the isolation of sources of energy & inlets,

• the additional precautions required (e.g. atmosphericmonitoring, PPE, emergency equipment),

• & the duration of the permit.

Question #11



An essential element of a permit-to-work system is, of course, the operation

of the permit itself.

By means of signatures, the permit should be issued by an authorised

person & accepted by the competent person responsible for the work.

On completion of the work, the competent person would need to indicate onthe permit that the area had been made safe in order for the permit to be

cancelled by the authorised person, after which the isolations could be

removed.

Question #11



Ident ify EIGHT sources of information thatmight be usefully consulted when developing a

safe system of work. (8)

Question #12



This question was generally well answered by most candidates, whooutlined sources such as:

• legislation;

• approved codes of practice & official guidance;

• manufacturers‟ information;

• British, European, international & industry standards;

• & direct contact with enforcement agencies & professional bodies.

As well as such external sources, better candidates looked at a range ofinformation from within an organisation, such as:

• in-house standards,

• the results of risk assessment & job safety analysis,

• & accident & health surveillance data.

Question #12



(a)Give FOUR reasons why an organisationshould have a system for the internal reporting

of accidents. (4)

(b)Outl ine factors that may discourageemployees from reporting accidents at work.

(4)

Question #13



For Part (a), most candidates identified that accidents should be reported &

recorded in order to

• comply with legislative requirements

• to enable an accident investigation to take place (with the aim of preventing

accidents of a similar type)• & to identify accident trends from later statistical analysis

Marks were also available for identifying that accident reporting & recording

can also lead to a useful review of risk assessments & can assist in the

consideration of any civil claims that may arise

Question #13



In answering part (b), Examiners were looking to candidates to outlinesuch factors as:

• ignorance of the reporting procedures,

• the possibility of retribution (particularly within a „blame culture‟),

• peer pressure,

• a previous lack of management response,• & dislike to form filling.

Other factors include:

• a reluctance to lose time from the job in hand,

• the trivial nature of any injury sustained,

• & a desire to preserve the company‟s, the department‟s or the individual‟spersonal safety record, particularly where bonus payments are affected by it.

Question #13



A driver of a fork-lift truck has been seriouslyinjured after the vehicle overturned.

(i) Outl ine the possible i mmediate causes of

the accident in terms of BOTH the behaviourof the driver AND the conditions of the

workplace & work equipment. (10)

(ii) Descr ibe the underlying factors that mayhave led to the unsafe acts or conditions

identified in (i). (10)

Question #14



This question was intended to test candidate‟s knowledge of the causes ofaccidents – an important aspect of accident investigation.

They were required to display the ability to distinguish between immediate

causes & underlying factors relating to a scenario involving the overturning

of a fork-lift-truck.

Question #14



In answers to part (i) of the question, Examiners were looking for causes in termsboth of driver behaviour & of the conditions of the workplace & work equipment.

Driving errors that could have been identified include:

• cornering too fast,

• hitting obstructions,• driving on uneven ground or across slopes,

• moving with the load elevated,

• instable or excessive,

• & colliding with another vehicle.

Causes associated with the workplace & work equipment include:

• potholes,• ineffective brakes,

• tyres that were under-inflated or in poor condition,

• & mechanical failures.

Question #14



In answering part (ii), there were many underlying factors that candidates

could have described.

These include: a poor or complete lack of risk assessment;

• poor selection of vehicle;

• inadequate driver training;• a failure to develop safe systems of work;

• poor employee selection procedures;

• a lack of supervision;

• poor maintenance procedures (for equipment &/or the workplace);

• failure to introduce a system for reporting defects;

• & a general lack of commitment to health & safety on the part of

management.

Question #14



Question No. 15

a) Explain with an example the meaning of the term

risk (2)

b) Outline the key stages of a risk assessment (6)



• a) Likelihood that harm will occur and the severity of theharm: e.g. Contact with electricity, Tripping over cable

• b) Identify the task being assessed and identify thehazards e.g. Chemical, Physical etc.

• Identify the people who might be harmed and how.Includes own workers/vulnerable employees such aspregnant women, The Public, Contractors, etc.

• Evaluate the risk by considering the likelihood of theharm occurring and the severity of harm

• Recording of significant findings

• Reviewing assessment at regular intervals or changesoccur

IGC revision questions

Documents

Transcript of IGC revision questions