nebosh certificate unit igc1 - rrc middle east 2011-05-18/sample igc course material.pdf · nebosh...

NEBOSH CertificateUnit IGC1Management of International Health and Safety

© RRC Training

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 Training.

© RRC Training User Guide

User Guide

User GuideBefore you begin studying, take a moment to read this User Guide.

Your course materials have been carefully designed to give you the best possible chance of success. They follow the stucture and content of the relevant syllabus and have been divided into units and elements, each of which deals with a general theme.

At the start of each element you will find a Contents table and a list of Learning Outcomes. These are important because they give you an idea of the different topics you will be studying and what you are aiming to achieve.

After the Key Information box comes the main content. The main content has been designed to explain and describe the topics specified in the relevant section of the syllabus to the expected level. Wherever possible the content has been subdivided to give structure. Examples have been given to illustrate various ideas and principles in a variety of different workplaces.

Topic Focus

Topic Focus boxes contain depth and detail and concentrate on a very specific topic area.

Topic Focus

At the end of each section you will find Revision Questions. These are not past exam questions, but should be useful for self-assessment. You can mark your answers against the suggested answers provided.

Revision Questions

More...

More... boxes contain sources of further information. Although the course materials themselves include everything you need to pass the exam, it is worth looking at these additional sources if you can. This will give you a broader and deeper understanding.

More...

More... boxes contain sources of further

SummaryEach element finishes with a Summary. This presents a very concise reflection of the key ideas and principles contained in the element. When you have finished studying an element you might use the summary to test your recall of the detailed information contained within the element.

When you have studied all of the elements in a unit you should move on to look at the Revision and Examination Guide and complete your Tutor-Assessed Assignments.

Hints and Tips boxes contain simple ideas that can help you as you work through the materials and prepare for the end of course exam.

Hints and Tips

Jargon Buster boxes contain descriptions or definitions of words or phrases that are referenced in the main content.

Jargon BusterJargon Buster

Key Information

• Each main section of material starts with a Key Information box. This box presents an overview of the important facts, ideas and principles dealt with under the section heading. There is no depth or detail here, just the basics.

they give you an idea of the different topics you will be studying and what you are aiming to achieve.

Key Information

User Guide © RRC Training

User Guide

Contents

Element 1: Foundations in Health and Safety

The Scope and Nature of Occupational Health and Safety 1-1

The Multi-Disciplinary Nature of Health and Safety

The Barriers to Good Standards of Health and Safety

Definitions

The Moral, Social and Economic Reasons for Health and Safety 1-5

The Size of the Problem

The Social Expectation

The Business Case for Health and Safety

Insured and Uninsured Costs

The Roles of National Governments and International Bodies 1-8

The International Framework

Employers’ Responsibilities

Workers’ Responsibilities and Rights

The Role of Enforcement Agencies

The Consequences of Non-Compliance

Other International Standards

Sources of Information on Health and Safety 1-11

Internal and External Information Sources

National/International Agency Information Sources

Health and Safety Management Systems 1-12

ILO-OSH 2001 Safety and Health Management System

Summary 1-14

Element 2: Policy

The Purpose and Importance of a Health and Safety Policy 2-1

The Role of the Health and Safety Policy in Decision-Making

The Aims, Objectives and Key Elements of a Policy

The Key Features and Content of a Health and Safety Policy 2-2

General Statement of Intent

Organisation

Arrangements

Reviewing Policy

Standards and Guidance

Summary 2-6

Unit IGC1: Management of International Health and Safety

Element 3: Organising for Health and Safety

Organisational Health and Safety Roles and Responsibilities 3-1

The Employer

Directors and Senior Managers

Middle Managers and Supervisors

Safety Specialists

Workers

Controller of Premises

The Self-Employed

Suppliers, Manufacturers and Designers

Contractors

Joint Occupiers of Premises

Consultation with Employees 3-6

Summary 3-8

Element 4: Promoting a Positive Health and Safety Culture

The Concept and Significance of Safety Culture 4-1

Definition

The Correlation Between Culture and Performance

Factors Influencing Safety Culture 4-3

Indicators Used to Assess Culture

Factors Promoting a Negative Culture

Factors Influencing Safety Related Behaviour 4-6

Individual, Job and Organisational Factors

Attitude, Aptitude and Motivation

Perception of Risk

Errors and Violations

Effects of Age and Experience

The Influence of Peers

Improving Health and Safety Culture 4-13

Management Commitment and Leadership

Competent Staff

Effective Communication

Training

Internal and External Influences 4-17

Internal Influences

External Influences

Summary 4-19


Element 5: Risk Assessment

Aims and Objectives of Risk Assessment 5-1

Definitions of Hazard and Risk

Objectives of Risk Assessment

Different Types of Incident

Identifying Hazards 5-3

Hazard Identification Methods

Safety Hazards

Health Hazards

Principles and Practice of Risk Assessment 5-5

Identifying Hazards

Identifying the People at Risk

Evaluating the Risk and Deciding on Precautions

Recording Significant Findings

Criteria For a Suitable and Sufficient Assessment

Special Cases and Vulnerable Workers

Summary 5-13

Element 6: Principles of Control

General Principles of Control and Risk Reduction 6-1

General Principles of Prevention

General Hierarchy of Controls

Safe Systems of Work 6-7

The Responsibilities of the Employer

The Role of Competent Persons

Employee Involvement

Written Procedures

Technical, Procedural and Behavioural Controls

Development of a Safe System of Work

Specific Examples of Safe Systems of Work

Permit-to-Work Systems 6-12

Operation and Application

Typical Permit Systems

Emergency Procedures 6-15

The Importance of Developing Emergency Procedures

Arrangements for Contacting Emergency Services

First-Aid 6-17

First-Aid Requirements

Principles, Role and Requirements

First-Aid Coverage

Summary 6-19


Element 7: Monitoring, Review and Audit

Active and Reactive Monitoring 7-1

Active Monitoring

Safety Inspections, Sampling, Tours and Surveys

Reactive Monitoring

Workplace Inspections 7-5

Arrangements for Workplace Inspections

Effective Report Writing

Review of Health and Safety Performance 7-8

Gathering Information

Reporting on Performance

Role of Senior Management

Continuous Improvement

Auditing 7-10

Scope and Purpose of Auditing

The Audit Process

Responsibility for Audits

External and Internal Audits

Summary 7-13

Element 8 :Occupational Incident and Accident Investigation, Recording and Reporting

The Process and Purpose of Investigating Incidents 8-1

Role and Function of Investigations

Types of Incident

Basic Investigation Procedures

The Organisational Requirements for Recording and Reporting Incidents 8-6

Recording and Reporting Requirements

Data Collection, Analysis and Communication

Reporting of Events to External Agencies

Summary 8-9

Revision and Examination Guide

Suggested Answers to Revision Questions


NEBOSH Certificate Unit IGC1


© RRC Training

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 Training.


© RRC Training

Contents

The Scope and Nature of Occupational Health and Safety 1-1

The Multi-Disciplinary Nature of Health and Safety 1-1

The Barriers to Good Standards of Health and Safety 1-1

Definitions 1-2

Revision Questions 1-4

The Moral, Social and Economic Reasons for Health and Safety 1-5

The Size of the Problem 1-5

The Social Expectation 1-5

Insured and Uninsured Costs 1-7


The Roles of National Governments and International Bodies 1-8

The International Framework 1-8

Employers’ Responsibilities 1-8

Workers’ Responsibilities and Rights 1-9

The Role of Enforcement Agencies 1-9

The Consequences of Non-Compliance 1-10

Other International Standards 1-10


Sources of Information on Health and Safety 1-11

Internal and External Information Sources 1-11

National/International Agency Information Sources 1-11

Revision Question 1-11

Health and Safety Management Systems 1-1

ILO-OSH 2001 Safety and Health Management System 1-12


Summary 1-14


© RRC Training

Learning OutcomesOn completion of this element, you should be able to demonstrate understanding of the content through the application of knowledge to familiar and unfamiliar situations. In particular you should be able to:

� Outline the scope and nature of occupational health and safety.

� Explain briefly the moral, social and economic reasons for maintaining and promoting good standards of health and safety in the workplace.

� Outline the role of national governments and international bodies in formulating a framework for the regulation of health and safety.

� Identify the nature and key sources of health and safety information.

� Outline the key elements of a health and safety management system.

Before you begin studying your course material, take a very quick look through the whole of IGC1. Don’t read any of the information in detail - just aim to get an overview of the big picture and an idea of what you will be learning about later. Look out for the different Hints and Tips boxes too.

Hints and Tips

© RRC Training Unit IGC1 – Element 1 | 1-1


The Multi-Disciplinary Nature of Health and SafetyWorkplace health and safety practice brings together knowledge from many different disciplines. Some health and safety topics are simple to understand; others are technical and require specialist knowledge. Sometimes the practical solution to a health and safety problem is straightforward; at other times the solution is complicated and demanding and requires the correct application of technical knowledge and thinking.

In order to fully understand a health and safety issue you need to be familiar with:

• The technical background to the issue and have the relevant knowledge.

• The standards that may apply to the workplace and to the specific health and safety issue under consideration.

• The possible strengths and weaknesses of the various options that are available to solve the problem.

The study of health and safety therefore involves many different subjects including the sciences (chemistry, physics and biology), engineering, psychology, sociology and the law.

• The study of health and safety involves the study of many different subjects including the sciences (chemistry, physics and biology), engineering, psychology, sociology and the law.

• There are many barriers to good standards of health and safety in a workplace: workplaces can be complex; there are often competing and conflicting demands placed upon people and organisations; and good health and safety practice often relies on the perfect behaviour of individuals, who sometimes fail to behave in this ideal way.

• Key definitions are:

– Health - the absence of disease. – Safety - the absence of risk of serious personal injury. – Welfare - access to basic facilities. – Environmental protection - the prevention of damage to the air, land, water and living creatures in the

wider environment. – Accident - an unplanned, unwanted event which leads to injury, damage or loss. – Near miss - an unplanned, unwanted event that had the potential to lead to injury, damage or loss (but did

not, in fact, do so). – Dangerous occurrence - a specified event that has to be reported to the relevant authority by statute law. – Hazard - something with the potential to cause harm. – Risk - the likelihood that a hazard will cause harm in combination with the severity of injury, damage or loss

that might occur.

The Scope and Nature of Occupational Health and Safety

Key Information

The Scope and Nature of Occupational Health and Safety

Key Information

The Barriers to Good Standards of Health and SafetyThere are many barriers to good standards of health and safety in a workplace:

• Complexity - workplaces can be complicated areas, involving the co-ordination of many people performing many different activities. Finding a solution to a specific health and safety problem or issue can be complex, requiring extensive background knowledge and an awareness of the possible consequences of the various courses of action that are available.

• Conflicting demands - there are often competing and conflicting demands placed upon people and organisations. A common conflict of interest is that between the need to supply a product or a service at an appropriate speed so as to make a profit, and the need to do so safely and without risk to people’s health. Another conflict can be created by the need to comply with different types of standards at the same time, e.g. health and safety law as well as environmental protection law.

Unit IGC1 – Element 1 | 1-2 © RRC Training


• Behavioural issues - good health and safety practice often relies on the perfect behaviour of individuals, and people sometimes do not behave in this ideal way. The solution to a health and safety problem usually requires a worker to carry out their job in a particular way. For example, a worker on a construction site should wear a hard hat to protect themselves from falling objects. But people are not robots; they do not behave as they are supposed to all the time. Workers sometimes make mistakes (they do the wrong thing thinking that it is the right thing to do). Sometimes they deliberately do the wrong thing, knowing that it is wrong, but doing it anyway. The fact that health and safety standards are affected by worker behaviour can be a significant barrier to maintaining good standards in a workplace.

DefinitionsThe topic of health and safety makes use of key words and phrases. Some important definitions are:

HealthThe absence of disease or ill-health. For example, asbestos creates a health risk because if you inhale asbestos dust you may contract lung cancer (a disease) at some stage later in life (perhaps 10 or 20 years after you inhaled the dust). Health relates not only to physical ill-health but also to psychological ill-health (e.g. exposure to extreme stress can lead to nervous breakdown).

Safety The absence of risk of serious personal injury. For example, walking under a load suspended from a crane during a lifting operation is not safe because if the load falls serious personal injury or death could result. Staying out of the danger area results in safety.

Welfare Access to basic facilities such as toilet facilities, hand-wash stations, changing rooms, rest rooms and places where food can be prepared and eaten in relatively hygienic conditions, and drinking water and basic first aid provision.

Environmental Protection The prevention of damage to the air, land, water and living creatures in the wider environment. The word “environment” can be used simply to refer to the local area around a particular workplace or workstation, meaning the air, temperature, humidity, ventilation, light, etc. in that local area, but it can also be used in a wider context to refer to air, land, water and creatures. Environmental protection usually refers to the prevention of damage to this wider environment and is frequently subject to legal standards.

AccidentAn unplanned, unwanted event which leads to injury, damage or loss. For example, a worker on the ground is struck on the head and killed by a brick dropped by another worker on a 5 m high scaffold; or a lorry driver misjudges the turning circle of his vehicle and knocks over a barrier at the edge of a site entrance, crushing the barrier beyond repair. Note that in both of these examples the acts are not carried out deliberately. An accident is unplanned. Any deliberate attempt to cause injury or loss is therefore not an accident.

A construction worker suffers an accident

Welfare facilities - hand-wash stations

Behavioural issues - a worker ignores safety precautions

© RRC Training Unit IGC1 – Element 1 | 1-3


Near MissAn unplanned, unwanted event that had the potential to lead to injury, damage or loss (but did not, in fact, do so). For example, a worker drops a brick from a 5 m high scaffold and it narrowly misses another worker standing on the ground. No injury results and the brick is not even broken. The only thing that separates accidents and near misses is the outcome of the event. An accident causes loss, a near miss does not.

Dangerous OccurrenceA specified event that has to be reported to the relevant authority by statute law. Most countries have statute law that states that certain types of event have to be reported to the relevant authority, even if the event did not lead to fatality or major injury of a worker. For example, in the UK the failure of the load-bearing parts of a crane is a dangerous occurrence. No person has to be injured by the failure; the failure itself is reportable.

Work-Related Ill-HealthDiseases or medical conditions caused by a person’s work. For example, dermatitis is a disease of the skin often caused by work activities, especially when the handling of solvents, detergents or irritant substances is involved.

Work-related ill-health includes diseases and conditions related to exposure to:

• Toxic substances, e.g. lead poisoning.

• Harmful biological agents, e.g. legionnaires’ disease.

• Physical or ergonomic hazards, e.g. noise-induced hearing loss.

Note that work-related ill-health can refer to psychological illness.

Jargon Buster

Statute law

The written legal standards of a country as laid down in Acts, Regulations, Orders and other forms of legislation.

Jargon Buster

Statute law

Commuting Accident An accident to a worker that occurs when they are travelling to or from:

• Their workplace.

• The place where they take a meal during working hours.

• The place where they collect their pay.

Hazard Something with the potential to cause harm. For example, a lorry moving around a site road is a hazard because it might run over a worker. Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) is a hazard because it is a highly alkaline chemical capable of causing corrosive burns.

Hazards can be broadly classified as:

• Physical – things which cause harm because of their physical characteristics, e.g. electricity, work at height, radiation, vibration, noise, heat, trip hazards, moving machine parts, vehicles, etc.

• Chemical – things which cause harm because of their chemical characteristics, e.g. lead, mercury, sulphuric acid, silica, cement dust, etc.

• Biological – living micro-organisms that cause disease and ill-health, e.g. hepatitis B virus (HBV), legionella bacteria (responsible for legionnaires’ disease), rabies virus, etc.

• Ergonomic – stress and strain put on the body through posture and movement, e.g. frequent repetitive handling of small boxes leading to inflammation of the tendons in the elbow joint.

• Psychological – things that have the potential to cause injury to the mind rather than the body, e.g. exposure to highly traumatic events that can leave a person unable to adjust to a normal life after the event (a condition sometimes referred to as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD).

Psychological ill-health - stress at work

Unit IGC1 – Element 1 | 1-4 © RRC Training


RiskThe likelihood that a hazard will cause harm in combination with the severity of injury, damage or loss that might occur. For example, an electrical flex trailing across a busy corridor in a hospital creates a risk. The degree of risk can be described as high or medium depending on how likely it is that a person might trip over that trailing flex and how badly they might foreseeably be injured. Here the degree of risk might be described as high, on the basis that in a busy corridor someone is very likely to trip over the flex. Given that it is in a hospital the person involved might be elderly or infirm and could receive a serious injury when they fall.

Note that all of these definitions are widely accepted and useful when discussing health and safety. However, remember that different organisations sometimes use alternative definitions and meanings for these words and phrases.

A wet floor is a hazard that creates the risk of slips

1. Why might the management of an organisation not consider health and safety to be a priority?

2. Define: (a) An accident. (b) A hazard. (c) A risk.

3. Name two categories of hazard.

(Suggested Answers are at the end of Unit IGC1.)

Revision Questions

Read the course materials with a pen and paper to hand. Take lots of notes and be sure to jot down anything you want to ask your tutor about.

Hints and Tips

nebosh certificate unit igc1 - rrc middle east 2011-05-18/sample igc course material.pdf · nebosh...

Documents