nebosh practical - final sample 22

Sample Practical application (IGC3)

NEBOSH INTERNATIONAL GENERAL CERTIFICATE IGC3 – THE HEALTH AND SAFETY PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Candidate’s observation sheet

Sheet number 1 of 5

Student name: G Gardner Student number: ********

Place inspected: Education Development centre

Date of Inspection 26/08/20**

Observation Hazards and Consequences

Risk Control measures Immediate and longer – term actions

Timescale

1. Risk of vehicles speeding and causing road traffic accidents due to poor signage on access roads to school and main buildings.

H I M L

Inform school workers and parents of speed limits on access roads. Fix temporary speed limit signs. Re-paint speed signs on road. Monitor the wear and damage to painted signs during site inspection

Immediately 1 month Yearly

2. Risk of traffic accident due to narrow sharp bend on access road to rear car park.

H I M L

Email all school workers to increase awareness. Get the school managers to contact parents. Change observation mirror to large one. Erect signs warning of sharp bends. Monitor effects of measures. Look into feasibility of installing traffic light system.

Immediately 1 – 2 months Every 6 months

3. Risk of traffic accident due to undesignated car parking in several areas that prevent vision of road and cause driving over footpaths to reach these areas.

H I M L

Inform school workers by email not to park in undesignated areas. Erect bollards where possible. Erect no parking signs. Site maintenance team to monitor and issue warning letter to offenders. Discuss with Human Resources manager.

Immediately 2 months On – going

4. Risk of trip due to potholes in surface of footpath

L I M L

Barrier off around affected area. Erect warning sign. Repair / resurface footpath. Monitor the surface condition of all footpaths on site during site inspection

Immediately 1 -2 months Yearly

Key: Risk: H=High, M=Medium, L=Low. Actions: I= Immediate, M=Medium, L=Long term. N/a= Not applicable.



Sheet number 2 of 5






Timescale

5. Risk of electric shock from active communication mast due to missing padlock from gates and electrical hazard warning signs at the access gates.

H I M L

Lock gates, fit temporary electrical hazard sign. Fit permanent electrical hazard signs. Monitor to ensure gates are padlocked, particularly after maintenance worker visits. Arrange on – going inspection of mast security and that warning signs stay in good condition

Immediately 3 month / Continual 6 months

6. Risk of tripping due to damaged concrete step leading to reception and school pathway.

M I M L

Apply hazard tape to worn parts of step. Concrete repairs to steps. Monitor all access steps for damage during site inspection

Immediately 2 – 3 months Yearly

7. Risk to personal safety of receptionist due to lone working.

M I M L

Review security in reception area. Install panic alarm. Attend training. Review work patterns causing lone working. Initiate test protocols for security

Immediately 2 months Every 6 months

8. Risk of Electrocution or fire controlled by main fuse board in small hall corridor being located in secure cupboard and having 5 yearly inspections and testing.

_ I M L

N/a Ensure fuse board is closed and locked. Accessed by competent workers only. Maintenance team to monitor 5 yearly inspections and testing.

N/a On-going 5 Years

9. Risk of trip due to worn tape around access hatch in floor in main corridor

L I M L

Barrier off with warning sign. Replace tape. Administration manager to monitor tape for wear.

Immediately Same day On-going

10. Risk to health by exposure to asbestos by report showing location of asbestos in stair nosing and floor tiles plus regular inspection.

_ I M L

Ensure locations of asbestos are also recorded in asbestos risk register. Inspection of area for damage. Keep asbestos report for reference and provide details in asbestos risk register to contractors.

Immediately Monthly On-going



Sheet number 3 of 5






Timescale

11. Risk of upper limb injury / eye strain due to unsuitable, non-adjustable chair for display screen equipment (DSE) user in general office.

M I M L

Ensure workstations are assessed for suitability for all new workers and carry out online risk awareness training. Ensure workers are complying with your display screen equipment use policy. Carry out regular reassessments of display screen equipment workstations and workers.

3 weeks On-going Yearly

12. Risk of trip due to trailing cables of many portable appliances in general office i.e. fans, electric heaters and paper shredders.

L I M L

Tape down cables Provide portable rubber covers for cables. Consider relocating sockets to avoid need to trail cable. Relocate sockets where possible. Continue to monitor where cables are situated and monitor for damage. Ensure training is carried out with workers.

Immediately 1 month 3 – 6 months Every 6 months.

13. Risk to fire due to many document folders stored under desks in education workers office, next to electrical sockets and cables.

H I M L

Email workers to warn of the fire risk, look for temporary storage for document folders. Erect suitable shelving to store files on. Ensure workers undertake fire awareness training. Monitor on-going for correct storage and fire risks. Ensure workers have annual updates

Immediately 1 months Yearly

14. Risk of falling due to working on an insecure short ladder during lone working in store cupboard.

M I M L

Email workers to warn them of the potential hazards. Carry out risk assessment for working on ladders. ‘Use of ladders’ training to be carried out. Continue to monitor work practices with ladders.

Immediately 1 month On-going



Sheet number 4 of 5






Timescale

15. Risk of back injury due to place heavy files under desks (with poor access) in education workers office.

H I M L

Email staff to warn of the manual handling hazard, look for temporary storage for document folders. Erect suitable shelving to store files on. Ensure workers undertake manual handling awareness training. Monitor correct storage of folders and manual handling awareness training.

Immediately 1 month On-going

16. Risk of eye strain and trips controlled by good lighting in main corridor.

_ I M L

N/a Regular lighting unit maintenance by competent person. Light level checks carried out and recorded by competent person.

N/a On-going 2 years

17. Risk of electric shock due to several electrical items having out of date portable appliance testing (PAT) test.

H I M L

Isolate all electrical items that have out of date PAT test. PAT tests to be carried out on items by competent person. Regular checks for all portable electrical equipment.

Immediately 2 weeks Yearly

18. Risk of hot water burns due to no warning sign on hot water boiler in kitchen.

M I M L

Put up temporary sign to warn staff of very hot water. Ensure permanent warning sign is fixed to boiler. Monitor that sign remains in place and is legible.

Immediately 1 week On-going

19. Risk of boxes falling from shelves on to people due to them overhanging shelves in kitchen.

M I M L

Remove overhanging boxes Re-organise boxes on shelves to ensure all boxes fit onto shelves correctly and are not overhanging. Monitor that boxes continue to be correctly storage on shelves.

Immediately 2 weeks On-going



Sheet number 5 of 5






Timescale

20. Risk of legionella controlled by regular inspection of water supplied from taps and temperature of boiler in kitchen

_ I M L

N/a Ensure relevant senior managers undergo legionella training. Ensure inspection and recording continues by competent person.

N/a 3 month Yearly

21. Risk of slips on ice on walkways between buildings due to a lack of equipment for dealing with possible adverse weather conditions as winter approaches.

L I M L

Allocate responsibilities Monitor weather forecasts as winter approaches. Provide grit / salt in suitable container.

1 month Next 3 months 2 months

22. Risk of burns due to workers carrying several cups of coffee in corridor

M I M L

Remind staff of risk of scalding Provide trays to carry cups. Ensure trays are used. Provide reminders at worker involvement meetings

Immediately 1 week Monthly

23. Risk of delayed first aid treatment due to eye wash in corridor being out of date and unusable.

M I M L

Replace eye wash Implement system of weekly checks of eye wash and other first aid equipment. Team meetings to discuss and prepare procedure for replacing first aid equipment when out of date for use.

1 day 1 week 1 month

24. Risk of ankle sprains due to poor storage of materials in general office area, uneven floor and poor lighting in corridor.

L I M L

Move all excess materials to store or waste bin Install more lights and review floor condition Inspect light levels and materials storage regularly.

1 week 1 month 3 months

MANAGEMENT REPORT

1. Introduction

This report follows a workplace inspection of the education development centre on the 26th August

20** and identifies good and poor practices. The centre has a large education development building,

one primary school, one short stay pupil referral unit and a day nursery. The property is owned and

maintained by the local council. There is an access road from the main road, which runs around the

school, between buildings and then through to the rear car parks.

The education development centre is occupied by 370 workers whose roles revolve around

education attainment, improvement and inclusion. Many workers are ‘outreach’ workers and visit

schools, children centres, and homes. As a result, access and egress to the building is heavily used.

Potential hazards include slips, trips, and falls, musculoskeletal injury and access and egress

arrangements.

2. Executive summary

It was pleasing to observe a high standard of housekeeping. There was an appropriate amount of

lighting inside and outside the buildings. The welfare facilities were of good standard, i.e. clean and

plenty of toilets and washrooms for the amount of workers.

However, during the inspection it was identified that some areas posed a risk of serious injury or ill

health and were in need of improvement. Areas of concern were vehicle movement through the

school site and risks of electric shock, due to uncontrolled access to the communications mast and

several items of portable electrical equipment being out of date with their portable appliance testing

(PAT) test. Also, there was an increased risk of fire and manual handling injury due to many

document files stored under workers desks, next to electrical cables and sockets. These and other

important observations are discussed in the findings part of the report.

Most of the problems that were observed were related to a lack of maintenance and a general lack

of understanding of the need for good health and safety practice. Recommendations include

refresher training and maintenance of signs and electrical equipment, all of relatively low cost,

particularly when related to the risks observed. Two areas observed that were under good control

were the testing and recording for legionella and asbestos.

Details of all observations made during the inspection are attached at the end of this report.

3. Main Findings

3.1 Observation 1 – Risk of road traffic accidents – speed limit, hazards and parking

The access road that runs through the school site is heavily used, as many workers do ‘outreach’

work. In addition, visitors to the site, parents and children use the road to come into school and the

day nursery. It was noted that many of the painted road sins were worn away, so users would not be

aware of speed restrictions. This presented a significant risk of vehicles speeding and causing road

traffic accidents. Also, there were many sharp bends in the road, which would increase the potential

risk from speeding. The additional problem of vehicles being parked in undesignated areas

prevented drivers having proper vision of the road and obstructed footpaths. In view of the

vulnerability of the many pedestrians in the area, this could easily result in a major injury or fatality.

Any claim for damages would be very high and this type of accident could have very high

consequences to the school’s reputation.

Speeding vehicles and vehicles inappropriately parked make access and egress unsafe, not only for

school workers, but other car users and pedestrians. These risks may be seen to contravene the ILO

Occupational Safety and Health Convention C155, Article 16 (1), which requires employers to

provide workplaces that are safe.

School workers, parents, children and visitors should be alerted immediately of the speed limit,

sharp bend hazard and parking problem, for example by email and letters handed out. This will incur

very little cost, mainly time and paper. Temporary signs should be made and located on the route

into the school and where parked vehicles cause an obstruction. This can be done by downloading

signs from the internet, printing and laminating them using school facilities, costs for this should be

limited to £30. Maintenance work should be carried out during the next four weeks to repaint speed

limit signs and erect a sing warning of the sharp bends, at a cost of £500 approximately. Signs and

bollards should be erected to prevent the unauthorised parking; this is likely to cost approximately

£1,000. All limit signs and restriction parking should be monitored yearly during the site inspection.

The sum of money necessary to make improvements is small relative to the risk of serious injury that

may be caused by the hazards.

3.2 Observation 5 – Risk of electric shock – access to communications mast

It was observed that the gates restricting access to the communications mast were not secured by a

padlock and there were no signs warning of the electrical hazard within the restricted area. This

meant that anyone could enter the restricted area and be at risk of electric shock. The school has a

large number of children on site who may be attracted by the electrical equipment and could have

entered the area without difficulty. The absence of warning signs indicating an electrical hazard

could someone to believe they were entering a safe area.

Failing to restrict access to the electrical equipment may be considered a breach of the ILO

Occupational Safety and Health Convention c155, Article 16(1), which requires workplaces

machinery, equipment and processes to be safe and without risk to health. Though the risk of

immediate danger from electricity due to someone entering the restricted area is not high it is

significantly increased by the failure to prevent entry.

With the co-operation of maintenance worker for the site a padlock was added to the fates to secure

them. The padlock was available for their purpose, but had not been fitted to the gate following a

visit from a maintenance contractor, therefore there was no new cost related to this control

measure. Temporary electrical hazard warning signs should be fitted until permanent signs can be

obtained. The cost of these temporary and permanent signs is likely to be about £250. In the

medium term, the supervisor of school maintenance work should ensure the padlock is only

removed to allow authorised entry and refitted immediately on completion of this work. The

security of access to the communication mast should be monitored as part of the site security

arrangements, this may require a small amendment to the contract of the security company that

does this work, but it is expected that is could be added with little or no cost.

3.3 Observation 13 and 15 – Risk of manual injury and fire – document files stored under desks

It was identified that many of the workers stored document files under their desks, occupying a large

amount of space. These files were situated next to trailing electrical cables, which were plugged into

extension leads. The three elements of the fire triangle were present oxygen, fuel (paper files) and

heat (electrical cables and sockets). This combination presented a risk of fire occurring and although

the fire would start in the office area there is a risk that it could spread and affect the whole centre.

This would be a serious risk to all workers and children. No fire risk assessment had been carried out

and fire risk controls were inadequate, contravening the ILO Guidelines on Occupational Safety and

Health Management Systems (ILO – OSH) 2001, which require risk assessment and the application of

control measures.

These poor storage arrangements not only increase the chances of a fire starting and spreading

rapidly, but also pose a risk of back injury when office workers have to bend and assume a very poor

posture when retrieving the files. This poor manual handling arrangement could quickly lead to

serious injury of an office worker and long term absence from work. The office workers are all

experienced and specialise in their education field, therefore finding temporary replacement

workers would not be easy and this would be very damaging to the educational service provided.

The storage arrangements do not comply with the ILO Occupational Safety and Health Convention

C155, Article 16 (1) and (2), in that manual handling risks should be avoided where reasonably

practicable and where risk remain they are minimised by appropriate protection measures.

Workers should be reminded of the fire and manual handling risk as soon as possible, those workers

not immediately available should be emailed. The files should be promptly removed into temporary

storage, at a cost of worker’s time and storage boxes, which are currently available as stock was

purchased for a recent educational project. Suitable shelving should be erected at the cost of £500

approximately. It is recommended that all office workers have fire awareness and manual handling

refresher training , incurring internal cost of worker and health and safety advisor time. The training

should be short and can be done at their monthly meeting. It is recommended that awareness

training is done as part of the annual departmental meeting, this will ensure costs are limited.

3.4 Observation 17 – Risk of electric shock and fire – out of date portable electrical equipment

testing

Several items of electrical equipment around the site were not displaying up to date portable

appliance testing (PAT) sticker. The absence of the sticker could mean that the equipment is

defective. The PAT sticker confirms that electrical equipment has been suitably tested as part of the

maintenance programme. The use of equipment that has not been maintained breaches ILO

Occupational Safety and Health Convention C155, Article 16 (1) requirements that equipment should

be safe, since equipment that is not maintained can lead to the risk of fire or workers experiencing

an electric shock, which may prove fatal. An injury or fatality would not only be a cost to the centre,

but also to the worker and their family. Employers have a legal duty under EWR to ensure all

portable electrical equipment is maintained. This should be clearly marked on the equipment and

recorded.

Immediate action is required to identify and isolate all items that are out of date, this would be at a

small cost taking a couple of hours of time and labels to mark them ‘out of use’. Following this , a

competent person (trained electrician) should carry our PAT test on this equipment, typically at a

cost of £2.00 per item. In the future, all equipment should be tested regularly and care should be

given to ensure equipment stored in cupboards is included in all tests.

4. Conclusion

Routine maintenance is identified as an area where attention is needed. The poor maintenance of

road speed limit signs and lack of portable appliance testing on electrical items were particular areas

requiring immediate management attention. Under the ILO Occupational Safety and Health

Convention C155, Article 16 (1), employers have a responsibility to ensure equipment is safe,

including the carrying out of maintenance to protect workers and others who may be in the

workplace or come into contact with their equipment.

Storing document files under desks next to electrical cables and sockets is a fire hazard. The poor

storage of files also creates a risk of manual handling injuries when workers have to retrieve the

files. This suggests a lack of appreciation of the need for good health and safety practice. Fire and

manual handling risk assessment of the storage of files in the education workers’ office need to be

carried out immediately in order to ensure the safety of workers. Education workers should have

refresher training to remind them of the importance of fire and manual handling issues. This may

indicate a wider problem, this should be evaluated as other workers may also need similar training.

All the areas identified in the findings of this report could result in injury or a fatality, which would

cause suffering to the victims and their families. Employers have a legal and moral duty of care to

take action and reduce the risk identified.

The inspection identified a number of good practices where strong management of hazards was in

place, including two important health hazards, legionella and asbestos. The good practices identified

are commended and should be continued.

Health and safety needs to be of a high priority as failure to manage risk can lead to prosecution or

compensation claims, which can only have an adverse effect on the centre’s reputation and financial

position as well as the health and safety of the people involved.

I suggest that my recommendations are implemented at the earliest opportunity according to the

priority allocated to them in the next section of this report. By doing this, the centre will openly

demonstrate to all workers that their health and safety is being taken seriously at all levels of

management. Also, it will show that, in the long term, a positive health and safety culture is being

developed, which will reduce the sizeable cost attributed to accidents and enhance the reputation of

the organisation in a very competitive market place.

5. Recommendations

Ref. No. Recommendation Likely resource implications Priority Target date

3.1 (item 1, 2 and 3)

Inform workers, parents, children and visitors of speed limit, road hazards and parking restrictions by email and handling out letters.

Admin time, cost of paper. £50 for materials.

High Immediate

3.1 (item 1, 2 and 3)

Fix temporary speed limit, hazardous bends warning and no parking signs.

Download from internet, print and laminate using school facilities.

High Immediate

3.2 (item 5)

Put padlock on gates of communication tower

Padlock is available but was not being used.

High Immediate

3.2 (item 5)

Fix temporary electrical hazard warning signs.

Download from internet, print and laminate using school facilities.

High Immediate

3.3 (items 13 and 15)

Remove files to temporary storage

All education workers to pack into storage boxes. Boxes are in stock

High Immediate

3.4 (Item 17)

Isolate equipment that does not have up to date PAT sticker.

Maintenance worker time, 2 hours.

High Immediate

3.1 (item 1,2 and 3)

Repaint speed limit signs on the road.

£500, using local contractor Medium One month

3.1 (item

1,2 and 3)

Change observation mirror to large one. Erect permanent signs warning of sharp bends.

Estimated to be £500. Medium 1-2 months

3.1 (item 1,2 and 3)

Erect bollards where possible. Erect permanent no parking signs.

Estimated to be £ 1,000. Medium 1-2 months

3.2 (item 5)

Monitor to ensure gates are padlocked, particularly after maintenance worker visits.

Supervisor to check that padlock is removed to only allow authorised access and is re-fitted immediately after completion of work.

Medium As entry is required

3.3 (item 13 and 15)

Erect suitable shelving to store files on

£500 Medium One Month

3.3 (item 13 and 15)

Ensure employees undertake fire and manual handling refresher training.

3 hours of workers time, provided by health and safety advisor at the time of monthly meeting.

Medium

One month

3.4 (item 17)

Competent person to PAT test the out of date equipment.

Approx £2.00 per item, using current contractor.

Medium Two weeks.

3.1 (item 1,2 and 3)

Monitor effects of measures. Look into feasibility of installing traffic light system.

Management time to monitor and evaluate feasibility.

Low Six months

3.2 (item 5)

On-going inspection of mast security and that warning signs stay in good condition.

Amendment of current duties of contracted security staff.

Low Six months

3.3 (items 13 and 15)

Monitor work practices related to use of storage and provide annual awareness training.

Manager to monitor as part of weekly routines following installation of shelving.

Low After one month, ongoing

3.3 (item 13 and 15)

Provide annual awareness training.

3 hours of workers time, provided by health and safety advisor at the time of monthly meeting.

Low One year

3.4 (item 17)

Ensure annual PAT tests for all portable appliances.

Maintain worker time, to ensure all equipment located and available 2 hours. Approx £2.00 per item, using current contractor.

Low Annually

Candidate and course provider declarations: For completion by the candidate:

I declare that the work submitted for this practical application assessment is my own work. I recognise that contravention of this statement constitutes malpractice and may result in my being subject to the penalties set out in the NEBOSH malpractice policy. Name (Print) _ G GARDNER Signature _ G Gardner

Date _26/08/xx

For completion by the course provider’s representative (e.g. internal practical assessor):

I declare that the work marked is identical to that received from the candidate. I recognise that contravention of this statement constitutes malpractice and may result in my being subject to the penalties set out in the NEBOSH malpractice policy. Name (Print) _ J SMITH Signature _ J smith

Date _01/09/xx

For completion by the course provider’s internal practical assessor:

I declare that the work marked is identical to that received from the candidate. I recognise that contravention of this statement constitutes malpractice and may result in my being subject to the penalties set out in the NEBOSH malpractice policy. Name (Print) _ B FERRY Signature _ B Ferry

Date _06/09/xx

nebosh practical - final sample 22

Documents

erect signs

site inspection

risk of tripping

risk of vehicles

risk of traffic accident

parking signs

access gates

school workers