unit ia examiners report jan 2014 - website copy

8/10/2019 Unit IA Examiners Report Jan 2014 - Website Copy

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January 2014

Examiners Report

NEBOSH International

Diploma in

Occupational Health

and Safety (Unit IA)


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Examiners Report

NEBOSH INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMAIN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

Unit IA: International managementof health and safety

January 2014

CONTENTS

Introduction 2

General comments 3

Comments on individual questions 4

2014 NEBOSH, Dominus Way, Meridian Business Park, Leicester LE19 1QWtel: 0116 263 4700 fax: 0116 282 4000 email: [email protected] website: www.nebosh.org.uk

The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health is a registered charity, number 1010444


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Introduction

NEBOSH (The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) was formed in 1979 asan independent examining board and awarding body with charitable status. We offer a comprehensive

range of globally-recognised, vocationally-related qualifications designed to meet the health, safety,environmental and risk management needs of all places of work in both the private and public sectors.Courses leading to NEBOSH qualifications attract around 35,000 candidates annually and are offeredby over 500 course providers, with exams taken in over 100 countries around the world. Ourqualifications are recognised by the relevant professional membership bodies including the Institutionof Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and the International Institute of Risk and SafetyManagement (IIRSM).

NEBOSH is an awarding body to be recognised and regulated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority(SQA).

Where appropriate, NEBOSH follows the latest version of the GCSE, GCE, Principal Learning andProject Code of Practicepublished by the regulatory authorities in relation to examination setting and

marking. While not obliged to adhere to this code, NEBOSH regards it as best practice to do so.

Candidates scripts are marked by a team of Examiners appointed by NEBOSH on the basis of theirqualifications and experience. The standard of the qualification is determined by NEBOSH, which isoverseen by the NEBOSH Council comprising nominees from, amongst others, the Health and SafetyExecutive (HSE), the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Trades Union Congress (TUC) andthe Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). Representatives of course providers, fromboth the public and private sectors, are elected to the NEBOSH Council.

This report on the examination provides information on the performance of candidates which it ishoped will be useful to candidates and tutors in preparation for future examinations. It is intended tobe constructive and informative and to promote better understanding of the syllabus content and theapplication of assessment criteria.

NEBOSH 2014

Any enquiries about this report publication should be addressed to:

NEBOSHDominus WayMeridian Business ParkLeicesterLE19 1QW

tel: 0116 263 4700

fax: 0116 282 4000email: [email protected]

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General Comments

Many candidates are well prepared for this unit assessment and provide comprehensive and relevantanswers in response to the demands of the question paper. This includes the ability to demonstrateunderstanding of knowledge by applying it to workplace situations. There are always somecandidates, however, who appear to be unprepared for the unit assessment and who show both a lack

of knowledge of the syllabus content and a lack of understanding of how key concepts should beapplied to workplace situations.

In order to meet the pass standard for this assessment, acquisition of knowledge and understandingacross the syllabus are prerequisites. However, candidates need to demonstrate their knowledge andunderstanding in answering the questions set. Referral of candidates in this unit is invariably becausethey are unable to write a full, well-informed answer to the question asked.

Some candidates find it difficult to relate their learning to the questions and as a result offer responsesreliant on recalled knowledge and conjecture and fail to demonstrate any degree of understanding.Candidates should prepare themselves for this vocational examination by ensuring theirunderstanding, not rote-learning pre-prepared answers.

Candidates should note that Examiners Reports are notwritten to provide sample answers but to

give examples of what Examiners were expecting and more specifically to highlight areas of underperformance.

Common pitfalls

It is recognised that many candidates are well prepared for their assessments. However, recurrentissues, as outlined below, continue to prevent some candidates reaching their full potential in theassessment.

Many candidates fail to apply the basic principles of examination technique and for somecandidates this means the difference between a pass and a referral.

In some instances, candidates do not attempt all the required questions or are failing to providecomplete answers. Candidates are advised to always attempt an answer to a compulsory

question, even when the mind goes blank. Applying basic health and safety managementprinciples can generate credit worthy points.

Some candidates fail to answer the question set and instead provide information that may berelevant to the topic but is irrelevant to the question and cannot therefore be awarded marks.

Many candidates fail to apply the command words (also known as action verbs, eg describe,outline, etc). Command words are the instructions that guide the candidate on the depth of answerrequired. If, for instance, a question asks the candidate to describe something, then few markswill be awarded to an answer that is an outline. Similarly the command word identify requiresmore information than a list.

Some candidates fail to separate their answers into the different sub-sections of the questions.These candidates could gain marks for the different sections if they clearly indicated which part of

the question they were answering (by using the numbering from the question in their answer, forexample). Structuring their answers to address the different parts of the question can also help inlogically drawing out the points to be made in response.

Candidates need to plan their time effectively. Some candidates fail to make good use of theirtime and give excessive detail in some answers leaving insufficient time to address all of thequestions.

Candidates should also be aware that Examiners cannot award marks if handwriting is illegible.

The International Diploma in Health and Safety is taught and examined in English. Candidates aretherefore expected to have a good command of both written and spoken English includingtechnical and scientific vocabulary. The recommended standard expected of candidates isequivalent to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) level 7 (very good user).

It is evident from a number of scripts that there are candidates attempting the examination withoutthe necessary English language skills. More information on the IELTS standards can be found atwww.ielts.org.

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http://www.ielts.org/http://www.ielts.org/


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UNIT IA International management of health and safety

Question 1 (a) In relation to a binding contractual agreement, givethe meaningof:

(i) express terms; (2)

(ii) implied terms. (3)

(b) In relation to a new contract, outlinethe health and safetyinformation that should be stated in the contract terms.

This question related to Elements A8 and A6 of the syllabus and assessedcandidates knowledge of learning outcomes 8.1 and 6.5: Describe comparativegovernmental and socio-legal, regulatory and corporate models and outline thedevelopment of a health and safety management information system, the relevantduties and the data it should contain.

Part (a) (i) of the question was well answered and most candidates ably gave themeaning of express terms.

Part (a) (ii) was less well answered overall however there were many candidates thatidentified there is often a matter of custom and practice and disputes could be decided in

a court of law.

Part (b) of the question was not well answered by most as many talked about roles andresponsibilities, policies, having policies in place and how to report accidents. Someidentified welfare, information and training, access and egress and consequently pickedup good marks.

.Question 2 (a) Outlinethe concept of the organisation as a system. (4)

(b) Identifysuitable risk controls at EACHpoint within the systemAND givean example in EACHcase. (6)

This question related to Element 6 of the syllabus and assessed candidatesknowledge of learning outcomes 6.2: Outline the different types of organisation, theirstructure, function and the concept of the organisation as a system.

Candidates generally outlined the correct concept in part (a) of the question as inputs,processes and outputs although some referred to policy, organisation, planning andimplementation etc. whilst others outlined the contents of a Health and Safety policy.Many of those who correctly identified the concept of the organisation as a system didnot however provide more than the headings.

If a candidate had incorrectly identified the concept of the organisation as a system inpart (a) of the question they usually gained few or no marks in part (b). Many of those

Section A all questions compulsory

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who had correctly outlined the concept of the organisation as a system failed to provideadequate detail of the system.

This question was generally answered reasonably, but seldom well. Shortcomingsseemed to be due primarily to a lack of knowledge, aside from the deviations outlinedabove.

Question 3 In relation to health and safety, outlinethe statusANDrole of:

(a) ratified international conventions; (5)

(b) ratified international recommendations. (5)

This question related to Element 8 of the syllabus and assessed candidatesknowledge of learning outcomes 8.2: Explain the role and limitations of theInternational Labour Organisation in a global health and safety setting.

This question overall, was answered reasonably, but not well. Most candidates knew alittle about the role of the ILO and provided a detail on the structure of the ILO and howconventions came into being, rather than sticking to the subject of the question.

The question revealed a lack of understanding of the ratification process and theimplications for member states once a Convention had been ratified. It also highlightedthat many candidates were confused about the difference between ILO Conventions andRecommendations and of their role and status.

Question 4 A maintenance worker was asphyxiated when working in an empty fueltank. A subsequent investigation found that the worker had beenoperating without a permit-to-work.

(a) Outlinewhy a permit-to-work would be considered necessary inthese circumstances. (3)

(b) Outlinepossible reasons why the permit-to-work procedure wasnot followed on this occasion. (7)

This question related to Element 5 of the syllabus and assessed candidatesknowledge of learning outcomes 5.3: Explain the development, main features andoperation of safe systems of work and permit-to-work systems.

Answers to this question were often good with many candidates managing to gainmaximum marks for the question. Most candidates managed to gain at least 2 of the 3marks available for part (a) of the question by mentioning the high risk aspect of the work,the judgement that this was a confined space, the result of risk assessment and thepotential legal requirement of some states. Several candidates provided a full pageanswer for part (a) of the question which is only worth 3 marks.

In part (b) of the question candidates who failed to receive the marks available often didso because they outlined what is needed for a successful permit-to-work as opposed towhy it may not be followed.

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Question 5 The accident rate of two organisations is different although they have thesame size workforce and produce identical products.

Outlinepossible reasons for this difference. (10)

This question related to Element 2 of the syllabus and assessed candidatesknowledge of learning outcomes 2.1: Explain the theories of loss causation.

This question gave candidates scope to earn high marks through the range of optionswhich might account for the differences in accident rates. With the wide range of possibleanswers available most candidates were able to earn reasonable marks for this questionand quite a few gained high marks. A common failing was to outline the factors that mayaffect accident rates rather than focussing on how the difference in rates could comeabout.

Candidates were guilty of using bullet point lists and therefore limiting their ability toprovide an outline to the question as required. As such there were candidates who clearlyhad the knowledge but were let down by examination technique.

Question 6 Outlinethe societal factors that influence health and safety standards. (10)

This question related to Element 1 of the syllabus and assessed candidatesknowledge of learning outcomes 1.2: Outline the societal factors which influencehealth and safety standards and priorities.

There were candidates who made no attempt to answer this question and there werecandidates who managed to gain more than two or three marks for the attempt at an

answer. Reasons for the poor marks are varied but seem to centre round the lack ofunderstanding of the question. Many candidates prefaced their answer with a repeat ofthe question; they still managed to miss the societal focus of the question. Othersgave reasons why there are safety standards others gave the influences within anorganisation for a reduction in health and safety standards.

There were plenty of marks available for the societal focus of this question andcandidates could have commented on; economic climate, globalisation, socialresponsibility, ill-health, sickness, equality, caring employer, unions and migrant workersfor example.

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It is important that the candidates are prepared demonstrate a good breadth to theiranswers rather than focussing on a small element of the answer.

Part (c) was reasonably well answered although maximum marks were rare. Quite a fewcandidates seemed unaware of the distinction between immediate and underlyingcauses.

Question 9 (a) Organisations are said to have both formal and informalstructures and groups.

Outlinethe difference between formalANDinformalin thiscontext. (6)

(b) The development of a health and safety culture requires control,co-operation, communication and competence.

Outlinewhat co-operationmeans in this contextAND giveexamples to support your answer. (6)

(c) Organisational change can, if not properly managed, promote anegative health and safety culture.

Outlinereasons for this. (8)

This question related to Element 6 of the syllabus and assessed candidatesknowledge of learning outcomes 6.2, 6.4 and 6.7: Outline the different types oforganisation, their structure, function and the concept of the organisation as a system;Explain the role, influences on and procedures for formal and informal consultationwith workers in the workplace; Outline the factors which can both positively andnegatively affect health and safety culture and climate.

This question was popular with candidates and assessed a core area of the syllabus.Few candidates were able to give good enough answers to gain reasonable marksoverall.

In part (a) of the question, candidates in the main were able to outline the differencesbetween formal and informal structures although some struggled to put into words theirunderstanding of the concept and relied on charts to earn them the marks. Manycandidates wrote specifically about formal being hierarchical and informal being moreadhoc, based on relationships and the fact that goals may be different with no clearroles and responsibilities.

Answers to part (b) of the question required candidates to link co-operation with the

development of a safety culture in a practical way with suitable examples. In manyinstances candidates did not make this link and again were unable to gain good marksas a result.

Answers to part (c) of the question appeared to demonstrate a lack of understanding ofthe influence of management on culture with few candidates able to give acceptablereasons why the lack of sympathetic management could promote a negative safetyculture.

A number of candidates outlined how to promote a positive health and safety culture orhow to effectively manage change in an organisation but in so doing they did not answerthe question asked.

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Question 10 (a) Outlinethe principle of fault tree analysis. (2)

(b) Outlinethe technique of fault tree analysis. (4)

(c) Outlinethe limitations of fault tree analysis. (4)

(d) An office is protected with an automatic fire detection and alarmsystem. A number of false alarms have been activated. A falsealarm can be triggered by sunlight striking a UV flame detector,dust obscuring a smoke detector or by a failure of the primarypower supply. The primary power is normally supplied byconnection to the mains electricity. If this should fail, a back-upgenerator activates to supply the electricity.

The expected probabilities of the causes of the false alarms are shownbelow.

Cause of false alarm Probability

Sunlight striking a UV flame detector 0.2

Dust obscuring a smoke detector 0.1

Power failure 0.1

Back-up generator does not start 0.05

(i) Constructa simple fault treeAND calculatethe probability of afalse alarm. Show calculations in EACHcase. (6)

(ii) Identifythe main cause of false alarms. (1)

(iii) Outlineremedial actions that could minimise false alarms. (3)

This question related to Element 4 of the syllabus and assessed candidatesknowledge of learning outcomes 4.4: Explain the principles and techniques of failuretracing methodologies with the use of calculations.

This question was not well answered. It was interesting that most of the marks gained inthis question came from the construction of the tree and the calculation rather thanunderstating the fault tree processes.

In part (a) of the question, most candidates picked up on working backwards and todetermine the probability of a top/undesired event.

In part (b) of the question a number of candidates identified the need to determine thetop event, the use of and/or gates, to identify the top event and failure probability and tocontrol causes. There were also candidates that explained incorrectly about the processof how to go about conducting a fault tree analysis.

In part (c) only a few candidates picked up on needing specialists and accuracy of datawhen conducting a fault tree analysis.

In part (d) tree constructions were varied and many made errors in the calculations.Candidates are advised to be thorough in their preparation and take the time to checktheir answers to ensure that simple errors do not cost marks.

Almost all candidates were able to identify the main cause of the false alarms theirsuggestions for remedial actions however, varied in quality. Having identified that themain cause was sunlight striking the detector, some of the remedial actions offered werenot related to this probability.

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Question 11 You are the health and safety manager attending an annual seniormanagement meeting where health and safety performance objectivesare being reviewed.

(a) Outlinefactors that should be considered when setting healthand safety performance objectives. (8)

(b) Explainwhy health and safety performance should be reviewed. (4)

(c) Outlinefactors that should be considered when reviewing healthand safety performance. (8)

This question related to Element 3 of the syllabus and assessed candidatesknowledge of learning outcomes 3.4: Explain the requirement for reviewing health andsafety performance.

Around half of the candidates attempted this question which was not well answered. Thepoor performance may be because this was a new question to the portfolio and tookcandidates by surprise.

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The National ExaminationBoard in Occupational

Safety and Health

Dominus Way

Meridian Business Park

Leicester LE19 1QW

telephone +44 (0)116 2634700

fax +44 (0)116 2824000

email [email protected]

www.nebosh.org.uk

unit ia examiners report jan 2014 - website copy

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