Examiner Reports January 2009 Unit IA

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January 2009

Examiners Report

NEBOSH InternationalDiploma inOccupational Health

and Safety (Unit IA)


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Examiners Report

NEBOSH INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMA

IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

Unit IA: International managementof health and safety

JANUARY 2009

CONTENTS

Introduction 2

General comments 3

Comments on individual questions 4

2009 NEBOSH, Dominus Way, Meridian Business Park, Leicester LE19 1QW

tel: 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

T(s):exrpts/J/J-A0901 EXTERNAL DW/DA/REW


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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 comprehensiverange 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 over 25,000 candidates annually and are offered byover 400 course providers in 65 countries around the world. Our qualifications are recognised by therelevant professional membership bodies including the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health(IOSH) and the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM).

NEBOSH is an awarding body recognised and regulated by the UK regulatory authorities:

The Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) in England

The Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales

The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland

NEBOSH follows the GCSE, GCE, VCE, GNVQ and AEA Code of Practice 2007/8published by theregulatory authorities in relation to examination setting and marking (available at the Ofqual websitewww.ofqual.gov.uk). While not obliged to adhere to this code, NEBOSH regards it as best practice todo 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 Department for Education and Skills (Df ES), the Confederation of BritishIndustry (CBI), the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Institution of Occupational Safety andHealth (IOSH). Representatives of course providers, from both 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 2009

Any enquiries about this report publication should be addressed to:

NEBOSH

Dominus WayMeridian Business ParkLeicesterLE10 1QW

Tel: 0116 263 4700Fax: 0116 282 4000Email: [email protected]

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http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/


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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 some candidates, however, who appear to be unprepared for the unit assessmentand who show both a lack of knowledge of the syllabus content and a lack of understanding of howkey concepts should be applied 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 one or more of the questions 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 a sufficient degree ofunderstanding. Candidates should prepare themselves for this vocational examination by ensuringtheir understanding, not rote-learning pre-prepared answers.

Recurrent Problems

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 are failing because they do not attempt all the requiredquestions or are failing to provide complete answers. Candidates are advised to alwaysattempt an answer to a compulsory question, even when the mind goes blank. Applying basichealth and safety management principles 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 ofanswer required. If, for instance, a question asks the candidate to describe something, thenfew marks will be awarded to an answer that is an outline.

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 whichpart of the question they were answering (by using the numbering from the question in theiranswer, for example). Structuring their answers to address the different parts of the questioncan also help in logically 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 isillegible.

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UNIT IA International management of health and safety

Section A all questions compulsory

Question 1 Outlineways in which a health and safety practitioner could evaluate anddevelop their own competence whilst working in an advisory role. (10)

Health and safety practitioners might evaluate their own practice in a number of waysincluding measuring the effects of changes and developments they have introducedand implemented in their organisations; by setting personal objectives and targets and

assessing their performance against them; by reviewing failures or unsuccessfulattempts to produce change; by benchmarking their practice against that of otherpractitioners and against good practice case studies or information; by seeking advicefrom other competent professionals; by seeking feedback from others such as clientsof the organisation and as part of the annual appraisal of their performance by seniormanagement.

They may develop their practice by augmenting their core knowledge and competencein obtaining a recognised professional qualification; by keeping up to date byundertaking training in relevant areas; by participating in CPD schemes; by ensuringthey have access to suitable information sources; by networking with their peers atsafety groups and conferences; by seeking advice from other competent practitionersand consultants and by initiating and following a personal development plan.

Answers to this question were to a reasonable standard though some candidates didnot appear to have given sufficient attention to its wording and outlined the role of asafety practitioner.

Question 2 Describe the requirements of an interview process that would help toobtain from witnesses the best quality of information relating to aworkplace accident. (10)

Answers to this question were to a good standard. Candidates who did well

approached the question in a methodical way starting with the need to interview assoon as possible after the event though it may be necessary to postpone the interviewif the witness is injured or in shock; providing a suitable environment for the interview;interviewing one witness at a time; putting the witness at ease, establishing a goodrapport, taking care to stress the preventive purpose of the investigation rather thanthe apportioning of blame; explaining the purpose of the interview and the need torecord it; using an appropriate questioning technique to establish key facts andavoiding leading questions or implied conclusions; using appropriate sketches orphotographs to help with the interview; listening to the witness without interruptionsand allowing sufficient time to give their answers; and summarising and checkingagreement at the end of the interview.

Better answers also included the need to adjust language to suit the witness;

clarifying what was actually witnessed as opposed to deduced; inviting the witnessesto have someone accompany them if they so wish and showing appreciation at theend of the interview.

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Question 3 A health and safety management programme encompasses the followingconcepts:

(a) risk avoidance; (2)

(b) risk reduction; (2)

(c) risk transfer; (3)

(d) risk retention. (3)

Identify the key features of EACH of these concepts AND give anappropriate example in EACHcase.

Risk avoidance involves taking active steps to avoid or eliminate risk for example bydiscontinuing the process, avoiding the activity or eliminating a hazardous substance.Risk reduction involves evaluating the risks and developing risk reduction strategies. Itrequires the organisation to define an acceptable level of risk control to be achieved

which could be by the use of safety/risk management systems or the use of ahierarchy of control measures.

Risk transfer involves transferring risk to other parties but paying a premium for thisfor example by the use of insurance; the use of contractors to undertake certainworks; the use of third parties for business interruption recovery planning oroutsourcing a process or processes.

Risk retention involves accepting a level of risk within the organisation along with adecision to fund losses internally; it could involve risk retention with knowledge wherethe risk has been recognised and evaluated or risk retention without knowledge wherethe risk has not been identified - obviously an unfavourable position for theorganisation to be in.

There were again some good answers offered for this question though somecandidates did not provide the required examples.

Question 4 Train drivers may spend long periods of time in the cab of a train andmay experience loss of alertness. This can increase the risk of humanerror.

Outlinea range of measures that could reduce loss of alertness in traindrivers. (10)

In answering this question it should not have proved too difficult to outline a range of

control measures even though candidates may not have possessed knowledge of therail industry. These would include the introduction of a shift system to minimise the riskof fatigue with controls being introduced on shift length, the provision of regular breaksand sufficient recovery time particularly during and after the potentially high risk periodbetween midnight and 06.00 hrs and the assessment of risks from unplanned call-out.It would also be necessary to introduce a pre-employment medical examinationfollowed by regular in service health screening including measures to manage stress,and to put in place an alcohol and substance use policy with arrangements for itsenforcement including random testing. Attention would also have to be given both tothe design of the cabin and the drivers activity including the provision of airconditioning, controls for illumination and sun shading, adjustable seating and theintroduction of noise control measures. The variation of route allocation may help tomaintain alertness and other measures could have included the fitting of hold to run orother audible warning devices and the need for the driver to engage in frequentcommunication with the guard or control centre.

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Those candidates who did not do so well either wrote at length on the subject ofhuman error or concentrated only on ergonomic issues.

Question 5 Outlinehow safety tours could contribute to improving health and safetyperformance and to improving health and safety culture within acompany.Discussion of the specific health and safety requirements, problems orstandards that such tours may address, is notrequired. (10)

There are a number of contributions that safety tours could make in improving healthand safety performance in a company including helping to identify compliance or non-compliance with performance standards and, by repetition in the same area, indicatingan improving or worsening trend and checking the implementation and effectivenessof agreed courses of action. Additionally, when carried out in different areas, they canpoint up common organisational health and safety problems and may identify

opportunities for improved performance through the observations of the tour membersor by their conversations with employees during the tour. When tours are carried outon an unscheduled basis, there is the additional benefit of observing normal standardsof behaviour rather than those specifically adopted for the event.

Tours may also help to improve the health and safety culture of an organisationparticularly if they are led on a regular basis by members of management indicatingtheir commitment to the cause. Additionally, prompt remedial action for deficienciesnoted enhances the perception of the priority given to health and safety matters whilstthe involvement of employees in the tours will again encourage ownership andimprove their perception of the importance of the subject, particularly if the findings ofthe tours are shared with the workforce on a regular basis.

Candidates who structured their answers to deal first with performance and thenculture normally did best though on the whole the standard was little more thanaverage. Some candidates did nothing more than describe a number of health andsafety requirements.

Question 6 An organisation has decided to adopt a self regulatory model for itshealth and safety management system.

Explain:

(a) the benefits; and (6)

(b) the limitations,

of self regulation in connection to the management of health and safety. (4)

One of the more important benefits of self regulation is that it is developed by thosedirectly involved in the management of health and safety and this can generate asense of ownership. Other benefits include the fact that it may be quicker to achievethan statutory regulation; can result in higher levels of compliance; can easily beadapted or updated; can often offer a cheaper and quicker means of addressingissues; and may often result in a closer relationship between industry and its clients.

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The limitations of the model are that all those involved may not operate within the self-regulatory rules and that there is a danger of self interest being put ahead ofemployee or public interest. Additionally, self regulation can result in lower levels ofcompliance; there is no third party or independent auditing and it is not valued ashighly by stakeholders.

Answers were disappointing. Some candidates did not understand the concept of selfregulation while others were content to offer only an explanation of OHSAS 18001.

Section B three from five questions to be attempted

Question 7 An employer wishes to build a new gas compression installation toprovide energy for its manufacturing processes. An explosion in the

installation could affect the public and a nearby railway line. In view ofthis the employer has been told that a qualitative risk assessment for thenew installation may not be adequate and that some aspects of the riskrequire a quantitative risk assessment.

(a) Explainthe terms qualitative risk assessmentANDquantitativerisk assessment. (5)

(b) Identify the external sources of information and advice that theemployer could refer to when deciding whether the risk from thenew installation is acceptable. (5)

(c) A preliminary part of the risk assessment process is to be a

hazard and operability study. Describe the principles andmethodology of a hazard and operability (HAZOP) study. (10)

Qualitative risk assessment involves the use of broad categories to arrive at a broadmeasure of risk. Following a comprehensive identification of hazards, broad categoriesare used to classify the likelihood of the hazards being realised and the severity oftheir consequences. The categories may be descriptors or numbers. Most everydayrisk assessment is qualitative and such assessments tend to be subjective.

Quantitative risk assessment on the other hand is a numerical representation of theactual frequency and/or probability of an event and its consequences. It often involvescomparison with specific criteria and is objective.

In identifying external sources of information and advice for part (b), candidates couldhave referred to the acceptability or tolerability criteria for risk for example as set downin the Prevention of Major Industrial Hazards; guidance from the enforcing authoritywhich identifies hazards and sets risk control standards to meet legal and goodpractice requirements; statistics and guidance from other authoritative sources suchas professional bodies, trade associations and insurers; instructions from the plantmanufacturers and guidance from other organisations with similar installations.

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Part (c) sought to test candidates understanding of HAZOP studies. The purpose of aHAZOP is to identify deviations from intended normal operation and is best used at thedesign stage or when modifications are proposed for an existing installation. Theywere expected to explain the need for a team approach with specialists from relevantdisciplines, a team leader and the need to define the scope of the study, breakingdown the process into elements, collecting data and information to support the study

and adopting a brainstorming approach. Candidates should also have described thatdeviations are prompted by the use of guide words which are applied to relevantprocess parameters such as temperature or flow, and marks were available for givingexamples with application to process variables such as no (negation of the designintent), more (quantitative increase), as well as (qualitative increase) and otherthan (complete substitution). Better answers added that the study examines thepossible causes and consequences of each deviation, identifies possible correctiveactions and is documented and recorded.

This was a popular question and answers were generally to a reasonable standardthough many candidates did have difficulty in identifying external sources ofinformation and advice for part (b).

Question 8 (a) Organisations are said to have both formal and informalstructures and groups. Outlinethe difference between formalANDinformal in this context. (6)

(b) Internationally recognised health and safety managementmodels, including OHSAS 18001 and HSG65, include anorganising element which requires control, co-operation,communication and competence. Outline, using practicalexamples, what co-operation means in this context. (6)

(c) Organisational change can, if not properly managed, promote a

negative health and safety culture. Outlinethe reasons for this. (8)

A formal structure or group is hierarchical, generally shown in an organisational chartand characterised by defined responsibilities and agreed reporting lines, while aninformal structure is characterised by social and personal relationships, habitual andrelated contacts and the presence of strong characters with personality andcommunication skills that may exert personal influence.

In outlining the meaning of co-operation for part (b) of the question, candidatesshould have referred to formal consultation arrangements such as those with safetyrepresentatives, direct consultation with employees at team meetings and participationin safety committee meetings and also to informal consultation on safety issues during

day to day discussions with employees. Co-operation would also include theinvolvement of employees in safety processes such as carrying out risk assessmentsand developing systems of work; playing their part in incident investigations,inspections, audits and other monitoring processes; being encouraged to reporthazards and near miss incidents; and being invited to become members of safetycircles for problem solving. Finally the provision of training and development would bean important factor in maximising the involvement of employees in health and safetymatters.

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Organisational change can, if not properly managed, promote a negative health andsafety culture for a number of reasons such as: the profile of safety may not bemaintained during the change and new job responsibilities may not have fully coveredsafety issues; normal consultation mechanisms and routes may be disrupted; trainingin safety issues for new job-holders or for new responsibilities may not have beencompleted; the lack of adequate means of communication during the change may

compromise trust and poor consultation on change issues may have a negative effecton cooperation and on other issues including safety; there may be concern about jobsecurity which could encourage risk taking; redundancy processes or cost reductionmeasures may produce a perception that the organisation is not concerned withpersonal well-being; experience or knowledge of risk controls may be lost withchanges of personnel; the safety implications of changes in personnel or numbersmay not have been properly assessed; extensive movement of personnel makes itharder to establish shared perceptions and values; a greater use of outsourcingwithout good control may result in lower safety standards by contractors which mayaffect the perception of priorities; and last but not least the effects of natural resistanceto change.

Not many candidates attempted this question and answers that were submitted were

not to a good standard. There seemed to be little understanding either of the conceptof formal and informal structures or of the term co-operation.

Question 9 As part of its health and safety management system an organisationmonitors its health and safety performance.

(a) Excluding safety tours, outline FOUR active monitoringtechniques. (4)

(b) Outline FOUR reactive monitoring techniques. (4)

(c) Explainthe benefits of:

(i) active monitoring; (6)

(ii) reactive monitoring. (6)

In answering part (a), candidates could have outlined active monitoring techniquessuch as physical inspections of the workplace to identify hazards and unsafeconditions; safety audits where the systematic critical examination of all aspects of anorganisations health and safety performance against stated objectives is carried out;safety sampling of a specific area or particular items of plant with repeat sampling toobserve trends; safety surveys involving in depth examinations of specific issues orprocedures such as changes in working practices; environmental monitoring and/or

health surveillance; safety climate measures such as the use of employeequestionnaires; behavioural observation and measuring health and safetyperformance against set targets and benchmarking where performance in certainareas is compared with that of other organisations with similar processes and risks.

For (b), reactive monitoring techniques would include accident investigation todetermine root causes and reasons for substandard performance; ill-health reportswhich provide information about work-related conditions and issues that affect health;near miss and dangerous occurrence reports which provide details of events that pointto root causes common to accidents and point to failures in control measures;enforcement action which relate to specific breaches of the law and the need forimprovements in health and safety; the number of civil claims again pointing to areaswhere improvement is necessary; the analysis and comparison of costs associatedwith accidents and employee complaints which provide an indication of workplacehealth and safety shortcomings that give concern.

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In answering part (b) on the mechanisms by which the International LabourOrganisation (ILO) can influence health and safety standards in different countries,candidates were expected to refer to matters such as the development of internationallabour standards through conventions supplemented by recommendations containingadditional or more detailed provisions; the ratification of the conventions by memberstates which commits them to apply the terms of the convention in national law and

practice; the requirement for member states to submit reports to the ILO detailing theircompliance with the obligations of the conventions they have ratified; the initiation ofrepresentation and complaint procedures against countries for violation of aconvention they have ratified; the provision of technical assistance to member stateswhere this is seen to be necessary and, indirectly, through the pressure appliedinternationally on non participating countries to adopt ILO standards.

For (c), legislation has a role in improving workplace health and safety by settingminimum standards which are enforced by a regulator and allowing for punishment ofthe offender if compliance with the standards is not achieved. It is updated by nationalor federal government when required, applies to all workplaces thus creating a levelplaying field and may be prescriptive or goal setting, the latter often supported withinterpretation in the form of approved codes of practice or guidance.

Candidates provided good answers for parts (a) and (b) however, when anexplanation was required in the last part of the question, they did not do as well.

Question 11 Explainthe benefits of:

(a) an integrated health and safety, environmental, and qualitymanagement system; (10)

(b) separate health and safety, environmental, and qualitymanagement systems. (10)

The arguments for and against the use of an integrated management system forsafety, quality and environmental issues will need to be considered by manypractitioners at some stage during their careers. The question invited candidates tooutline their understanding of the key benefits of both an integrated and separatesystems.

The benefits of an integrated management system could have included: consistencyof format and a lower overall cost through the avoidance of duplication in procedural,record-keeping, compliance auditing and software areas; avoiding narrow decisionmaking that solves a problem in one area but creates a problem in another;encouraging priorities and resource utilisation that reflect the overall needs of theorganisation rather than an individual discipline; applying the benefits from goodinitiatives in one area to other areas; encouraging closer working and equal influenceamongst specialists; encouraging the spread of a positive culture across all threedisciplines; and providing scope for the integration of other risk areas such as securityor product safety.

Benefits from retaining separate systems could have included: providing a moreflexible approach tailored to business needs in terms of system complexity andoperating philosophy (for example, safety standards must meet minimum legalrequirements whereas quality standards can be set internally therefore, the need fora more complex system in one element may not be mirrored by a similar need in theother two elements); separate systems might be clearer for external stakeholders orregulators to understand and work with; and finally they may encourage a moredetailed and focused approach to auditing and standards.

A generally acceptable standard of response from those candidates who attemptedthis question though some did become a little confused between the two systems.

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The National ExaminationBoard in OccupationalSafety and Health

Dominus WayMeridian Business ParkLeicester LE19 1QW

telephone +44 (0)116 2634700fax +44 (0)116 2824000email [email protected]

Documents

Examiner Reports January 2009 Unit IA