Basic Questions Flashcards
What Is Nebosh?
NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) is a UK-based organization offering globally recognized qualifications in health, safety, and environmental management.
International General Certificate (IGC) is a foundational certification offered by this organization which is essential for understanding health and safety principles.
It is widely recognized in many industries.
Health, Safety and Welfare
Health:
The absence of disease or ill health. For example, asbestos creates a health risk because if you inhale asbestos dust you may contract lung cancer at some stage later in life (perhaps 20 or 30 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 acute
mental collapse or a ‘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, places where food
can be prepared and eaten in relatively hygienic conditions, drinking water and basic first-aid provision.
Behavior Based Safety
OAI (Observing, Analyzing and Influencing)
Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) is a proactive approach to improve safety culture by observing, analyzing, and influencing worker behavior. It focuses on identifying and reinforcing safe behaviors and correcting unsafe actions to reduce incidents.
Concept in Simple Terms:
Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) is a way to make the workplace safer by focusing on people’s actions. It involves watching how people work, finding safe behaviors to encourage, and spotting unsafe actions to correct.
The idea is simple: if workers are regularly reminded and encouraged to do things safely—like wearing protective gear or following procedures—there are fewer accidents. BBS helps create a safety-focused culture by teaching and reminding everyone to work safely, making it a regular part of their habits.
What is Hazard?
Something with the potential to cause harm.
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).
• Chemical – things which cause harm because of their chemical
characteristics (e.g. lead, mercury, sulphuric acid, silica, cement dust).
• Biological – living micro-organisms that cause disease and ill health (e.g.
hepatitis B virus (HBV), Legionella bacteria (responsible for Legionnaires’
disease), rabies virus).
• 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 (PTSD)).
What is Risk? Risk Profiling? Risk Assessment
The likelihood that a hazard will cause harm in combination with the severity of injury, damage or loss that might foreseeably occur.
Explanation:
Risk can be described qualitatively using words such as ‘high’, ‘medium’ or ‘low’. There will always be some subjectivity involved since the words represent one person’s opinion of the risk level. Different individuals have very different personality characteristics and so two people may disagree on the level of risk inherent in a hazard. Risk can also be defined quantitatively using hard data. This type of quantified risk assessment is far more rigorous than qualitative risk assessment and is
beyond the scope of this course.
Risk Profiling?
The process used, at a strategic level, to recognise the range of risks that threaten an organisation along with
the likelihood and probably impacts of those risks. Risk profiling takes into consideration the risk management controls that are already in place so that their effectiveness can be assessed and further risk management
controls identified and prioritised.
Risk Assessment
The formal process of identifying preventive and protective measures by evaluating the risks arising from
a hazard, taking into account the adequacy of any existing controls, and deciding whether or not the risk is acceptable.
Steps of Risk Assessment
- Identify the hazards.
- Identify the people who might be harmed and how.
- Evaluate the risk and decide on precautions.
- Record the significant findings and implement them.
- Review and update as necessary.
Job Hazard Analysis?
Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) is a technique used to identify and mitigate risks associated with specific tasks. It involves breaking down a job into steps, identifying hazards in each step, and recommending safe practices.
Explanation (Concept)
In Job Hazard Analysis (JHA), we break down the job into individual steps to examine each part closely. This allows us to see where hazards might occur at each stage, so we can address them specifically.
For example, let’s say the job is “changing a lightbulb.” We would break it down like this:
Step 1: Get a ladder and position it under the light.
Step 2: Climb the ladder.
Step 3: Remove the old lightbulb.
Step 4: Install the new lightbulb.
Step 5: Climb down the ladder.
By looking at each step, we can spot potential hazards—like falling from the ladder or getting a shock—and then plan ways to prevent these, such as by wearing safety gloves or ensuring the ladder is stable.
Toolbox talk?
A Tool Box Talk is a quick, informal meeting where the team talks about safety before starting work. It usually happens at the start of a shift or right before beginning a new task. The goal is to make everyone aware of the risks involved and remind them of ways to stay safe.
Practical Example
Imagine a construction crew is about to start work on a tall scaffolding.
Gather the Team: The supervisor gathers everyone around for a Tool Box Talk before they start.
Discuss Risks: The supervisor reminds the team about the main hazards, like the risk of falling or dropping tools.
Review Safety Measures: They discuss safety steps, such as wearing harnesses, ensuring the scaffolding is secure, and double-checking that tools are attached to prevent them from falling.
Encourage Questions: The supervisor encourages workers to ask questions and speak up if they notice any risks.
Start Work: With everyone informed and aware, the team can then start work more safely
Dynamic Risk assessment
Dynamic Risk Assessment is a way of checking for risks on the spot as situations change. Instead of assessing risks once and following a fixed plan, it involves constantly re-evaluating risks to respond to any new dangers right away. This is especially useful in fast-changing environments.
Practical Example
Imagine firefighters arriving at a building on fire:
Initial Assessment: When they first arrive, they assess the scene—checking for things like smoke, fire intensity, and safe entry points.
Adjusting for Changes: As they go inside, the situation keeps changing (smoke might spread, or floors could become unstable).
Reacting to New Risks: If they notice new hazards, like a collapsing ceiling, they adjust their plan—maybe by changing their route or using more protective equipment.
Hierarchy of Controls as per Nebosh
The general hierarchy of risk control (based on ISO 45001 and ILO-OSH 2001):
- Elimination.
- Substitution.
- Engineering controls.
- Administrative controls.
- PPE.
Unsafe Action and Unsafe Condition
Unsafe Action
An unsafe action is something a worker does that could lead to an accident or injury. It’s a behavior that increases the chance of something going wrong.
Example: Not wearing a helmet or gloves when required. If a worker skips this protective gear, they’re more likely to get hurt if there’s an accident.
Unsafe Condition
An unsafe condition is a dangerous part of the work environment that could cause harm to someone, even if they’re being careful.
Example: A wet or slippery floor. Even a careful worker could slip and fall, making it risky just to walk on.
In short:
Unsafe Action is a risky choice by the worker.
Unsafe Condition is a dangerous situation in the environment.
Role of Safety Officer Onboard?
A Safety Officer ensures compliance with safety regulations, conducts inspections and audits, provides training, reports hazards, and oversees emergency procedures to maintain a safe environment.
Role in Zakher marine?
- Toolbox Talks: Conducting safety toolbox talks at the start of each morning and evening shift to ensure teams are aligned on safety protocols for the day’s operations.
- Permit to Work Management: Overseeing the permit-to-work system to ensure all tasks are approved, hazards are identified, and permissions are properly documented.
- Hazard and Risk Assessment: Assessing hazards and risks for each job, implementing control measures, and actively monitoring compliance.
- Inspection of Life Safety Equipment: Regular inspections of Life Safety Appliances (LSAs) such as lifeboats, life jackets, lifebuoys, FFA equipment, smoke detectors, pyrotechnics, personal flotation devices (PFDs), and safety armor.
- Onboard Welfare Inspections: Ensuring crew welfare by conducting health and hygiene checks, galley inspections, and food hygiene assessments to maintain a healthy working environment.
- On-Deck Safety Inspections: Checking that workers on deck are wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and are following all safety guidelines.
- Onsite Operational Safety: Monitoring safety measures during on-site operations to minimize risks.
- Documentation Management: Reviewing HSE documentation on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to ensure compliance and accuracy.
Safe Procedure Checklists: Maintaining and updating checklists for safe procedures to ensure they are followed consistently. - Incident and Near Miss Reviews: Leading discussions on recent HSE campaigns, incident investigations, near misses, and lessons learned to prevent future occurrences, fostering an environment of continuous safety improvement.
What is Proactive & Reactive Approach in HSE?
Proactive: Preventive actions taken before an incident occurs, such as training and risk assessments.
Reactive: Responses after an incident occurs, like investigating the cause and implementing corrective actions.
What are Leading and Lagging Indicators?
Leading Indicators: Metrics that predict future incidents, such as near-miss reports and safety training completion.
Lagging Indicators: Metrics that show past performance, like injury rates and incident reports.
Explanatory Concept:
Leading Indicators
These are early warnings that help prevent accidents before they happen. They show how well safety measures are working and if people are following safety practices.
Example: Tracking how many workers completed safety training or how many near-miss incidents were reported. If training is done well and near-misses are reported, it’s a sign that risks are being managed before they turn into accidents.
Lagging Indicators
These look at past incidents to show how safe the workplace has been over time. They tell us what went wrong and help in planning improvements.
Example: Counting the number of workplace injuries or accidents in the last year. This helps understand what needs to be fixed to prevent future incidents.
Simple Difference:
Leading Indicators: Predict and prevent accidents (focus on what you’re doing now).
Lagging Indicators: Record what already happened (focus on past results).
What is an Audit?
SOC
Auditing is the systematic, objective, critical evaluation of an organisation’s health and Safety management system.
Systematic - As audit follows a series of logical steps and stages and follows a prepared plan
Objective - As all findings are evidence based.
Critical - As it highlights areas of non compliance or non conformance.
