Health & Safety

Question 1

Control of Occupational Health and Safety

Answer 1

clear procedures and policies.
• Health and Safety inspections which check for faults in systems, equipment, plant and machinery.
• recognition and elimination of hazards.
• separating employees from hazardous substances eg by personal protective equipment.
• changing processes and substances to remove risks.
• safe person concept.
• training workers how to avoid risks.
• properly maintaining plant and equipment.
• good housekeeping practices in relation to toxic substances such as proper storage and usage.
• regular recording and updating of risk register.
• taking into account the design and use of equipment, to avoid such things as employees
developing back injuries and repetitive strain injuries.
• regular medical check-ups for staff that are at particular risks.
• analysing accident statistics to identify problem areas.
• introduction of occupational stress policies.

Question 2

Showing health and safety is a key priority

Answer 2

Ensuring that health and safety is established as a key business priority.
• Stating that the safety of employees is paramount.
• Showing that safety takes precedence over expediency.
• Involving staff in the development and implementation of health and safety policies and
procedures.
• Showing that health and safety legislation is complied with both in the spirit and letter of the law.
• Ensuring managers’ commitment to legal compliance is visible, ie demonstrated to employees.
• Involving senior management in monitoring of performance standards.
• Developing a trusting relationship with staff.
• Encouraging co-operation between management and workers.
• Providing resources for managers (time, money and trained staff) to implement, maintain and
manage health and safety performance.
• Measuring managers on their achievement of key performance indicators

Question 3

Health and safety legislation

Answer 3

Employer’s duties
To prevent workplace injuries and ill health employers are expected to:
• have a clear Health and Safety policy which is brought to the attention of all staff.
• ensure that they provide and maintain a safe workplace which uses safe plant and equipment.
• ensure that there are systems in place to identify risks and hazards.
• ensure that there are systems in place to report accidents and near misses.
• prevent risks from use of any equipment, substance and from exposure to harmful substances,
noise and vibration.
• ensure there is no improper conduct or behaviour which is likely to put the safety, health and
welfare of employees at risk.
• ensure that instruction and training is provided to employees on Health and Safety.
• ensure that protective clothing and equipment is provided to employees.
• ensure that employees are not subject to workplace stress caused by excessive workloads,
bullying or harassment.
• appoint a competent person as the organisation’s Safety Officer.
Employees’ duties
To prevent workplace injuries and ill health, employees are expected to:
• take reasonable care to protect the health and safety of themselves and of other people in the
workplace.
• make sure they do not engage in improper behaviour that will endanger themselves or others.
• make sure they are not under the influence of drink or drugs in the workplace.
• undergo any reasonable medical or other assessment if requested to do so by the employer.
• report any defects in the place of work or equipment which might be a danger to health and
safety

Question 4

Risk Assessment and Safety Statement
As part of ensuring the health and safety of employees, employers should carry out a risk assessment
to identify any hazards present in the workplace, assess the risks from such hazards and identify the
steps to be taken to deal with any risks. A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm.
Hazards may be physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic or psychological

Answer 4

Examples of hazards and their possible consequences
• Water on a staircase because staff could slip and injury themselves.
• Loud noise because it can cause hearing loss.
• Breathing in asbestos dust because it can cause cancer.
• Moving vehicles which could collide with people and or equipment.
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• Failure to wear protective clothing which could lead to head injuries, burns, fractures, coming into
contact with hazardous chemicals and radiation.
• Poorly stacked goods which could fall and injure staff.
• Poorly loaded equipment which could fall and injure staff.
• Working at heights which could lead to a serious fall.
• Moving parts on machinery which could trap limbs or clothing if not used correctly.
• Dealing with emergency situations such as fires, road collisions, which bring a wider range of
different hazards.
• Fire appliances which are not properly maintained.
• Lifting and carrying goods in the incorrect manner which can lead to muscular damage.
• Poorly designed workstations which lead to eye sight and strain injuries.
• Excessive workloads which can lead to stress and lack of concentration

Question 5

A risk is?

Answer 5

the likelihood that a hazard will actually cause its adverse effects, together with a measure of
the effect. Once identified an organisation can assess the likelihood of a risk and give it a rating. If the
risk seems highly likely, then ways of removing it or reducing it can be identified

Question 6

Risk assessment involves a number of steps

Answer 6

Step 1: Identify the hazard.
Step 2: Decide who might be harmed and how.
Step 3: Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions.
Step 4: Record the findings and implement them.
Step 5: Review the assessment and update if necessary.
Risk Assessment often also involves a probability rating so that the highest and most likely risks are
identified. A Risk Assessment should lead to action and a safety precedence sequence.
The employer should also prepare a safety statement which is based on the risk assessment. The
statement should also contain the details of people in the workforce who are responsible for safety
issues. Employees should be given access to this statement and employers should review it on a
regular basis.

Question 7

What is the ALARP principle

Answer 7

Where Health and Safety legislation is in place, the ALARP principle of risks is expected to be applied.
ALARP stands for “as low as reasonably practicable”. For a risk to be ALARP, it must be possible to
demonstrate that the cost involved in reducing the risk further would be grossly disproportionate to
the benefit gained. The ALARP principle arises from the fact that infinite time, effort and money could
be spent on the attempt of reducing a risk to zero

Question 8

Safety Precedence Procedure

Answer 8

This encompasses:
• the elimination of hazards by the designing out of potential accidents through using alternatives
and changing processes.
• substituting safer chemicals for highly toxic chemicals.
• using barriers to separate the workforce from the risk.
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• introducing effective safety procedures such as limiting exposure and safe systems of work.
• using warning systems and signs.
• issuing protective clothing and equipmen

Question 9

What is Safe Person Concept

Answer 9

An important part of Health and Safety, particularly within organisations such as Fire and Rescue
Services is the Safe Person Concept.
The principle of the concept is that, in view of the unpredictable and hazardous nature of the fire
ground environment, support systems should be developed to ensure the safety of individuals whilst
still enabling them to react flexibly to unforeseen or changing situations. Support systems
encompass: safe systems of work, training, equipment, information, personal protective equipment.
These together aim to result in a ‘safe person’ rather than a safe working environment – with
operational incidents, it could be impossible to provide a safe working environment. A safe person will
follow safe practices whereby they, rather than the environment, control risks

Question 10

Employer and Personal protective equipment (PPE) and measures

Answer 10

The employer should tell employees about any risks which require the wearing of personal protective
equipment (PPE). The employer should provide personal protective equipment (such as protective
clothing, headgear, footwear, eyewear, gloves) together with training on how to use it as necessary.
Any personal protective equipment should be provided free of charge to employees.
An employee should take reasonable care for his/her own safety and to use any personal protective
equipment supplied.

Question 11

Why is it important to be Reporting accidents

Answer 11

All accidents or ‘near misses’ in the workplace should be reported to the employer. The employer
should record the details of the incident and use the information to improve workplace practices. A
near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness, or damage - but had the potential
to do so. Only a fortunate break in the chain of events prevented an injury, fatality or damage. It is
important that near misses are recorded and investigated. Although human error is commonly an
initiating event, a faulty process or system invariably permits or compounds the harm and should be
the focus of improvement

Question 12

Accident prevention involves:

Answer 12

• identifying why and how accidents occur and introducing corrective action.
• detailed investigation of very serious accidents.
• ‘designing accidents out’ of work routines.
• using safety equipment and clothing.
• carrying out risk assessments to eliminate risks.
• using accident statistics to identify trends.
• training and education.
• effective leadership.

Question 13

Ways in which managers can encourage a positive attitude to health and safety

Answer 13

Set a good example.
• Fully understand the organisations Health and Safety Policy and Procedures.
• Be seen to make health and safety a priority in terms of decision making.
• Have regular consultations with staff.
• Make sure staff are aware of their responsibilities.
• Consistently inform staff about safety issues.
• Be aware of the risks in their particular area of operation and take action to eliminate them.
• Identify emerging hazards and ensure that these are assessed.
• Ensure that correct procedures for the reporting of accidents and near misses are followed.
• Be seen to take action where staff are behaving irresponsibly eg not wearing personal protective
clothing (PPE) or indulging in ‘horseplay’.
• Give praise and reward for good practice.
• Make sure staff have the right equipment and know how to use it safely.
• Train staff in the correct techniques and procedures.
• Try to ensure that safety equipment is comfortable to wear.
• Keep staff aware of any changes to safety procedures.
• Be seen to deal with bullying and harassment promptly.
• Make sure that the correct reporting procedures are followed.

Question 14

What is Work-Related Stress

Answer 14

Work-related stress is the process which arises where
work demands of various types and combinations exceed the person’s capacity and capability to
cope. It is a significant cause of illness and disease and is known to be linked with high levels of
sickness absence, staff turnover and other indicators of organisational underperformance - including
human error.

Question 15

Causes of work-related stress

Answer 15

Job insecurity caused by:
Temporary work and fixed term contracts
Economic situation for the industry
Development of new technology
Political changes
Competition within the market place
Losing contracts
Organisational Factors
Lack of a clear job description or chain of command
Confused organisational structure
Badly managed change.
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Poor career prospects and lack of development opportunities
Poor leadership.
No recognition for good job performance.
No opportunity to voice complaints.
Fear/blame culture.
Harassment and bullying in the form of intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour
Conflict-ridden workplace.
Little or no recognition by management of work related stress
Poor communications
Staff feeling unvalued
Lack of feedback
Need for work/life balance not recognised
Characteristics of the Job
People having no control or influence over the demands placed upon them.
Pressure piling up and being prolonged.
Long hours.
Working Patterns
Heavy responsibilities with no authority or decision making attached to them.
No opportunity to use personal talents or abilities.
Inadequate time to complete tasks.
Unpleasant or hazardous working conditions.
Cuts in budgets leading to increased workloads.
Demands of the Job
Lack of a degree of autonomy
Role conflict
Changes in skills required to do the job
Poor/changing working relationships with:
o superiors
o Colleagues
o own staff
o customers
o suppliers
o other outside bodies

Question 16

How to Prevent work-related stress

Answer 16

Managers need to take the following factors into account:
• Demands of the job - such as workload, work patterns and the work environment.
• Control - ie how much say or control the person has in the way they do their work.
• Support - provided by the organisation including encouragement, line management, team
building and resources.
• Relationships - ie ways in which conflict and unacceptable behaviour are dealt with.
• Role - staff understanding what their role is and not having conflicting roles.
• Change - ie how organisational change is communicated and managed.

Question 17

Managers can attempt to help employees suffering from work-related stress by

Answer 17

not ignoring the problem.
• ensuring that staff are aware of:
o what their job involves.
o what their role is.
o who is allowed to allocate work to them.
o changing job responsibilities.
• examining the job to ensure that an employee is not overburdened.
• providing the scope for greater autonomy and control over work.
• setting and agreeing reasonable and achievable targets.
• ensuring that staff have the skills necessary to ‘do the job’.
• making staff feel that they can discuss their problems with their line manager.
• encouraging staff to use counselling facilities, where these are provided.
• encouraging the organisation to provide flexible working arrangements.
• Stopping harassment and bullying.
• Dealing with conflict to improve the working environment.
• Improving physical working conditions.
• Encouraging the organisation to provide fitness programmes.
• Negotiating the transfer of the employee to another part of the organisation.
• Conducting return to work interviews so that possible problems can be identified.
• Providing time management training.
• Consulting staff about their patterns of work or any changes to them.
• Ensuring staff understand how their personal and team targets fit into team and departmental
plans and priorities.
• Ensuring that staff do not have conflicting targets.
• Creating an atmosphere in which learning and development is encouraged.
• Encourage staff to develop new skills and help them undertake new challenges.
• Encouraging team members to support each other, share information and report incidents of
bullying and harassment.
• Ensuring that staff have the right resources ‘to do the job’.
• Ensuring that staff receive regular and constructive feedback.
• Holding regular team meetings and team briefings.
• Communicating effectively, especially where major changes are being implemented and let
staff influence the proposals if possible.
• Make staff aware of any ‘family friendly’ policies.
• Being accessible and approachable.
• Ensuring that they themselves have the skills to support staff

Question 18

What are Health and Safety Audits

Answer 18

Health and Safety Audits are carried out to ensure that the whole organisation is meeting its health
and safety objectives. Audits examine policies, procedures and safety practices to determine whether
they conform to planned arrangements, whether the arrangements are implemented effectively and
whether they are suitable for the work carried out by the organisation.

Question 19

Examination of policies

Answer 19

This aspect of the Audit assesses the extent to which policies:
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• meet legislation.
• are supported by senior managers.
• are committed to by other managers, supervisors and team leaders.

Question 20

Examination of procedures

Answer 20

This aspect of the audit assesses:
• the risk assessment processes to ensure that hazards are identified.
• how effectively procedures support the implementation of health and safety policies.
• whether procedures communicate the need for good health and safety practices.
• if accidents are investigated thoroughly.
• the use of data on health and safety to evaluate performance and initiate action.
• the emphasis on the need for safe practices.
• the extent to which health and safety considerations influence the design of working systems and
the quality of materials.
• the provision of health and safety training, especially induction training and when working
methods are changed or new equipment is introduced.
• the emphasis on having safe systems of work.
• the extent to which managers and others meet the standards which the organisation has set for
itself.
• the review processes in place to ensure that procedures remain up to date

Question 21

Examination of safety practices

Answer 21

This aspect of the audit assesses:
• the extent to which health and safety practices across the organisation conform to regulations
and legislation.
• how risk assessments are carried out and acted upon.
• Health and Safety objectives and performance targets and actual performance within the
organisation.
• how accidents are investigated.
• what action is taken to prevent accidents/ illness reoccurring.
• the evidence to show the commitment of managers and supervisors

Question 22

Characteristics of problem employees

Answer 22

Blame other people and things for their mistakes.
• Back-stab, ridicule and gossip.
• Do not co-operate with work colleagues.
• Are condescending, discourteous to colleagues or ignore them.
• Are whiny and moody.
• Show a lack of interest in their work.
• Don’t take responsibility.
• Get angry quickly or appear to be constantly angry.
• Constantly have a complaint against the organisation because of some perceived slight

Question 23

Dealing with difficult/problem employees

Answer 23

Demonstrate that they do not feel intimidated by their behaviour.
• Do not ignore the problems caused as they will not just go away.
• Monitor the employee’s behaviour over a period of time and make notes about their attitude and
activities.
• Consider if they are actually doing the work they are employed to do.
• Calmly discuss the difficulties their behaviour is causing, identifying any shortfalls in expected
standards of performance and/or behaviour.
• Summarise what they say back to them as this can help to give them a different perspective on
a situation

Question 24

Signs of conflict

Answer 24

Negativity and arguing.
• Incessant gossiping and backstabbing.
• Direct personality clashes.
• Workplace disputes and interpersonal conflicts.
• Heated exchanges between staff – either between staff within the same team or between staff
from different parts of the organisation.
• Bullying and harassment, evidenced by low morale, poor performance, absenteeism, high staff

Question 25

Causes of conflict

Answer 25

Stress.
• Heavy workloads/inadequate resources.
• Poor leadership.
• Lack of honesty and openness.
• Poor line management.
• Lack of role clarity.
• Lack of clarity about accountability.
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• Clash of values.
• Poor selection/pairing of teams.
• Poor performance management

Question 26

Cost of conflict

Answer 26

Potential for losing customers as the result of poor service and poor reputation.
• Potential for losing good employees who leave because they do not like the working atmosphere.
• Staff become less motivated, are not willing to take on extra tasks and do not contribute to
discussions.
• Valuable time is lost in resolving issues and dealing with queries and complaints because people
are not cooperating with each other which can affect the achievement of goals and targets

Question 27

What can managers do to address conflict at work?

Answer 27

Do not ignore the signs; the more quickly it is dealt with the more quickly it is resolved.
• Identify the causes so that appropriate action can be taken.
• Do not assume that the conflict is being caused deliberately. It may be due to fear, confusion or
lack of motivation.
• Stay calm and professional.
• Let irate employees have their say and give them the opportunity to explain the issues/situation
causing them to become angry or frustrated

Question 28

Mediation can be used:

Answer 28

where there is conflict involving colleagues on a similar job or grade.
• where there is conflict between a line manager and their staff.
• to help to rebuild relationships after a formal dispute has been resolved.
• to address a wide range of conflict issues for example, relationship breakdown, personality
clashes, grievances, bullying and harassment.

Question 29

Mediation is not usually successful if it is:

Answer 29

used as a first resort.
• seen by a manager as a way to avoid their managerial responsibilities.
• a right or wrong decision that is needed for example in a bullying situation.
• one of the parties wants the situation to be formally investigated.
• one of the parties is suffering from severe stress.

Question 30

Role of the Mediator

Answer 30

Identify the issues involved.
• Encourage communication so that everyone involved can begin to see how other people view the
situation.
• Encourage people to understand different viewpoints.
• Identify the available alternatives to resolve the various issues in conflict.
• Discuss the options for resolution with all those concerned in the conflict.
• Work out the terms of an agreement acceptable to all.

Question 31

Mediation Process

Answer 31

Each participant is given the opportunity to be heard, identify the causes of their conflict and
explain their positions and perspectives as they relate to the underlying dispute.
• Each person then has an opportunity to reflect upon the other’s viewpoint. The ultimate goal is to
have each participant empathise with the other’s perspective, even if only slightly.
• Staff involved are encouraged to explore the issues, feelings and concerns of all participants and
re-build relationships using joint problem-solving

Question 32

Benefits of Mediation

Answer 32

Can help to develop new ways of dealing with a dispute, so that the potential for further disputes
is eliminated.
• Being a less formal process, those involved may feel less stressed and more amenable to
compromise.
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• Can help staff to create their own solutions.
• Saves time, expense and the distress of living with unresolved conflict

Question 33

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS

Answer 33

whether or not senior managers see staff as stakeholders in the organisation whose interests
need to be protected as far as possible or whether they see staff as a necessary ‘evil’, to get
work done.
• past history and if this includes strikes and hostilities.
• whether or not Human Resource polices are developed in conjunction with trade unions.
• whether or not contractual documents and major policies such as discipline, grievance and
conditions of employment are readily available to staff.
• formal negotiating systems which may involve trade unions, representative bodies and joint
consultative committees.