ND Unit A - Element A1: Principles of Health and Safety Management

Question 1

Define what is a hazard is

Answer 1

A hazard is an object or situation with the potential to cause harm.
Sometimes helpful to categorise hazards into types, such as:
• Physical, e.g. rotating blade of a circular saw.
• Chemical, e.g. strong acids and alkalis.
• Biological, e.g. contagious disease.
• Psychosocial, e.g. excessive workload.

Question 2

Define what risk is

Answer 2

Risk is the likelihood that a specified harm from a particular hazard is realised.
Risk is a computation of the likelihood of harm being done and the severity of that harm.

Question 3

Define danger

Answer 3

Danger is a liability or exposure to harm; a thing that causes peril.
The term ‘danger’ is a general word, but carries the idea of harm to a person.

Question 4

Explain what is meant by the term ‘corporate social responsibility’

Answer 4

Corporate social responsibility encompasses those voluntary actions that business can take, over and above compliance with minimum legal requirements, to address both its own competitive interests and the interests of wider society. Businesses should consider their economic, social and environmental impacts, and act to address the key sustainable development challenges based on their core competencies wherever they operate.

Question 5

List the elements in the following safety management system

HSG65.

Answer 5

(a) The elements of HSG65 are:
1) Plan
2) Do. 

3) Check. 

4) Act.

Question 6

List the elements in the following safety management system

BS OHSAS 18001.

Answer 6

(b) The elements of BS OHSAS 18001 are: 

a) Policy 

b) Planning 

c) Implementation and Operation 

d) Checking and Corrective Action

e) Management Review 


Question 7

Identify two advantages and two limitations of integrating management systems (IMS). 


Answer 7

1. Likely to operate more cost-effectively than separate systems, and facilitate decision-making that best reflects the overall needs of the organisation.
2. Offers the prospect of more rewarding career opportunities for specialists in each discipline.
3. Integration should lead to the avoidance of duplication.

Question 8

Disadvantages of integrating management systems (IMS) are:

Answer 8

1. Existing systems may work well already. 

2. Relevant specialists may continue to concentrate on the area of their core expertise and further specialist training may not be needed. 

3. Uncertainties regarding key terms. 

4. A negative culture in one topic may unwittingly be carried over to others

Question 9

Identify five external bodies or individuals that a safety professional may be expected to liaise with in the course of their work

Answer 9

Any five from the following:
• Local authority environmental health officers and licensing officials.
• Consultants.
• The Fire Service.
• Contractors.
• Insurance companies.
• Clients and customers.
• HSE.
• The public.
• Occupational health specialists and services.

Question 10

Identify five examples of how a safety practitioner would be expected to adhere to ethical principles.

Answer 10

Any five of the following:
• Owe a loyalty to the workforce, the community they serve and the environment they affect.
• Abide by relevant legal requirements.
• Give honest opinions.
• Maintain their competence.
• Not undertake tasks they do not believe themselves to be competent to carry out.
• Accept professional responsibility for their work.
• Make those who ignore their professional advice aware of the consequences.
• Not bring the professional body into disrepute.
• Not recklessly or maliciously injure the professional reputation or business of another.
• Not behave in a way that may be considered inappropriate.
• Not improperly use their position within the organisation for commercial or personal gain.
• Avoid conflicts of interest.
• Not improperly disclose information.
• Make information that they hold necessary to safeguard the health and safety of others available on request.
• Comply with data protection principles and relevant legislation.
• Maintain financial propriety with clients and employers and, where appropriate be covered by professional indemnity insurance.

Question 11

What are the three main reasons for the need to manage health and safety risk

Answer 11

Moral
Employer owes a duty of reasonable care to his employees.
Society expects employers to ensure the health and safety of their workforce.
It is unacceptable to place employees in situations where their health and safety is at risk.

Legal
Preventive - enforcement notices issued by enforcement inspectors.
Punitive - criminal courts impose fines and imprisonment for breaches of legal
duties.
Compensatory - employees are able to sue in the civil courts for compensation.

Economic
Accidents etc can be costly. Some events can be insured against such as damage to motor vehicles.
Others can’t be insured against such as lack of morale or loss of an experienced employee.

Question 12

What Societal Factors can Influence Health and Safety Standards and Priorities

Answer 12

„ Economic climate - wealthy countries can afford to give occupational health and safety a higher priority.
„ Government policy - those who work tend to be healthier than those who are unemployed. Improving workers’ health will help keep people at work, who can then contribute financially to society.
„ Incapacity - the proportion of the working age population on incapacity benefits is much higher today than in the 1970s.
„ Risk profile - higher risk activities demand greater standards than for lower risk activities.
„ Globalisation - businesses that operate across the world may adopt different standards depending on the requirements of the host countries.
„ Migrant workers - in recent years immigration policies have increased the proportion of migrant workers.
„ Corporate social responsibility - the voluntary actions that businesses can take to address not only their own needs but also those of the wider society.

Question 13

Extra question 1
(a) Outline potential costs to an organisation if a health and safety management system is not implemented effectively. (1.1)

(b) Outline the meaning of the terms ‘insured’ AND ‘uninsured costs of accidents, clearly showing the relative size of these two costs
as demonstrated by accident costing studies. (1.1)

Answer 13

(a) potential costs could be relating to loss of business???

(b) Insured - all insured elements such as vehicle

Question 14

a) Give the meaning of the term ‘ethics’.

(b) Identify three ethical principles that underpin a health and
safety practitioner’s professional conduct.

(c) Outline what is meant by a ‘conflict of interest’.

(d) A health and safety manager for a large organisation has been asked to recommend suitable auditing software. A close friend, who owns a small software development business, has approached the health and safety manager and asked him to ‘put in a good word’.
Outline steps that the health and safety manager should take in
order to avoid allegations of professional misconduct.

Answer 14

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