Nebosh Answer Flashcards
The accident rate of two companies is different although they have the same size workforce and produce identical products.
Outline possible reasons for this difference.
that recognition of reportable accidents may differ from company to company;
that there may be differences in levels of reporting and recording accidents;
that the definitions of the accident rate may be different or misinterpreted;
that there may be differing means of calculating rates;
and that there could be management issues such
as a difference in the level of commitment;
that policies and procedures such as monitoring may be different and that disciplinary procedures for non-compliance by workers may vary
differences in workplace layout and the age and type of equipment used
human resource issues such as the selection, training, and competence of the workforce together with a possible difference in the companies’ level of communication and consultation with the staff
risk control issues such as the adequacy of risk assessments and the associated control measures, the existence of safe systems of work and procedures for the use and maintenance of personal protective equipment
issues connected with production such as piece work and shift work and the winning of bonus payments which could lead to the taking of risks; and cultural issues such as the attitude, motivation and behaviour of individuals and the effect that peer pressure might have on health and safety culture within the organisation.
(a) In relation to behaviour in the workplace, outline what is meant by the term ‘attitude’.
(b) Outline how the media can influence attitudes toward health and safety, making reference to suitable examples where appropriate.
(a)
the term ‘attitude’ is a predisposition to act in a certain way which may be determined by ancestry, personal experience, or training.
(b)
They have the facility to undertake global coverage of events and can reach a wide audience using a variety of methods of delivery such as print, television, videos, and the internet. The coverage is often sensationalist and can be influenced on occasions by pressure groups and other bodies such as Greenpeace. The influence exerted by the media may be advantageous or detrimental for the industry or organizations involved particularly those who have high media coverage which can affect the perceptions of customers, clients, and other stakeholders
To the media coverage of incidents such as the Perrier incident of 1990, Chernobyl, BP Texas and
Piper Alpha
Outline a range of individuals and bodies external to an organization that may need to be provided with health and safety information, for legal or good practice reasons. In EACH case, identify the type of information to be provided.
-The enforcing authorities with respect to information required by law or in accordance with the ILO Code of Practice or as part of inspection or investigation
activities
-The emergency services on the inventories of potentially hazardous/flammable materials used or stored on the site and on the means of access and egress to the site
-Customers who have to be given health and safety
information on articles and substances they might use for work activities
- Members of the public concerning information on emergency action plans for major hazards and
as part of community relations - Visiting contractors who need to be advised on safe
working arrangements and procedures - Waste disposal contractors who should be
given information on controlled or hazardous waste produced by the organization. - Transport companies who should be given information on the precautions to be taken
in transporting hazardous substances from the organization’s site. - Legal representatives or courts who would have to be given information regarding civil claims
- Good practice to supply information: to trade
associations and trade unions on performance and social responsibilities; - To insurance companies on the safety management systems in place and to shareholders on the
organization’s level of performance as far as health and safety are concerned.
(a) Explain the purpose of Job Safety Analysis.
(b) Outline the methodology of Job Safety Analysis.
(a)
The purpose of Job Safety Analysis is to assess the hazards and risks associated with each component of a specific task, to establish whether adequate precautions are in place in order to reduce the risk of injury, and to produce a system of work that provides a safe way of performing the task
(b)
The methodology of Job Safety Analysis involves selecting the job or work to be examined; breaking it down into its chronological component parts; examining each part to identify its hazards and associated risks; developing control measures to
eliminate or mitigate the risks; installing the control measures as a safe system of work, and ensuring that the system is well understood by both management and workers. Additionally, it will be necessary to review both the job and its safe system of work at regular intervals in order to introduce amendments when conditions and or circumstances have changed.
(a)
In relation to a binding contractual agreement, give the meaning of:
(i) express terms;
(ii) implied terms.
(b)
In relation to a new contract, outline the health and safety information that should be stated in the contract terms.
(i) Express terms: are those specifically mentioned and agreed by all parties at the time the contract is made. They may take account of unusual circumstances but should not include unfair terms
(ii) Implied terms: are neither written in the contract nor specifically agreed, are open to interpretation, and include terms such as matters of fact and matters of custom and practice. In cases of dispute, they may ultimately have to be determined by a court of law
(b)
Reference to the provision of a safe working environment with safe means of access and egress
and the provision of safe plant and equipment. Reference should also be made to the need to draw up procedures to deal with any emergency that might occur, to provide information, training, and supervision for the workforce, and to ensure adequate welfare
facilities are in place.
A maintenance worker is asphyxiated when working in an empty fuel tank. A subsequent investigation found that the worker had been operating without a permit-to-work.
(a) Outline why a permit-to-work would be considered necessary in these circumstances.
(b) Outline possible reasons why the permit-to-work procedure is not followed on this occasion.
(a)
a risk assessment of the work to be done would have identified the need for a permit to work since the activity involved is a non-routine, high-risk task in a confined space where the precautions to be taken are complex, particularly since additional hazards might be introduced as the work progressed and it is, therefore an activity requiring a structural and systematic approach. Additionally, a permit to work in such circumstances might also be a legal or national requirement.
(b)
No, or an inadequate risk assessment had been carried out and consequently the potential hazards had not been identified. There could also have been a poor health and safety culture within the organization where violations are routine and where a permit to work system is considered to be too bureaucratic and where complying with the terms of a permit prevents a task from being finished quickly particularly when there is pressure to complete.
The difficulty in organizing the required control measures before starting work, particularly if a competent person is not at hand to authorize the permit; the controls to be followed are not described either clearly or specifically; the failure on the part of management to stress the importance of using a permit in such circumstances and ultimately the possibility that the organization had failed to introduce and operate a permit to work system.
(a) Identify influential bodies in regulating health and safety performance AND outline how they may exert their influence.
(b) Some organizations may decide to adopt standards such as OHSAS 18001. Describe how demonstrating compliance with such a standard can be used to:
(i) Promote health and safety performance in a company;
(ii) Regulate health and safety performance in a company.
(a)
Employer and trade associations who set performance standards for their members and require self-regulation and accredited management systems;
Trade unions where representatives check workplace conditions and provide advice and guidance;
Enforcement agencies who check compliance with standards, provide advice and guidance, and take enforcement action when this is seen to be necessary;
The ILO who as well as publishing advice and guidance, enforce standards by means of conventions and recommendations in ratifying countries;
Insurance companies who require specific performance standards to obtain the cover they provide;
Certification bodies who seek compliance with particular standards;
Courts of law through their judgments and interpretation of health and safety law
pressure groups who may run bad publicity campaigns for non-performing organizations; and the media by their publicity and their way of sensationalizing certain events
(b)
(i)
Can promote health and safety performance in a company by communicating minimum standards of
performance; developing systems for compliance supported by senior management and involving workers in their development; using departmental auditing scores and internal performance league tables to encourage compliance; introducing a reward
schemes linked to compliance; using compliance as a marketing tool in attracting clients, and publishing performance achievements in the company’s annual report.
(ii)
In the case of a failure to maintain compliance, stakeholders might take retribution against the management team, clients and business partners may cease to engage with the company, and insurance companies may withdraw their cover.
Accordingly, the threat of loss of business and damage to the company image may help to improve standards and management commitment. Additionally, internal and third-party audits will identify failing compliance and require solutions to be put in place to maintain accreditation with the possibility of internal sanctions being imposed on offending departments for non-compliance. Finally, the organization will always be conscious of the various actions that might be taken by the accrediting body from informal notification of failure to comply with the standard, through formal notification if non-conformance is to continue to the ultimate act of withdrawal of its accreditation.
(a) Organisations are said to have both formal and informal structures and groups. Outline the difference between ‘formal’ AND ‘informal’ in this context.
(b) The development of a health and safety culture requires control, co-operation, communication, and competence. Outline what ‘co-operation’ means in this context, AND give examples to support your answer.
(c) Organisational change can, if not properly managed, promote a negative health and safety culture. Outline the reasons for this.
(a)
A formal structure or group is hierarchical, generally shown in an organizational chart and characterized by defined responsibilities and agreed to report lines, while an informal structure is characterized by social and personal relationships, habitual and related contacts, and the presence of strong characters with personality and communication skills that may exert personal influence.
(b)
To formal consultation arrangements such as those with safety representatives, direct consultation with workers at team meetings and participation in
safety committee meetings and also to an informal consultation on safety issues during the day to day discussions with workers. ‘Co-operation’ would also include the involvement of workers in safety processes such as carrying out risk assessments and
developing systems of work; playing their part in incident investigations, inspections, audits, and other monitoring processes; being encouraged to report hazards and ‘near miss’ incidents, and being invited to become members of safety circles for problem-solving. Finally, the provision of training and development would be an important factor in maximizing the involvement of workers in health and safety matters.
(c)
the profile of safety may not be maintained during the change and new job responsibilities may not have covered safety issues comprehensively; normal consultation mechanisms and routes may be
disrupted; training in safety issues for new job-holders or for new responsibilities may not have been completed; the lack of adequate means of communication during the change may compromise trust and poor consultation on change issues may have a negative effect on cooperation and on other issues including safety; there may be concern about job security which could encourage risk-taking; redundancy processes or cost reduction measures may produce a perception that the organization is not
concerned with personal well-being; experience or knowledge of risk controls may be lost with changes of personnel; the safety implications of changes in personnel or numbers may not have been properly assessed; the extensive movement of personnel
makes it harder to establish shared perceptions and values; greater use of outsourcing without good control may result in lower safety standards by contractors which may affect the perception of priorities; and last but not least the effects of
natural resistance to change
Outline the benefits of:
(a) integrated health and safety, environmental and quality management system;
(b) separate health and safety, environmental, and quality management systems.
(a)
Consistency of format and a lower overall cost through the avoidance of duplication in procedural, recordkeeping, compliance auditing, and software areas; avoiding narrow decision making that solves a problem in one area but creates a problem in another; encouraging priorities and resource utilization that reflect the overall needs of the organization
rather than an individual discipline; applying the benefits from good initiatives in one
area to other areas; encouraging team working and equal influence amongst
specialists; encouraging the spread of a positive culture across all three disciplines;
and providing scope for the integration of other risk areas such as security or product
safety
(b)
providing a more flexible approach tailored to business needs in terms of system complexity and
operating philosophy - for example, safety standards must meet minimum legal requirements whereas quality standards can be set internally and, therefore, the need for a more complex system in one element may not be mirrored by a similar need in other elements; existing systems may work well and the process of integration may expend unnecessary resources and affect their effectiveness; business needs may demand systems of different complexity so bureaucracy can be more easily tailored to
the needs of the subject; separate systems might be clearer for external stakeholders or regulators to understand and work with; and finally, they may encourage a more detailed and focused approach to auditing and standards.
A manufacturing company with major on and off-site hazards is analyzing the risks and controls associated with a particular process and containment failure.
Following a process containment failure (f=0.5/yr), a failure detection mechanism should detect the release. Once detected, an alarm sounds then a suppressant is activated.
Finally, in order to control the initial release, an operator is required to initiate manual control measures following the release of the suppressant.
As part of the analysis, the company has decided to quantify the risks associated with a substance released from the process and develop a quantified event tree from the data.
Frequency/reliability of each activity: Process containment failure 0.5 per year Failure detection 0.95 Alarm sounders 0.99 Release suppression 0.85 Manual control measures activated 0.8
(a) Using the data provided, draw an event tree that shows the sequence of events following a process containment failure. (6)
(b) Calculate the frequency of an uncontrolled release resulting from process containment failure.
(c) Outline the factors that that should be considered when determining whether the frequency of the uncontrolled risk is tolerable or not.
(d) If the risk is found to be intolerable, outline the methodology for a cost-benefit analysis with respect to the process described.
(b)
Release 1 = 0.5 x 0.05 = 0.025/yr
Release 2 = 0.5 x 0.95 x 0.01 = 0.00475/yr
Release 3 = 0.5 x 0.95 x 0.99 x 0.15 = 0.071/yr
Release 4 = 0.5 x 0.95 x 0.99 x 0.85 x 0.2 = 0.08/yr
The frequency of an uncontrolled release would therefore be:
0.025 + 0.00475 + 0.071 + 0.08 = 0.181/yr. or once every 5.5 years.
(c)
The frequency of the uncontrolled risk is tolerable or not include the plant location taking into account the
health and environmental implications of a release
The cause of the release such as for example, as a result of a catastrophe together with the inevitable public outrage that it would arouse;
Historical data; relevant legal requirements;
The impact that a failure would have on production and the cost of control measures;
And published risk data such as those contained in Reducing Risks Protecting People.
(d)
The first step of the methodology for a cost-benefit analysis would comprise the quantification of process losses and improvement costs in terms of monetary value.
Should a comparison indicate that process losses together with other possible losses such as damage to the organization’s reputation exceed improvement costs,
the improvement of work should be carried out. A payback period would need to be established with due consideration being given to the value of the money involved spread over the period of time.
As the Health and Safety Adviser to a large organization, you have decided to develop and introduce an in-house auditing program to assess the effectiveness of the organization’s health and safety management system.
Describe the organizational and planning issues to be addressed in the development of the audit program. You do not need to consider the specific factors to be audited.
(a)
The scope and terms of reference of the audit, the logistics and resources required and obtaining the support and commitment of senior managers and other key stakeholders since if this is not obtained, much-required information
might not be forthcoming and the value of the audit would be diminished. Other matters for consideration are the nature, scale, and frequency of the auditing relative to the level of risk involved, the standards against which the management arrangements
are to be audited such as, legal or good practice, and the identification of the key elements of the audit process such as the planning, interviews and verification, feedback routes and the preparation and presentation of the final report.
The need to develop audit protocols and consider issues such as scoring or the use of proprietary software.
The types of auditing such as comprehensive, horizontal, or vertical slicing; its scope such as
management system elements or selected performance standards; the use of a single auditor or audit teams; and the training of auditors and briefing of those members of the organization who are likely to be affected
