NEBOSH NGC1 (element 1) Flashcards
KEY DEFINITIONS:
Health.
Safety.
Welfare.
Health: the absence of disease.
Safety: the absence of risk of serious personal injury.
Welfare: access to basic facilities.
THE BARRIERS TO GOOD STANDARDS OF H and S
Complexity: workplaces can be complex involving many people and many different activities.
Conflicting Demands: example-the need to provide product/service at speed/profit and the need to do so safely and without risk to health.
Behavioural Issues: for varying reasons, people do not always behave the way they are supposed to-by mistake or deliberately.
THE 3 MAIN REASONS FOR AN ORGANISATION TO MANAGE H and S
1) Moral.
2) Economic.
3) Legal.
THE BUSINESS CASE FOR H and S - ACCIDENTS AND ILL HEALTH ARE EXPENSIVE
THE 2 COSTS ASSOCIATED ARE ?…..
1) Direct Costs - the measurable cost of an accident.
2) Indirect Costs - indirect costs are hard to identify and quantify and can be potentially extremely high.
DIRECT COST EXAMPLES
. First Aid . Sick Pay . Repairs to damaged equipment/buildings . Replacement of damaged equipment/buildings . Lost or damaged product . Lost production time dealing with injury . Overtime to make up lost time . Employee rehab costs . Fines - Criminal Court . Compensation . Increased Insurance costs
INDIRECT COST EXAMPLES
. loss of staff for varying reasons - e.g. investigations,
report preparing, hospital visits, court proceedings etc.
. Loss of staff morale - impacts productivity/efficiency
. Any Remedial actions required
. Served Enforcement Notice compliance
. Cost of recruiting/training temp/replacement labour
. Difficulties recruiting new and retaining existing staff
. Loss of client/customer goodwill
. Potential penalty clauses for late completion/delivery
. Damaged business reputation/public image
. Damaged industrial image - industrial action
INSURANCES LEGALLY REQUIRED
Employers’ Liability Insurance -
Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969.
Minimum cover - £ 5 million.
Certificate to be clearly displayed (can be made available in electric form) and produced upon request.
LEGAL FRAMEWORK:
THE 2 TYPES OF LAW ARE ?…..
Criminal Law
Civil Law
CRIMINAL LAW
Punishment of companies/individuals who have broken Statute H and S Law
Action brought by the State.
Intention is Punishment.
No time limit for proceedings to start.
Insurance is NOT available to pay any Fine.
Statute Law is used as the source of law.
Prosecution to prove “Guilt Beyond Reasonable Doubt”
CIVIL LAW
Compensation of people who have been injured or made ill in work related incidents through no fault of their own.
Action brought by the Individual.
Intention is Compensation.
Proceedings to start within 3 years of date of injury.
Insurance IS available to pay the compensation.
Common Law is used as source of law.
Claimants prove cases “On Balance of Probabilities”.
THE 2 SOURCES OF LAW ARE ?…..
Statute Law - made by parliament - Acts, Regulations.
Common Law - made by judges by precedents that they set by their decision making
HSE CAN ISSUE ENFORCEMENT NOTICES OR PROSECUTE IN THE CRIMINAL COURTS:
THE 2 TYPES OF ENFORCEMENT NOTICE ARE ?…..
Improvement Notice.
Prohibition Notice.
IMPROVEMENT NOTICE
Issued where inspector thinks H and S Law is being breached, or a breach has occurred and is likely to be repeated.
Only issued if Inspector DOES NOT believe there is a risk of serious personal injury.
It will state an improvement must be made to meet minimum legal standards, and will impose a timescale the inspector thinks appropriate.
Timescale can be no less than 21 days.
Inspector may state the specific action required and make reference to ACoP’s and Guidance.
It is served on the person in charge of the workplace or activity that is in breach - usually the employer.
Any appeal against the notice must be made within 21 days.
PROHIBITION NOTICE
Issued when the Inspector thinks THERE IS a risk of serious personal injury.
It will state the activity must be stopped until such time as it has been remedied.
No timescale is specified.
Inspector does not need to see a breach of H and S law.
It is served on the person in charge of the workplace or activity that is in breach - usually the employer.
Any appeal against the notice must be made within 21 days.
POWERS OF INSPECTORS - Section 20 HSWA
. enter premises, at any reasonable time.
. take along police officer if they believe they will be
obstructed.
. carry out examinations and investigations.
. direct the premises (in whole or in part) or items within
are left undisturbed.
. take photographs, drawings and measurements.
. take samples of articles, substances and atmospheres.
. dismantle and/or test any item or substance deemed
dangerous.
. take possession of articles or substances for
examination or test, or as evidence in proceedings.
. take statements. Interviewees must answer the
questions and sign the statement of their answers. (not
admissible as evidence against themselves).
. inspect and copy any relevant document.
. receive access to reasonable facilities and assistance
conducting their investigation.
. any other power necessary to fulfil the duty of their
enforcement authority.
. to seize and render harmless any article/substance
giving rise to imminent danger or serious personal
injury.
ENFORCEMENT NOTICE FAILURE TO COMPLY MAXIMUM PENALTIES
Magistrates Court: Unlimited fine and/or 6 months imprisonment.
Crown Court: Unlimited fine and/or 2 years imprisonment
FEE FOR INTERVENTION (FFI)
Allows HSE to recover its costs if it is found a MATERIAL BREACH of H and S Law has occurred
MATERIAL BREACH
A CONTRAVENTION OF H and S LAW REQUIRING THE ISSUE OF:
A notification of contravention*
An Improvement or Prohibition Notice
A prosecution
WRITTEN NOTIFICATIONS MUST INCLUDE ?…..
The law that the inspector’s opinion relates to.
The reasons for their opinion.
Notification that a Fee is payable to the HSE
3 TYPES OF OFFENCE
Summary Offences
Indictable Offences
Triable either way
SUMMARY OFFENCES
Minor offences dealt with in a Magistrates Court.
INDICTABLE OFFENCES
More serious offences. A formal document (the indictment) is drawn up following Magistrate Court hearing.
The case is then heard in Crown Court > Court of Appeal
TRIABLE EITHER WAY
Offences triable in either court, either by the prosecution (gravity of offence being the main influence) or the accused exercising their rite to be tried by Jury.
DEFENCES
Accused can argue, on balance of probabilities, that they had done everything that was practicable, or reasonably practicable in the circumstances.
SECTION 40 HSWA 1974
Usual burden of of proof reversed. The Accused has to prove their innocence - that they had done all that was “reasonably practicable” under the circumstances.
MANSLAUGHTER - INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS
Individuals: Gross Negligence Manslaughter - Where their conduct fell well below the standards of a reasonable man.
Max Sentence: Life Imprisonment.
Organisations: Corporate Manslaughter
Max Sentence: Unlimited Fine - Ordered to publicise its offence and/or remedy its management failings.
CORPORATE MANSLAUGHTER AND CORPORATE HOMICIDE ACT 2002
Guilty of offence if the way the organisation managed/organised its activities :-
. caused a death.
. amounts to gross breach of duty of care to deceased.
. if senior management activities were a substantial
.element in the gross breach.
TORT OF NEGLIGENCE - CIVIL LAW
A tort is a civil wrong.
Tort action through Civil Court.
Offence in the context of H and S is NEGLIGENCE.
NEGLIGENCE DEFINITION
A failure to take reasonable care when a duty to do so existed.
TO DEMONSTRATE NEGLIGENCE A CLAIMANT MUST SHOW THAT:
. a duty of care was owed
. the duty of care was breached
. they suffered an injury or loss as a direct result of the breach of duty of care
CONTRIBUTORY NEGLIGENCE
a partial defence against a claim of negligence where A PART OF THE BLAME FOR THE INJURY IS ATTRIBUTED TO SOMEONE ELSE other than the defendant.
VICARIOUS LIABILITY
an Employer can be held liable for the negligent acts (or commissions) of his employees.
SECTION 47 HSWA 1974
a civil action can not employ H and S legislation as section 47 explicitly prevents the HSWA 1974 or Regulations made under the Act from being used for this purpose - Statute Barred.
1 exception - new and expectant mothers. (P 1-17)
TYPES OF COMPENSATION
General compensation:
pain and suffering, loss of amenity, loss of future earnings etc. Court decides amount.
Special compensation:
loss of earnings up to trial date, travel expenses to hospital etc. Claimant to prove amounts