Unit A7 Questions Ollie Flashcards
(a) Outline the purpose of task analysis. (2)
b) Outline a method for carrying out task analysis. (8
(a) To analyse all aspects of a task in order to improve efficiency and safety
SREDIM is a systematic Process for a task analysis
Select. The task to be analysed
Record: Break the job down in to its components and record the sequence of of the steps of the job
Evaluate: Evaluate the each component part of the job to determine the risk of accidents
Determine: Determine and develop control measures for each component or reduce to reduce or eliminate the risk from occurring
Implement:Impliment formal written safety procedures and safety instructions for the job being reviewed
Maintain: Review the procedures at regular intervals to ensure they are being used
For a range of internal information sources:
(a) outline how EACH source contributes to risk assessment; (7)
(b) outline limitations of internal information sources. (3)
(a) Internal sources such as
• Accident, Near-miss Reports:: these reports are useful information as they clearly identify hazards
that either have or had potential to cause injury / ill health.
They are useful during the risk assessment as they help in the evaluation of likelihood and severity of injury and hence contribute to estimating the degree of risk involved;
• Absence records may also be an indication of problems.
• Inspection reports – may be useful in identifying the hazardous conditions in the work place and also common types of control failures. This process not only aids the hazard identification process but also influences risk assessment; the effectiveness of various control options can be better estimated based on current controls
• Audit reports may be useful in a similar way; in identifying hazards that have been overlooked and identifying the effectiveness / reliability of existing control measures.
• Maintenance Records – may be useful in determining the effectiveness and reliability of particular control in the work place, such as automatic warning system, guards, PPEs etc.
(b) Limitations of using internal information sources include:
The information on accidents is only based on local data and therefore because something hasn’t happened yet may give a false sense of likelihood/frequency.
A larger sample size (use of external data) may be required or use of near miss data instead.
Reports of ill-health may be due to a combination of a work situation plus a pre-existing condition.
(a) Give the meaning of:
(i) qualitative risk assessment; (3)
(ii) quantitative risk assessment; (2)
(iii) dynamic risk assessment. (2)
(i) Qualitative risk assessment involves the use of broad categories to arrive at broad measures of risk.
Following a comprehensive identification of hazards, broad categories are used to classify the likelihood of hazards and the severity of their consequences. The categories may be descriptors or numbers. These assessments are likely to be subjective and based very much on the assessors experience.
(ii) Quantitative risk assessment on the other hand is a numerical representation of actual frequency and /or probability of an event and its consequences. It often involves comparison with databases
(iii) Dynamic risk assessment is needed when work activities involve changing environments and individual workers need to make quick mental assessments to manage risks. Police, fire-fighters, teachers and lone workers, for example, often have to make swift risk judgments and identify controls, sometimes on their own and in high-pressure, potentially stressful, environments.
b) Identify sources of information that may be used to identify hazards during the risk assessment process. (4)
Internal & External
(b) Internal sources include: Accident, Near-miss Reports, Absence Ill-health Safety Inspection reports Audit reports Maintenance Records
(b)
External sources include:
Best practices Guidance from Health & Safety Executive (HSE)
HSE Accident statistics and ill-health data which again assist with the identification of hazards and the probability of their associated risk;
International bodies – such as International Labour organization, the world health organization, the European Agency for Safety and Health (EU OSHA)
Professional bodies such as IOSH, IIRSM
Trade Unions / Trade associations – they produce information on safety and health matters. Insurance companies – set the level of premiums and need the data to calculate the probable risks of any venture. The average risks from many activities can be found.
Manufacturers / suppliers can indicate the extent of hazards and relevant control options that might be necessary for example MSDS from chemical suppliers provides essential information on the chemical nature of a hazardous substances and necessary control measures.
Similarly, the noise and vibration magnitude data from a machinery supplier can give an insight into the potential noise or vibration exposure and the subsequent exposure controls necessary.
c) Outline potential difficulties of carrying out qualitative risk assessments. (7)
(c)Potential difficulties of carrying out qualitative risk assessments
They are based on judgement, opinion and experience. Peoples understanding of terms such as minor, moderate and major may differ. Care must be taken to judge the most likely outcome and not always the worst even though that may be possible (though not likely).
Information is not precise and therefore the assessments are likely to be subjective
(d) Other than significant risks, hazards and record of persons, outline what should be included in the significant findings section of a risk assessment. (2)
(d)
Details on existing control measures need to included along with recommendations for further measures that may be necessary.
(a) Outline how task analysis may be used to help with hazard identification as part of a risk assessment process. (2)
SREDEIM process
(a) Task analysis is the process whereby a work activity is observed and the various tasks involved broken down into sub-routines so that hazardous activities or safety-critical “nodes” can be identified; a systematic approach which breaks the job down into tasks and sub-tasks - sometimes referred to as “Hierarchical Task Analysis”. Helps identify hazards and can reduce human error by identifying key high risk / safety-critical elements of the task which can then be modified or safeguards introduced to eliminate or lower the likelihood of error occurring.
(b) Giving a practical example in each case, explain why the number of people exposed to a hazard could affect both the probability and severity components of risk. (4)
(b) Number of people exposed affects “PROBABILITY” because the more people there are exposed the higher the likelihood of harm eg increasing the numbers of people in a vehicle manoeuvring area increases the likelihood of collision / pedestrian injury.
Number of people exposed affects “SEVERITY” because where large numbers are exposed the consequences may be more serious eg Bhopal; similarly, the presence of large numbers of people may increase severity of outcome eg in fire emergency, infection outbreak - Legionnaires disease (or whatever)
(c) Identify types of external UK publications to which an employer may refer when deciding whether the level of risk associated with a specific hazard has been reduced to an acceptable level. In each case outline how the publication may assist in deciding acceptable levels of risk. (4)
(c)External sources: Legislation / Statutory Instruments; HSE - guidance / ACoPs / case studies, statistical reports etc. - assist compliance; British / European Standards; Health Protection Agency - guidance / information - eg radon; Professional bodies - IOSH; Insurance companies - statistics / industry specific data; Trade organisations - Chemical Industry Association (CIA); Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA); Engineering Employers Federation (EEF); Trades Union Conference (TUC) / Confederation of British Industry (CBI) / Institute of Directors (IoD); international bodies - WHO, ILO, ESA
Select a range of internal and external information sources AND outline how EACH source contributes to risk assessment. (10)
(i)Internal Sources and outline (5)
Internal
Accident/property damage / near miss records - identify workplace hazards; provide data that can be used to identify patterns / trends in nature of accidents / ill-health - frequency, groups affected, locations etc; epidemiological and trend analysis of data on the above – assists estimations of risk / contributes to understanding of risk
Incident investigation reports - identify unsafe conditions / acts, shortcomings in control measures; Maintenance and inspection records for plant, equipment or PPE - contributes to understanding of reliability of controls and can identify hazards
Ill-health data – helps identify health hazards, contributes to understanding of risk
Proactive monitoring data - inspections, audits, sampling etc – provides information on the use and reliability of controls for different hazards/health surveillance
Proactive monitoring of working practices and workplace data records / reports - work observation records / workplace inspection records / data / audit data etc - identifies hazards, provides information on the use and reliability of controls, provides information on levels of compliance / “strengths and weaknesses” / availability and effectiveness of control measures
Maintenance records - provide details of equipment reliability / failure rates (MTTF etc)
Training records - indicates content of training and assessment; provide evidence of levels of competence / expertise contributes to evaluation of risk
Employee knowledge of working practices, hazards etc - identifies hazards, provides information on the use and reliability of controls/trade union representatives
Existing risk assessments - identifies hazards, provides information on risk controls
Select a range of internal and external information sources AND outline how EACH source contributes to risk assessment. (10)
(ii)External Sources and outline (5)
External
HSE ACoPs / guidance / reports / case studies / statistical (accident and ill-health) data etc - helps with identification of hazards, estimations of probability / severity (risk); assists compliance - identifies hazards and sets risk control standards to meet legal and good practice requirements
Professional and industry bodies/trade unions - provision of statistics and guidance identifying hazards and assisting with risk estimation and suitable risk control standards
Insurance companies/enforcement officers/consultants – may provide guidance on risk control standards International bodies such as WHO, ILO ESA - provide guidance on specific hazards and risk control standards Manufacturers information/manufacturers safety data sheets/designers info - provide hazard information Health Protection Agency / Public Health (England) - guidance / information - eg radon;
Professional bodies - IOSH;
Insurance companies - statistics / industry specific data;Trade organisations - Chemical Industry Association(CIA); Asbestos Removal Contractors Association(ARCA); Engineering Employers Federation (EEF); Trades Union Conference (TUC) / Confederation of British Industry (CBI) / Institute of Directors (IoD);
International bodies - European Agency for H&S; WHO, ILO
(a) Outline the use and limitations of fault tree analysis. (4)
FTA is useful in analysing accidents where there are multiple causes and allows the calculation of the probability of the top event; it can be used to identify the most effective points of intervention in order to reduce the probability of the top event occurring. On the negative side it is limited by the requirement of skilled analysts to work the calculations out in complex situations and its reliance on the accuracy and availability of failure data.
(a) Outline criteria that should be met for a risk assessment to be suitable and sufficient. (5)
SREDIM METHOLOGY
(a)
A proper check was made.
You asked who might be affected.
You dealt with all the obvious significant hazards, taking into account the.
Number of people who could be involved.
The precautions are reasonable, and the remaining risk is low.
The assessment was carried out by a competent person(s).
You involved your employees or their representatives in the process.
(b) Outline what should be included in the significant findings. (2)
(b)
A description of the process/activities assessed and the identification of the significant hazards involved.
Identification of groups of workers at particular risk.
Evaluation of the risks.
Identification of the adequacy of existing control measures and action plans for implementing any further control measures deemed necessary.
Date of the assessment; date of the next review; name of person conducting the assessment.
(c) Outline the requirements for review of the risk assessment. (3)
Have there been any significant changes?
Are there improvements you still need to make?
Have your workers spotted a problem?
Have you learnt anything from accidents or near misses?
