Unit B Jan 2018 Exam Flashcards
Outline what an employer should consider when carrying out an assessment to determine the first-aid provision needed in the workplace. (10)
- The nature of the work and workplace hazards and risks
- The nature of the workforce
- The accident statistics
- Size of the organization
- The needs of travelling, remote and lone workers
- Work patterns
- The distribution of the workforce
- The remoteness of the site from emergency medical services
- Workers working on shared or multi-occupied sites.
- Annual leave and other absences of first aiders
- First aid provision for non-workers.
Workers in a chemical plant are provided with gloves to protect against the harmful effects of the chemicals, but a significant number of workers are reporting hand and lower arm skin complaints.
Outline possible reasons why these skin complaints may be occurring even though workers are provided with gloves. (10)
- Misusing the gloves
- The gloves being faulty
- The gloves may not be suitable for the type of chemical being used e.g. using nitrile gloves on acetone.
- Workers are removing the gloves when performing certain tasks due to the gloves being too thick, thereby impairing grip and dexterity, exposing their skin to the chemicals e.g. when fastening bolts.
- The workers may be wearing gloves over sweaty hands over long periods of time may cause skin rashes and irritations.
- The workers may be using the gloves for periods longer than recommended, thereby exposing them to chemicals due to the wear and tear of the gloves.
- Lack of proper maintenance and storage of the gloves may result in their ineffectiveness, thereby exposing the workers to the chemicals e.g. storing them where there is direct sunlight thereby weakening the integrity of the material.
- The chemicals may be penetrating through the gloves through seams, pinholes and other imperfections in the material.
- The chemicals may be permeating through the gloves and onto the skin of the workers.
- The length of the gloves may be inadequate, e.g. forearms may be exposed thereby requiring gauntlets to be used instead of gloves.
- false sense of security caused by gloves that have been exposed to wear and tear.
An employer wants to use a local exhaust ventilation (LEV) system to control workers’ exposure to a hazardous gas generated during a manufacturing process.
(a) (i) Outline control options that the employer should consider before deciding an LEV system is the appropriate means of control. (4)
(ii) Outline what the employer should consider when specifying an LEV system to control this hazardous gas. (4)
(b) Other than the employer, identify TWO other persons with responsibilities in relation to an LEV system. (2)
(a) (i) Outline control options that the employer should consider before deciding an LEV system is the appropriate means of control. (4) LEV is an engineering control system used to reduce exposure to airborne contaminants such as dust, fumes, mist, vapor or gas in a workplace. The employer must consider a hierarchy of controls:
1. Eliminating the hazardous substance where reasonably practicable.
2. Replacing the substance with a less harmful or less toxic substance.
3. Modifying the process of working.
4. Changing the method of work.
(ii) Outline what the employer should consider when specifying an LEV system to control this hazardous gas. (4)
1. the source of the gas
2. the hazardous properties of the gas
3. how the gas rises.
4. how contaminant clouds move within the surrounding air.
(b) Other than the employer, identify TWO other persons with responsibilities in relation to an LEV system. (2)
* The LEV owner: employer/ employee - process operator and routine checks.
* LEV supplier: designer and installer
* The LEV service provider: commissioner, maintenance engineer, examiner.
Norovirus is a common cause of gastroenteritis that can spread rapidly in closed communities such as hospitals, care homes and cruise ships.
(a) Explain how the virus is transmitted. (3)
(b) Identify the symptoms of norovirus. (3)
(c) Outline how the spread of the virus can be minimised. (4)
(a) Explain how the virus is transmitted. (3)
* fecally contaminated food/water.
* person to person contact
* aerosolisation of vomited virus and subsequent contamination of surfaces.
(b) Identify the symptoms of norovirus. (3)
* Suddenly feeling sick
* projectile vomiting
* watery diarrhea
* Some people have a slight headache, fever, painful stomach cramps, and aching limbs.
(c) Outline how the spread of the virus can be minimized. (4)
* Regularly clean communal areas such as washrooms and kitchens
* In the event of an outbreak, commission a deep clean of the workplace.
* Promote good hygiene standards: ask staff to regularly wash their hands. Ensure good quality hand sanitizers are available.
* Isolate sick staff for at least 48 hours
A survey of an industrial building has revealed extensive use of asbestos material.
(a) Identify where asbestos might have been used in the building. (2)
(b) Outline control measures that could help protect workers in the industrial building from exposure to asbestos. (8)
(a) Identify where asbestos might have been used in the building. (2)
* On the floor tiles
* On the lagging of boilers and pipes
* On the ceiling tiles
* Toilet seat and cistern
(b) Outline control measures that could help protect workers in the industrial building from exposure to asbestos. (8)
* Where reasonably practicable, replacing or substituting the asbestos with a less harmful substance. Depends on location of the asbestos and cost of removal.
* Process separation, automation or enclosure: processes are kept separate from the other work processes and areas.
* Bonding asbestos with other materials to prevent dust generation.
* General ventilation of the working areas with clean air: ensure that the air around work areas is ventilated sufficiently.
* Local ventilation of processes, operations, processes, operations, equipment and tools for the dissemination of dust services.
* Use of work methods where appropriate: water or other wet substances.
* Separate work processes for certain processes where there is danger of any release of any breathable area.
* Regular cleaning of work areas and machinery by appropriate method.
* Proper use of PPE
*
(a) Give the meaning of the term ‘occupational health’. (2)
A large organization is outsourcing its occupational health service to a contractor. It has been advised to choose a contractor that carries the SEQOHS logo.
(b) (i) Identify what SEQOHS stands for. (1)
(ii) Outline how SEQOHS operates. (5)
(c) Outline TWO benefits to a worker of having access to an occupational health service at work. (2)
(a) Give the meaning of the term ‘occupational health’. (2) * The promotion of health and prevention of ill-health in the workplace.
(b) (i) Identify what SEQOHS stands for. (1)
* “Safe, Effective, Quality Occupational Health Service”.
(ii) Outline how SEQOHS operates. (5)
* enable services to identify the standards of practice to which they should aspire
* credit good work being done by high quality occupational health services, providing independent validation that they satisfy standards of quality
* raise standards where they need to be raised
* help purchasers differentiate occupational health services that attain the desired standards from those that do not
(c) Outline TWO benefits to a worker of having access to an occupational health service at work. (2)
* Helps to demonstrate that the business is socially responsible
* provides critical support to the process of effective absence management and increase the number of staff coming to work earlier.
The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE’s) manual handling assessment charts (MAC) is a tool that can be used to determine manual handling risks of various types of activity, including lifting operations. The MAC tool assigns numerical scores to a range of risk factors.
(a) (i) Identify FIVE risk factors in the MAC tool that should be considered for a lifting operation carried out by an individual. (5)
(ii) For EACH of the risk factors identified in (a) (i), describe how the numerical scores vary as the lifting operation changes. (5)
Reference to the exact numerical scores is not required.
(b) Explain why using the MAC tool alone may not result in a fully ‘suitable and sufficient’ risk assessment. (5)
An internet-based delivery organization operates a large warehouse where workers pick loads weighing between 2kg and 20kg. The workers carry these loads to an area where the items are stacked on to pallets.
The organization decides to use the HSE’s variable manual handling assessment chart (V-MAC) to assess the manual handling risks to its workers, who work 8-hour shifts.
(c) Outline why the V-MAC tool is suitable in this scenario
Delivery drivers use pallet trucks to load the stacked pallets on to delivery vehicles.
(d) Comment on the use of the V-MAC tool in this situation. (1)
(a) (i) Identify FIVE risk factors in the MAC tool that should be considered for a lifting operation carried out by an individual. (5)
* Load weight and lifting frequency
* The grip on the load
* Vertical lift region
* Postural constraints
* Carrying distance
* Floor Surface
(ii) For EACH of the risk factors identified in (a) (i), describe how the numerical scores vary as the lifting operation changes. (5)
* Load weight and lifting frequency - The bigger the load, the higher the risk rating. The more frequent one carries the load the higher the risk.
* Vertical lift region
* Postural constraints
* Carrying distance
* Floor Surface
(b) Explain why using the MAC tool alone may not result in a fully ‘suitable and sufficient’ risk assessment. (5)
* does not take into account additional information such as individual capabilities.
* does not take into account industry specific guidance
* Risk assessment must take into account knowledge of industry expertise
* does not take into account specialist advice
* Does not consult workers and their representatives.
(c) Outline why the V-MAC tool is suitable in this scenario
(d) Comment on the use of the V-MAC tool in this situation. (1)
* It would help for varying load weights or the amount of time a task is carried out.
Dental practitioners and receptionists often work alone and can be subject to work-related violence/aggression from patients.
(a) Outline why dentists and receptionists may be at risk of work-related violence/aggression from patients. (5)
(b) Outline control measures that could help reduce work-related violence/aggression from patients. (15)
(a) Outline why dentists and receptionists may be at risk of work-related violence/aggression from patients. (5)
* Dentists may be lone workers
* Patient may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs
* Patient frustration about long waiting times.
* Cultural, ethnic and tribal conflict.
* Works with the public who tend to have different temperaments.
* Robbery due to the receptionist collecting money (cash) from patients.
(b) Outline control measures that could help reduce work-related violence/aggression from patients. (15)
* Adopt cash free systems
* Design comfortable and calm waiting room for the patients including tv and magazines
* Increase security: cctv, screen doors and security cameras
* Communication systems: mark all offenders, panic buttons placed in a discreet place alerting security
* Visible security guards in the premises
* Training: how to handle aggressive patients before they attack, awareness of body language so as to be aware of potential attacks.
* implement a zero violence tolerance policy * procedures
A new health club is planning to install ultraviolet (UV) tanning equipment. The equipment uses UV sources with a higher intensity than normal sunlight to accelerate tanning.
(a) Identify effects that could result from exposure to UV radiation. (4)
(b) Outline control measures that could be put in place for workers and customers for the safe operation of this equipment at the health club. (12)
(c) Identify TWO other workplaces where sources of UV radiation are found AND identify how exposure to UV radiation occurs in EACH workplace. (4)
(a) Identify effects that could result from exposure to UV radiation. (4)
(b) Outline control measures that could be put in place for workers and customers for the safe operation of this equipment at the health club. (12)
* locating workers away from the tanning equipment
* safety controls on the equipment
* regular maintenance of equipment * *changing tubes
* calibrating the timer
* PAT testing.
(c) Identify TWO other workplaces where sources of UV radiation are found AND identify how exposure to UV radiation occurs in EACH workplace. (4)
A night club hires musicians and DJs to play live and pre-recorded amplified music daily, from a stage. In the same room is a bar where workers are employed serving drinks.
Following personal noise exposure monitoring, a high risk of excessive noise exposure was identified for all workers in the bar area. Suitable hearing protection has been provided to all the bar workers.
Other than the provision of hearing protection, outline control measures that could help reduce the risks to the bar workers’ hearing. (20)
Other than the provision of hearing protection, outline control measures that could help reduce the risks to the bar workers’ hearing. (20)
- frequent breaks away from the noise or in a quiet room
- training of workers in the risks associated with exposure to high noise levels and the control measures implemented in the workplace
- Installation of acoustic materials in the walls, ceilings or floors.
(a) Outline the purpose of a heat stress index when assessing the thermal environment. (3)
The most widely used heat stress index in industry is the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index.
(b) (i) Identify the measurements that need to be taken to determine the WBGT index. (3)
(ii) Outline the principle of operation of the instruments that should be used to make EACH of the measurements identified in (b) (i). (7)
(c) A manufacturing process produces high levels of heat and steam.
Outline control measures that could help reduce heat stress among workers in this environment. (7)
(a) Outline the purpose of a heat stress index when assessing the thermal environment. (3)
The most widely used heat stress index in industry is the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index.
(b) (i) Identify the measurements that need to be taken to determine the WBGT index. (3)
(ii) Outline the principle of operation of the instruments that should be used to make EACH of the measurements identified in (b) (i). (7)
(c) A manufacturing process produces high levels of heat and steam.
Outline control measures that could help reduce heat stress among workers in this environment. (7)
