NEBOSH

MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH AND SAFETY

UNIT IG1:
For: NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety

Open Book Examination

Available for 24 hours

Guidance to learners

This is an open book examination. It is not invigilated, and you are free to use any learning
resources to which you have access, eg your course notes, or a website, etc.

By submitting this completed assessment for marking, you are declaring it is entirely your own work.
Knowingly claiming work to be your own when it is someone else’s work is malpractice, which carries
severe penalties. This means that you must not collaborate with or copy work from others. Neither
should you ‘cut and paste’ blocks of text from the Internet or other sources.

The examination begins with a scenario to set the scene. You will then need to complete a series of
tasks based on this scenario. Each task will consist of one or more questions.

Your responses to most of these tasks should wholly, or partly, draw on relevant information from the
scenario. The task will clearly state the extent to which this is required.

The marks available are shown in brackets to the right of each question, or part of each question.
This will help guide you to the amount of information required in your response. In general, one mark
is given for each correct technical point that is clearly demonstrated. Avoid writing too little as this
will make it difficult for the Examiner to award marks. Single word answers or lists are unlikely to
gain marks as this would not normally be enough to show understanding or a connection with the
scenario.

You are not expected to write more than 3 000 words in total.
Try to distribute your time and word count proportionately across all tasks.
It is recommended that you use the answer template.
Please attempt ALL tasks.

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SCENARIO

Kitchen Craft is a domestic kitchen renovation organisation that has been managed by the owner
since it opened 15 years ago. It is located on a busy main road in a city. It is comprised of a main
brick building that is painted. This building contains display kitchens for customers to view, an office
space, and rest facilities for workers. A large warehouse behind the main building stores the kitchen
stock and products ready for shipping. The workforce consists of 10 sales workers and 20
warehouse workers on various shift patterns.

The owner is enthusiastic about maintaining good sales figures and having the latest kitchens on
display. They spend most of their time with the sales workers in the main building planning these
display kitchens, meeting with customers, and making sales. As a result, the warehouse workers
deal with issues themselves. There is an informal hierarchy in the warehouse where the longest-
serving workers feel that they are justified in telling the newer or younger workers what to do. In the
past, the owner threatened the security of workers’ jobs when they asked for help. As a result, the
owner is only approached with issues when it is unavoidable. Worker B, who has worked at Kitchen
Craft since it opened, is the longest-serving warehouse worker and is often looked to for guidance by
the other warehouse workers.

In the last year, the number of near misses and accidents recorded in the warehouse has been
slowly increasing. Noticing this, Worker B has become concerned and has repeatedly asked for help
from the owner to improve health and safety in the warehouse. The owner has often dismissed these
requests as unimportant, so has provided insufficient equipment and funds. The owner’s reasoning
is that workers simply need to be more careful, and it is more important to use resources in the main
building, which is more visible to customers.

On one occasion, the owner told Worker B that Kitchen Craft has sufficient risk assessments and a
health and safety policy, and workers should know about these. Concerned that they had never seen
these documents, Worker B asked for copies. The owner produced them from a locked filing cabinet
in their office. The policy was signed and dated five years ago, and the risk assessments pre-date
this.

Recently, the owner of Kitchen Craft has been preparing for renovations to the main building. As part
of the renovations, the owner is having the organisation’s branding redesigned by an external
contractor. This contractor will also install a large sign with the new branding on the exterior wall of
the main building. To reduce costs, the owner plans to have warehouse workers carry out the task of
preparing the wall’s surface. They have asked Worker B to co-ordinate this task. The owner has
explained that the contractor is due the following week, so Worker B needs to have this task
completed in the next two days. Worker B asked if they would have to do overtime to complete this
task, as it is currently a very busy time in the warehouse. The owner frustratedly replied that Worker
B would have to fit in the task around their regular workload.

The wall preparation task

The wall is approximately 6.1 metres (20 feet) high and next to the main road. Brushes and scrapers
will be used to remove surface dirt, loose paint, and masonry from the wall to prepare it. Any
damaged render on the wall will then be repaired with wall filler and filling knives. Finally, a coat of
exterior masonry paint will be applied to the entire wall using paint rollers.

The owner explains the task to Worker B and tells them where to find the equipment. They also give
them access to an old scissor lift (a type of mobile elevated work platform/MEWP) that is stored
outdoors, behind the warehouse. Worker B has never used a MEWP before but remembers that,
during Worker C’s recent induction training, Worker C mentioned that they have experience using
MEWPs from a previous employment. On the day of the wall preparation task, Worker B informs
Worker C that they will be needed for the task. Worker C agrees to help, but comments that it is
unseasonably hot today, so it is unfortunate that they cannot work in the air-conditioned warehouse.

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The workers go to the warehouse to collect the equipment needed for the task. This takes longer
than expected as the scissor lift is not a model that Worker C has used before. Worker C asks
Worker B where they can find safety harnesses and lanyards to secure themselves inside the scissor
lift. Worker B responds that they do not think this equipment is available, but it is not something to
worry about. Worker C notices that there is rust on the scissor lift, and many of the control markings
are worn or illegible. Since they were employed recently, Worker C does not want to cause any
trouble, so continues with the task despite their concerns. They eventually manage to drive the
scissor lift into position next to the wall. Once in place, the workers begin preparing the wall.

The accident
Later that day, the workers have finished repairing the damaged render and have started painting.
Worker B decides that they will need more paint than expected and has to collect it from the
warehouse while Worker C continues working outside. Worker B lowers the scissor lift and steps out.
As Worker C is raising the scissor lift back into position, they shout over the noise of the traffic to
Worker B. They ask them to hurry, as working in the heat is unbearable, and to throw to them a
bottle of drinking water that is on the ground.

Worker B throws the bottle, but trips on a loose paving stone which affects their aim. Worker C
overreaches to catch the bottle, leaning against the scissor lift gate. The gate clasp fails, the gate
swings open and the worker falls, narrowly missing a passing pedestrian. They land on their side, on
the concrete road below. They had only raised the scissor lift a short distance when they fell.
Worker B rushes into the road to help. At the same time, a car is travelling down the road at a high
speed and the driver has to swerve to avoid hitting the workers.

Worker C is shocked by the accident and their shoulder begins to hurt, so Worker B takes them
directly indoors to the empty rest area to sit and calm down. The owner notices them sitting down
and asks why they are not working. Worker B follows the owner to their office and explains what
happened. The owner tells them that it was obviously their own fault and to be more careful. They
tell them to go back outside so that the equipment is not left unattended. Worker B responds that
they know it was a mistake, but Worker C is visibly distressed and, since there is no first-aider on
shift, Worker C should be sent to hospital in case they are injured. An argument between Worker B
and the owner develops, and results in Worker B leaving work without permission, to take Worker C
to the hospital. Furious, the owner sends another warehouse worker outdoors to complete the wall
preparation task and to retrieve the equipment.

As a result of the accident, Worker C has significant bruising to their shoulder and arm, and requires
time off work to recover.

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Task 1: Health and safety leadership

1 Comment on the negative aspects of the owner’s health and safety leadership. (12)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.

Task 2: Health and safety morals

2 What was unacceptable about the moral approach to managing health and
safety when the accident occurred? (10)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.

Task 3: Emergency arrangements

3 Comment on the negative aspects of emergency arrangements at Kitchen

Craft. (8)
Note: Your answer must be based on the scenario only.

Task 4: Possible uninsured costs incurred from the accident

4 Kitchen Craft’s insurance only covers the following costs

- warehouse equipment repairs and replacement
- warehouse stock replacement
- personal injury compensation
- civil claim awards
- medical costs.

What would the possible uninsured costs be for the organisation, from the
accident? (12)

Task 5: Identification of job factors

5 What job factors of the wall preparation task are likely to have contributed to
the accident? (8)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.

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Task 6: Recognising accident investigation failings

6 (a) What should the owner have done to secure the scene immediately after
the accident occurred? (3)
Note: Your answer must be based on the scenario only.

(b) After the contractor has installed the new sign on the exterior wall, the
owner arranges to investigate the accident.

How could this delayed action affect the ‘gathering information’ stage of
the investigation? (4)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.

Task 7: Technical and administrative control measures

7 (a) What technical control measures should have been considered prior to
the wall preparation task? (6)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.

(b) What administrative control measures could be put in place by Kitchen

Craft to help prevent a recurrence of the accident? (12)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.

Task 8: Health and safety auditing, and active monitoring

8 Worker B believes that a health and safety audit will be beneficial at Kitchen
Craft.

(a) What reasoning could Worker B give to the owner to convince them that
this would be beneficial to the organisation? (8)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.

(b) What active monitoring measures (leading indicators) could be used to

review health and safety performance at Kitchen Craft? (5)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.

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Task 9: Health and safety culture

9 Comment on how peer influence on warehouse workers may have negatively

affected the health and safety culture. (12)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.

End of examination

Now follow the instructions on submitting your answers.

Important note
All NEBOSH Intellectual Property shall remain vested in NEBOSH. NEBOSH assessment papers,
supporting documents and answer sheets must not be reproduced/copied/distributed in any way, or
any form, electronic or otherwise, without the prior written consent of NEBOSH or as required by law.

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