March 2013

NEBOSH INTERNATIONAL GENERAL

CERTIFICATE IN OCCUPATIONAL
HEALTH AND SAFETY
UNIT IGC2:
CONTROL OF INTERNATIONAL
WORKPLACE HAZARDS
MARCH 2013

CONTENTS

Introduction 2
General comments 3
Comments on individual questions 4
2 EXTERNAL
Introduction
NEBOSH (The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and
Health) was formed in 1979 as
an independent examining board and awarding body with charitable status.
We offer a comprehensive
range of globally-recognised, vocationally-related qualifications designed to
meet the health, safety,
environmental and risk management needs of all places of work in both the
private and public sectors.
Courses leading to NEBOSH qualifications attract around 35,000
candidates annually and are offered
by over 500 course providers, with exams taken in over 100 countries
around the world. Our
qualifications are recognised by the relevant professional membership
bodies including the Institution
of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and the International Institute of
Risk and Safety
Management (IIRSM).
NEBOSH is an awarding body to be recognised and regulated by the
Scottish Qualifications Authority
(SQA).
Where appropriate, NEBOSH follows the latest version of the “GCSE,
GCE, Principal Learning and
Project Code of Practice” published by the regulatory authorities in relation
to examination setting and
marking. While not obliged to adhere to this code, NEBOSH regards it as
best practice to do so.
Candidates’ scripts are marked by a team of Examiners appointed by
NEBOSH on the basis of their
qualifications and experience. The standard of the qualification is
determined by NEBOSH, which is
overseen by the NEBOSH Council comprising nominees from, amongst
others, the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE), the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Trades
Union Congress (TUC) and
the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). Representatives
of course providers, from
both the public and private sectors, are elected to the NEBOSH Council.
This report on the examination provides information on the performance of
candidates which it is
hoped will be useful to candidates and tutors in preparation for future
examinations. It is intended to be
constructive and informative and to promote better understanding of the
syllabus content and the
application of assessment criteria.

3 EXTERNAL
General comments
Many candidates are well prepared for this unit assessment and provide
comprehensive and relevant
answers in response to the demands of the question paper. This includes
the ability to demonstrate
understanding of knowledge by applying it to workplace situations.
There are always some candidates, however, who appear to be
unprepared for the unit assessment
and who show both a lack of knowledge of the syllabus content and a lack
of understanding of how key
concepts should be applied to workplace situations.
In order to meet the pass standard for this assessment, acquisition of
knowledge and understanding
across the syllabus are prerequisites. However, candidates need to
demonstrate their knowledge and
understanding in answering the questions set. Referral of candidates in this
unit is invariably because
they are unable to write a full, well-informed answer to one or more of the
questions asked.
Some candidates find it difficult to relate their learning to the questions and
as a result offer responses
reliant on recalled knowledge and conjecture and fail to demonstrate a
sufficient degree of
understanding. Candidates should prepare themselves for this vocational
examination by ensuring
their understanding, not rote-learning pre-prepared answers.
Candidates should therefore note that Examiners’ Reports are not written
to provide ‘sample answers’
but to give examples of what Examiners were expecting and more
specifically to highlight areas of
under performance.

Common pitfalls
It is recognised that many candidates are well prepared for their
assessments. However, recurrent
issues, as outlined below, continue to prevent some candidates reaching
their full potential in the
assessment.
Many candidates fail to apply the basic principles of examination
technique and for some
candidates this means the difference between a pass and a referral.
In some instances, candidates do not attempt all the required questions
or are failing to
provide complete answers. Candidates are advised to always attempt an
answer to a
compulsory question, even when the mind goes blank. Applying basic
health and safety
management principles can generate credit worthy points.
Some candidates fail to answer the question set and instead provide
information that may be
relevant to the topic but is irrelevant to the question and cannot therefore
be awarded marks.
Many candidates fail to apply the command words (also known as action
verbs, eg describe,
outline, etc). Command words are the instructions that guide the candidate
on the depth of
answer required. If, for instance, a question asks the candidate to ‘describe’
something, then
few marks will be awarded to an answer that is an outline. Similarly the
command word
‘identify’ requires more information than a ‘list’.
Some candidates fail to separate their answers into the different sub-
sections of the questions.
These candidates could gain marks for the different sections if they clearly
indicated which part
of the question they were answering (by using the numbering from the
question in their
answer, for example). Structuring their answers to address the different
parts of the question
can also help in logically drawing out the points to be made in response.
Candidates need to plan their time effectively. Some candidates fail to
make good use of their
time and give excessive detail in some answers leaving insufficient time to
address all of the
questions.
Candidates should also be aware that Examiners cannot award marks if
handwriting is
illegible.
Candidates should note that it is not necessary to start a new page in
their answer booklet for
each section of a question.
4 EXTERNAL

Question 1 A factory producing furniture uses wood in the manufacturing

process and
is concerned about the health risks of wood dust.
(a) Identify operations that are likely to produce high levels of wood
dust in this workplace.
(b) Identify health risks that could be associated with the wood dust.
(4)
(c) Outline control measures that could reduce the risk from the
wood dust.
This question related to Element 7 of the syllabus and assessed
candidates’
knowledge of learning outcome 7.5: Outline hazards, risks and controls
associated
with specific agents.
Part (a) of this question assessed knowledge of operations such as sawing
and
sanding that would generate dust and part (b) related to the health risks,
such as
irritation of skin and eyes, that could arise from exposure to that dust. Part
(c) required
an outline of control measures which could include those to minimise dust
production,
engineering controls to reduce exposure and hygiene measures to reduce
the burden
of dust on the individual.
Answers to this question often focussed on a narrow range of issues rather
than
covering the full range. Many answers to part (a) included the operation of
cutting,
which was not specific enough to gain a mark. Answers to part (c)
frequently
concentrated on ventilation and respiratory protection issues rather than
dust
minimisation hygiene. Candidates should ensure that when answering this
type of
question they cover a range of types of control and give sufficient detail to
meet the
requirements of an outline.

Question 2 (a) Outline the role of health surveillance in the control of

exposure
to hazardous substances.
(b) Identify hazards to which a worker might be exposed that would
result in that person requiring health surveillance.
This question related to Elements 7 and 8 of the syllabus and assessed
candidates’
knowledge of learning outcomes 7.4: Outline control measures that should
be used to
reduce the risk of ill-health from exposure to hazardous substances, 7.5:
Outline the
hazards, risks and controls associated with specific agents, 8.1: Outline the
health
effects associated with exposure to noise and appropriate control
measures, 8.2:
Outline the health effects associated with exposure to vibration and
appropriate control
measures and 8.3: Outline the principal health effects associated with heat,
ionising
and non-ionising radiation and basic protection techniques.
Part (a) of this question required an outline of the role of health surveillance
in
detecting early signs of ill-health and acting on that information to control
further
exposure. Part (b) required an identification of work place hazards, such as
noise or
Unit IGC2
Control of international workplace hazards
5 EXTERNAL
ionising radiation, where a risk of exposure might indicate a need for health
surveillance.
Answers to the part (a) of the question were limited. Many candidates did
not answer
the question and instead discussed the role of occupational health and
gave examples
of diseases. The identification of hazards did not appear to cause
candidates so much
difficulty, but frequently answers were restricted to physical rather than
chemical or
biological examples. Candidates should ensure that they can distinguish
health
surveillance from occupational health practice.

Question 3 A crane has been correctly selected and positioned for use.
Outline a procedure for the safe lifting of a load by the crane.
This question related to Element 3 of the syllabus and assessed
candidates’
knowledge of learning outcome 3.4: Explain the hazards and the
precautions and
procedures to reduce the risk in the use of lifting and moving equipment
with specific
reference to mechanically operated load moving equipment.
In this question it had already been noted that the crane was correctly
selected, so that
the safe working load would not be exceeded, and was correctly positioned
so that
ground conditions and the use of outriggers was not relevant. Some
candidates
included these points in their answers in addition to relevant factors
including those
related to operatives, supervisors, communication and visibility.
Outlines frequently showed good knowledge of this area of the syllabus but
candidates
need to read questions carefully to avoid spending time giving information
that is not
required by the question.

Question 4 Outline precautions to be taken when repair work is to be

carried out on
the sloping roof of a building.
This question related to Element 1 of the syllabus and assessed
candidates’
knowledge of learning outcome 1.6: Explain the hazards and control
measures for safe
working at height.
Performance on this question was generally good with appropriate outlines
of
precautions relevant to the scenario. Relevant factors included those
related to the
initial assessment of the work to be done, safe means of access,
prevention of falling
materials and the exclusion of the public from areas where they might be at
risk.

Question 5 (a) Identify the individual factors that could increase the risk to
a
worker carrying out manual handling.
(b) Identify types of injuries that could be caused by manual
handling.
This question related to Element 3 of the syllabus and assessed
candidates’
knowledge of learning outcome 3.2: Explain the hazards and control
measures which
should be considered when assessing risks from manual handling
activities.
Risks from manual handling activities are generally considered within the
broad
headings of task, individual, load and environment. Part (a) of this question
assessed
candidates’ knowledge of the factors relating to the individual. While many
candidates
were able to identify appropriate factors, they frequently also went on to
consider
factors that should be considered under other headings. Candidates should
ensure
6 EXTERNAL
that they can allocate the risk factors to the relevant heading and read the
question
carefully to determine the scope of the answer.
Part (b) of the question required that types of injuries, such as fractures,
sprains and
strains, were identified. Candidates performed well on this part of the
question.
Question 6 A portable electric sander is being used in the production area
of a
factory.
(a) Identify hazards that may be present.
(b) Outline precautions that could be taken to reduce the risk.
This question related to Element 4 of the syllabus and assessed
candidates’
knowledge of learning outcome 4.2: Explain the hazards and controls for
hand tools.
Although the tool is described in the question as being electrically powered,
many
candidates failed in part (a) of the question to identify electricity as one of
the hazards,
most candidates focussed on the mechanical hazards such as ejection and
entanglement rather than issues such as dust and the ergonomics of use.
Candidates
should ensure that they consider all categories of hazard when answering
this type of
question as frequently the marks for one type of hazard, such as those in
the
mechanical category, will be limited.
Part (b) of the question required candidates to use their knowledge of the
hazards of
using the sander in order to give an outline of relevant precautions. This
part of the
question was well answered even by those who had only identified a limited
range of
hazards.

Question 7 Identify principles to be followed when siting (positioning) fire

extinguishers.
This question related to Element 6 of the syllabus and assessed
candidates’
knowledge of learning outcome 6.4: Identify the appropriate fire alarm
system and firefighting
equipment for a simple workplace.
Fire extinguishers need to be sited at locations appropriate to the risk, the
workplace
and the people who are likely to use them. This question assessed
candidate’s
knowledge of these principles, such as placement in relation to the risk, the
escape
route or the fire exit along with the requirement for them to be at a suitable
height.
Many candidates answered this as a general fire question related to the
selection of
types of fire extinguisher or general fire precautions rather than answering
the
question.

Question 8 Forklift trucks are operating in a busy workplace.

Identify suitable control measures to reduce the risk of collision with
workers.
This question related to Element 2 of the syllabus and assessed
candidates’
knowledge of learning outcome 2.1: Explain the hazards and control
measures for the
safe movement of vehicles in the workplace.
7 EXTERNAL
For this question, candidates were able to recognise common control
measures such
as segregation, use of warning devices, workplace layout and speed
restrictions.
Where candidates identify housekeeping as a control measure, it is
important to clarify
what aspect of this is relevant to the risk.
Performance on this question was generally good and many candidates
were able to
identify more than the eight required controls.

Question 9 (a) Identify sources of radon that could affect workers in a

building.
(b) Identify control measures that could be used in a workplace
affected by significant levels of radon gas.
This question related to Element 8 of the syllabus and assessed
candidates’
knowledge of learning outcome 8.3: Outline the principal health effects
associated with
heat, ionising and non-ionising radiation and basic protection techniques.
This question required candidates to recognise that radon is a natural
radioactive gas
that can seep into buildings from the ground and is also present
underground in
affected areas. In the second part of the question, appropriate controls
would include
sumps, ventilation and the sealing of gaps through which the gas could
enter.
Candidates were not adequately prepared for this question, which was only
recently
introduced with the adoption of the 2011 syllabus, and many seemed
unaware of the
gas, its risks or possible controls.

Question 10 Outline control measures that could be used to reduce the

risk from the
use of electrical equipment in a workplace.
This question related to Element 5 of the syllabus and assessed
candidates’
knowledge of learning outcome 5.2: Outline the control measures that
should be taken
when working with electrical systems or using electrical equipment in
normal
workplace conditions.
In general, candidates seemed familiar with the control measures required
for
electrical equipment and outlined factors such as the requirement for fuses,
switches
and undamaged cables. Whilst a number of candidates mentioned double-
insulation,
they often seemed to be unaware of the precise meaning of this term,
believing it
involved a second layer of insulation on a cable.
The question required an outline of the measures to be given but many
candidates
confined themselves to identifying the required controls.

Question 11 (a) Outline ways in which poor housekeeping can lead to

injury to
pedestrians in a workplace.
(b) Outline housekeeping measures to reduce the risk of injury to
pedestrians.
This question related to Element 1 of the syllabus and assessed
candidates’
knowledge of learning outcome 1.4: Explain the hazards and control
measures for the
safe movement of people in the workplace.
For part (a) of this question, outlines were expected to include what might
happen
along with a reason, for example, tripping on objects on the stairs or
slipping on a wet
8 EXTERNAL
surface. Whilst candidates were able to identify what might happen, not all
outlined the
situation in this way. Those who just identified slips, trips and falls with no
cause
gained few marks.
Answers to part (b) were more comprehensive even where candidates had
failed to
gain marks in part (a). Housekeeping measures would include activities
such as
clearing up spills, stacking materials neatly and discarding materials to
appropriate
containers.