Health and Safety - Nebosh General Certificate - NOW OUT OF DATE

Over the last couple of weeks I have converted this blog into a website. The content is much the same (in some cases updated or expanded) bu...

I have added a number of posts to this blog this week (December 2007) to update with regard to changes to legislation and simply to add a fe...

Even in the least hazardous workplace people can suffer injuries or become ill. Whatever the cause, it is important that they receive promp...

Hand tools can cause injury and the risks need to be managed. Basic precautions include using the appropriate tool for the job, keeping too...

It is not possible to improve culture directly. Instead, it is necessary to work at improving factors that can have a positive influence on...

The symptoms of a poor health and safety cultural include: • Widespread, routine procedural violations; • Failure to comply with health and ...

Asbestos attracts particular attention because it has had such a devastating effect for so many people. There are three common types 1. Whit...

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 CDM regulations apply to most common building, civil engineering and engineering c...

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 is due to come into force on 6 April 2008. It will mean that companies and organi...

I have converted this blog in to a book which is available for purchase. An electronic version is available for £3.99 by clicking the butto...

As well as a realistic perception of risk, people need to be motivated to work safely. In general terms people at work are motivated by: * ...

One reason why people fail to pay sufficient attention to what they are doing or choose to either not read a procedure or to knowingly viola...

Error is a natural part of human communication. It occurs when someone understands a message differently than the sender of that message in...

There are many different types of error, but most fall into the following categories: * Omitting an action; * Doing the wrong action; * ...

Studies suggest that up to 80% of accident causes are contributed to some form of human failure. These failures are either people * Meani...

Although a violent is not usually seen as an accident, the potential for violence at work is a risk that needs to be managed. There are two ...

People may have a location away from their main base for some or all of their work (e.g. working from home) or may travel away from base to ...

People working alone are not really exposed to any different hazards than if someone else was present, but the risks can be greater and so n...

Working nights can affect health and causes other safety concerns. Health problems occur because people are working outside normal 'circ...

Young people can be at higher risk than because of their age and lack of experience of working in general, and in the particular job they ar...

The health of people can be a significant risk factor for hazardous work. Problems can arise because a medical condition may be exacerbated ...

Unborn and young babies are particularly vulnerable to certain hazards. Therefore, any workplace where women of child bearing age may be pr...

50% of all trip accidents are caused by bad housekeeping. Leaving flammable materials lying around can cause a fire risk, and any obstacles ...

there is a clear duty under the The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1992 for monitoring. "Every employer shall ...

As with most things in life, setting health and safety performance targets can help improve performance by giving people something tangible ...

According to HSG65, audit is "the structured process of collecting independent information on the efficiency, effectiveness and reliabi...

Inspections generally involve looking for physical evidence of how well health and safety is being managed. A general inspection of a premi...

Active measures give feedback about performance before incidents are experienced. Obviously this is preferable, assuming action can be take...

Organisations need to monitor their performance to assess how well they are controlling risks. A low accident rate is not necessarily a sig...

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 require certain specified occurrences to be reported to HSE. ...

In theory, instances of ill health associated with work should be reported, investigated, analysed and recorded in the same way as any incid...

The whole point of reporting, investigating and analysing incidents is to contribute to the 'corporate knowledge' of an organisation...

The analysis of incidents is often considered to be part of the investigation. This may make some sense, but has a number of potential probl...

Incidents should be investigated so that organisation can exactly what happened so that they can * Understand why substandard performance ...

Whilst the immediate priority following is an incident is to minimise harm, it is also important that the incident is reported so that any n...

By definition (see previous post) the occurrence of an accident means someone has been hurt, and they will need to be attended to. Even whe...

When an incident occurs there are a number of activities that need to be carried out * Protect personnel, the environment and property (em...

There are many definitions for these terms, and not all agree. However, the following seem to work quite well An incident is an unintended e...

Whenever someone is working near water or on water (sea, river, lake, pond) the risk of drowning must be considered. Obviously it is most im...

In theory, there is nothing different about the hazards and risk associated on a construction site when compared with any other site. Howeve...

The opposite of construction, but similar approaches are required to manage the risks. Specific issues to be aware of include: * Exposure ...

Construction (Design and Management) ( CDM ) Regulations (1994) apply to most common building, civil engineering and engineering ...

Construction activity is inherently hazardous, and so good health and safety planning is essential. Plans should be developed that cover: *...

Making provision for safety can be expensive, and if not properly budgeted for it may not happen. Because of the competitive nature of tend...

There are a number of parties involved in construction. All have a part to play in safety, and this requires them to cooperate. Parties incl...

A confined space is any space of an enclosed nature where there is a risk of death or serious injury from hazardous substances or dangerous ...

Rope access is a method of working at height, developed from techniques used in climbing and caving. Typical jobs carried out...

The following equipment is considered to be a MEWP: * Vehicle mounted, articulated and telescopic booms * Self propelled articulated a...

Scaffolding provides a means of working at height. However, erecting scaffolding can be hazardous in its own right, and the safety of the pe...

Mobile access towers come in sections that are fitted together to create a platform for working at height. They can be very useful, avoiding...

Some people mistakenly believe that ladders and step-ladders are banned under the work at height regulations. This is not the case. However,...