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NEBOSH Unit D - Hazard Choice & Risk Assessment

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Robborobbo
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NEBOSH Unit D - Hazard Choice & Risk Assessment

Post by Robborobbo »

Hi All

Looking for some advice, I am currently writing my first and hopefully last attempt at the Unit D Report. I have just finished the section on Hazard Identification and moving onto choosing my two hazards for risk assessment.

My issue is that I have begun to doubt my understanding or Nebosh's understanding of what a Hazard is.

My hazard layout shows the hazard and goes onto give a description of who is at risk and why, the legal implications and possible outcomes of the hazardous event taking place etc. The layout looks like this:

Legionella
Description of who and how staff are at risk etc.

Working at Height
Risks of working at height, type of working at height for example MEWP etc.

Moving Parts - Machinery
As above.

Is this the correct layout, is a hazard working at height or falling from height. Is Legionella the hazard or working close to contaminated water sources?

Also, with the risk assessment section. I am used to carrying out task based risk assessments, whether it be general or specific for example the use of a MEWP in order to clean, adjust machinery (involving hot works etc). Is this sufficient? As the guidance says only pick one hazard, one for Health and one Physical, so would I only choose work at height and as part of my risk assessment not identify other hazards associated with the work activity.

Hope this makes sense and appreciated the help, Thanks.
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Peridot
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Re: NEBOSH Unit D - Hazard Choice & Risk Assessment

Post by Peridot »

Haha, I just came on to answer ask a related question after starting to doubt my hazard identification having nearly finished my report - hope you don't mind me adding on, I think we're wondering the same thing.

For example, my workplace uses portable electric equipment and some pieces were faulty.
Should my hazard be 'portable electric equipment' and discuss how portable electrical equipment is used in my workplace including the high risks of faulty equipment, or should I focus it on 'Use of faulty portable electric equipment'?

Likewise which if these should be my 'hazard': "work at height" (and then discuss all of the WAH operations undertaken, and the risks from them), or "window cleaning on ladders" (and discuss the risks from including obvious breaches such as faulty ladders), or specifically "falls from window cleaning on ladders" (and all the ways that could happen, including faulty ladders) or should the hazard just be "faulty ladders"?

And like Robbo, I have included 'Legionella' (I have discussed a few ways in which there is a risk of exposure to legionella in the workplace). Is that acceptable as a hazard, or should it be something more specific like 'Legionella exposure from showers' (I don't want to just list 'showers' as a hazard, because then I'll have to talk about other risks such as slips etc)

I simply don't know how specific to be. Any help much appreciated. Thanks!
Robborobbo
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Re: NEBOSH Unit D - Hazard Choice & Risk Assessment

Post by Robborobbo »

Hi, not at all

For use of portable electrical equipment I would of said the hazard was Electrcity and then go on to justify how electricity in the form of damaged or worn equipment can cause harm.
Mat
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Re: NEBOSH Unit D - Hazard Choice & Risk Assessment

Post by Mat »

The real danger here is accidentally mixing up a hazard, a category, and work activity.

Page 6 of http://www.nebosh.org.uk/fileupload/upl ... 649933.pdf details what the examiner is expecting.

  • You are after at least 15 significant hazards from a range of categories. Some must be health and welfare hazards from unit B, and some must be physical hazards (from unit C).
Examples NEBOSH specify as the categories include transport, biological, chemical, physical, explosion, psychosocial, electrical, ergonomic, fire, mechanical, explosion. Remember, these are listed by NEBOSH as categories, not as a range of hazards!
  • You are expected to identify the hazards relevant to the organisation.
  • You are expected to briefly discuss their implications.
  • You are expected to prioritise the physical hazards, and the health and welfare hazards.
  • You are expected to justify why you have come to this conclusion.

The most significant health and welfare hazard, and the most significant physical hazard will go on to be fully assessed later in the report, so make sure that your two most significant hazards are the ones that will allow you to undertake the best assessments, ideally with a recognised assessment method (such as a COSHH)


As for 'is that a Hazard or a Work activity, or is it an outcome', this is always tricky. Personally, I would be very wary of, say, ‘work at height’ being a hazard. I would say it was a work activity.

There is more on this here…

http://www.healthandsafetytips.co.uk/fo ... 12&t=45247
or here…

http://www.healthandsafetytips.co.uk/fo ... 12&t=44200

:D best of luck…
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laurae
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Re: NEBOSH Unit D - Hazard Choice & Risk Assessment

Post by laurae »

For identifying my hazards I did a table

4 columns;

the hazard in relation to a job e.g FLT's driving around,

the hazard category e.g health welfare/physical

the hazard category e.g workplace transport

the implications/risk e/.g competency of driver, collision, overturning

Then I used the HSE matrix to categorise each individual hazard. This then gave me my most significant health welfare and physical.

My best piece of advice is to have the NEBOSH marking scheme right next to for every section you write throughout the report.
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Peridot
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Re: NEBOSH Unit D - Hazard Choice & Risk Assessment

Post by Peridot »

Thanks for your replies.

Mat - thanks for the links. It's good to be thinking about the difference between hazards, risks and work activities - but you can think yourself in circles arguing one way or the other in terms of what to consider the hazard and I think that's what I've done. It would be lovely if NEBOSH (or indeed, my training provider) could have provided a couple of examples, but failing that it's good to hear the approaches other people have taken to pass Unit D.

I think I will make my identified hazards reasonably specific (so not just 'work at height' for example, but also not just a single 'faulty ladder')

Any more views from Unit D veterans would be very welcome!
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nige b
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Re: NEBOSH Unit D - Hazard Choice & Risk Assessment

Post by nige b »

its important you do not get confused with terminology
hazards = something with the potential to cause harm


work at height is a safety hazard your high risk safety hazard
reason for this being identified is
1 we have ladders on site
2 we do not have a register of ladders
3 we cannot prove were inspecting them
4 faulty ladders have been seen


then another 14 safety hazards
these will be less hazardous

Legionella is a safety Hazard your high risk health hazard
1 we have stored hot water on site
2 we have a L8 risk assessment that is 4 years old
3 we do not have any trained staff on site
4 we have no records of testing on site

then another 14 health hazards
these will be less hazardous

think outside the box don't forget NEBOSH will not visit you to audit they want you to show you can identify hazards and proritise them
hope this helps
Nigel

look at this http://safety.rospa.com/safetymatters/i ... -ebook.pdf
whatever the future im a happy bunny? Its now the future and I AM a happy bunny
Robborobbo
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Re: NEBOSH Unit D - Hazard Choice & Risk Assessment

Post by Robborobbo »

Thanks for the input on the hazard identification, I think I'm on the right track. As for the risk assessment part, I usually carry out a task based risk assessment for example the use of FLT, Loading Trailers, Welding etc.

For the Unit D risk assessment am I expected only to risk assess the "hazard" as opposed to the task?

If my hazard was moving vehicles would my risk assessment form look something like this:
Hazards Existing Controls Exiting risk rating Controls to further reduce risk Revised risk rating
Moving vehicles PPE etc. 2x5=10 Walkways 1x5=5
Speeding vehicles
Adverse weather
Visibility
Ground conditions
Faulty Equipment
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