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NATIONAL GENERAL

CERTIFICATE
(2009 specification)

Candidate report template

UNIT NGC3 THE HEALTH AND


SAFETY PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Student number:
Location:

Date of review:

Introduction including overview of area inspected and activities taking place


This report follows an inspection of the building and yard located in . in order to meet the
requirements of the Nebosh NGC 3 practical application.
The areas concerned with this inspection are the works building and one store in the yard and its
immediate surrounding area.
The building consists of a canteen area, an office for admin duties, two toilets, a locker room, a
drying/store room for personal protective equipment (PPE) and a small store room. In the yard is one
store for the storage of various outdoor work materials and tools.
The premises are occupied by up to fifteen staff at any one time. Staff work on a rotation of day and
night shifts and the building is used for messing, completing paper work and planning work.
The yard and store are used for loading and unloading vehicles with work equipment to prepare for
railway work.
There were no members of staff on duty at the time of the inspection.

Executive Summary
Upon completion of the inspection I found there were several areas of concern which lead to breaches
of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA), the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRFSO),
the Manual Handling Operations Regulations, the Management of Health and Safety at Work
Regulations (MHSWR) and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER).
The health and safety of the employees who are using the premises may also be at risk if some of
these concerns are not addressed immediately. Failure to address these issues may lead to attention
and possible enforcement action from the HSE and/or the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).
Breaches of statutory duty or failure to comply with improvement or prohibition notices may
result in court action being taken which may lead to criminal prosecution and fines of up to
20 000 in a magistrates court and the possibility of up to 6 months imprisonment.
A detailed description of the findings is listed below with reference to specific observations given in
brackets.

Main findings of the inspection


Fire precautions
The Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order (RRFSO) requires that fire fighting arrangements must be
provided in the workplace (18). Although there are fire extinguishers located throughout the building
there is an absence of any extinguisher in the office. Therefore there is an urgent requirement to
have extinguishers installed here as employees would be in extreme danger if a fire were to start in
the office.
The RRFSO also states that fire exits must remain free from obstructions at all times (1). The PPE
blocking the fire exit is not only creating a tripping hazard but it is putting the health and safety of the
employees at risk of becoming trapped in the building if a fire were to start.
Management of Health and Safety
Many of the observations are the result of a poor Health and Safety management system which could
easily be rectified by members of staff and at a very low cost to the organisation. (2,3,8,10,12).
Use of rail steel as doorstops presents a significant risk of slips, trips and falls and is a very easy
problem to rectify. Other housekeeping issues such as tangled cables, hand cleaners being stored
near eating and drinking utensils and overflowing waste paper bins are all issues that will present a
very poor image to visitors but are low cost and not time consuming problems to resolve.
These issues may also be in breach of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
1999.
PPE. Issues
The Personal Protective Equipment regulations state that all PPE must be suitably stored and
maintained (1, 14). The PPE blocking the fire exit must be removed and all the old PPE in the store
room should be disposed of and replaces as it is no longer fit for purpose.
The heater in the drying room (6) also needs urgent attention as its purpose is to dry out PPE used by
employees in wet weather conditions. With the heater not functional this has an impact on the ability
to maintain the PPE to a good standard.
PUWER Issues
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations state that employers must ensure that all work
equipment is suitable, maintained and inspected (7, 17). The old fax machine in the office has been
out of use for quite some time with service tags out of date and there has been no effort to have it
repaired or replaced. It is creating a tripping hazard as well as breaching PUWER.
A similar situation has arisen regarding the water dispenser in the canteen. The employees have
shown their concerns about not being able to use the machine and it is in serious need of repair or
replacement. This is also creating a welfare issue which must be addressed.
Manual Handling Issues
There are some issues concerning heavy materials being stored at ground level (13, 20). This is in
breach of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 and presents a high risk of a RIDDOR
injury to employees lifting or moving these materials.
As suggested these materials must be stored correctly and at waist level to prevent injuries from
bending and lifting. This will prevent high costs through RIDDOR incidents and loss of productivity.

Conclusions
The building and yard are all of modern design with full refurbishments having been carried out as
recent as 2007. Many of the hazards found were as a result of a lapse in general Health and Safety
management and many of the observations could be rectified by simple maintenance and tidying up
of the building and yard. This is a very low cost practice which in turn could improve the Health and
Safety of the workforce.
The employees have all had a very good level of workplace specific Health and Safety training with
certificates on display on the notice board. However this training counts for little if it is not put into
practice on a daily basis. It appears there have also been many bad habits picked up over the years
such as poor general housekeeping.
Employers and employees should take pride in a clean and safe workplace and it also sets a good
example to any visitors or potential clients. A safe workplace will also reduce the risk of accidents and
ill health to employees and in the long run save money from unnecessary claims, losses of production
and a poor corporate image.

Recommendations:
Recommendation
Fire exit door should
remain free from
obstructions at all times.
(1)
Fire extinguisher to be
installed in the office.(18)

Likely resource implications


PPE to be removed from exit
area and signs to be erected
advising to keep clear.

High

Target date
Immediate

New fire extinguisher, 30, easy


to install by a member of staff.

High

Immediate

Heater in drying room


must not be used until it is
re-attached to the wall.(6)

Wall brackets to be replaced, 1-2


man hours to fit and reinstate
heater to wall, approx cost 50.

High

1 week

Arrange for repair or


replacement of drinking
water dispenser.(17)

Repair could be very expensive,


more practical option may be to
replace. 200 approx. 1 man
hour to install.
Install an extra plug socket to
prevent tangling cables under
chairs. Electrician for 1 hour
plus parts. 50 approx
Hire of a welder for 1 hour. 50
approx.

High

1 week

Medium

1 month

Medium

1 week

Order the correct replacement


chair. 30-40

Medium

1 week

New bracket approx 10 and


less than 1 man hour to install.

Medium

1 week

Remove cut-offs of rail


steel from doors and keep
doors closed whenever
possible.(2)

Source correct doorstops or fit


latches to the walls. Approx cost
15 to fit. 1 man hour.

Medium

1 month

Yard store flooring to be


cleared of obstructions to
gain access to shelving.
(21)

General clean up and disposal of


any disused and waste
materials. 2 staff hours

Medium

1 week then
review each month

Steel plates to moved


from the yard area into
the store and stored on
shelving at waist height.
(20)
Remove spray cans and
all outdoor work
equipment from office
area.(9)
Install correct hand wash
dispenser in canteen. (4)

1-2 staff hours to store on


shelving, preventing injuries from
lifting heavy plates at ground
level.

Medium

1 week then
review every 3
months

General clean up of office by


staff. Keep all areas around and
under desks free from clutter. 12 hours
Dispenser costs 5 and takes
less than 1 man hour to fit.

Medium

1 week then
review each month

Medium-Low

1 month

Remove battery chargers


from power when not in
use, and establish better
layout of cables. (8)
Arrange for a repair to be
carried out on the
entrance handrail. (23)
Dispose of old office
swivel chair from canteen.
(22)
Bracket for wall mounted
first aid kit to be replaced.
(12)

Priority

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