NEBOSH

NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health

and Safety

Course Taster Pack

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About the NEBOSH National General Certificate in
About the NEBOSH
Occupational General
Health and Certificate
Safety

NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) is a charitable

organisation which aims to help businesses create safe and sustainable workplaces all over the
world. Their qualifications are highly regarded by governments, employers and NEBOSH students
themselves.
The NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety (NGC) is NEBOSH’s
most popular qualification. It will introduce you to the legal requirements of health and safety in the
UK, the principles of risk management, and how to implement them into their day-to-day role.
The course is split into 3 modules:

1. NGC1: The Management of Health and Safety

This is the part of the course where you’ll develop your foundation of Health and Safety
knowledge.
You’ll learn all about UK HSE legislation UK and the responsibilities it places on employers,
managers and individuals, and how to develop a health and safety management system which
is both business focused and will serve to keep people safe.

2. GC2: Managing and Controlling

GC2 covers a wide range of common hazards. You’ll develop a framework for assessing
hazards in various working environments and the appropriate control measures required to
minimise risk.

3. GC3: Health and Safety Practical Assessment

To finish up your course you’ll put everything you’ve learnt into practice by completing an
assignment.
You’ll carry out a health and safety inspection of a workplace of your choice, identifying
common hazards and suggesting appropriate control measures, before writing up a report
detailing your findings.
This taster pack is designed to give you a better understanding of what you can expect from the
NEBOSH General Certificate course.
It contains the full NGC syllabus, snippets from some of the course modules, a practice activity and
exam questions so you know exactly how what you’ll be doing from start to finish.
Course price
The price for online learning is £450 + VAT. Exams are priced at £200 + VAT. Classroom courses are
dependent on location.

Working outside the UK?

If you work outside the UK, find out more about the NEBOSH International General Certificate.

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Course
CourseSyllabus
Syllabus

 Working at a height
Unit NGC1: Management of Health & Safety
 Excavations
Element 1: Foundations in Health & Safety
 Temporary works
 Scope of occupational health & safety
Element 2: Transport Hazards and Risk Control
 Moral and financial drivers for health & safety
 Safe movement of vehicles
management
 Driving at work
 Health & safety regulation
Element 3: Musculoskeletal Hazards and Risk
 Health & safety at work etc. Act 1974
Control
 The management of health & safety at work
 Work-related upper limb disorders
regulations 1999
 Display screen equipment
 Client and contractors
 Manual handling
Element 2: Plan
 Manually operated load handling equipment
 Key elements of a health & safety management
system  Powered load handling equipment
 Purpose and importance of setting policy for Element 4: Work Equipment Hazards and Risk
health & safety Control
 Key features and content of an effective health &  General requirements for work equipment
safety policy  Hand tools
Element 3: Do  Machinery hazards
 Roles and responsibilities of employers, directors  Control measures for machinery hazard
and managers health & safety culture
 Specified equipment
 Human factors that influence behaviour at work
Element 5: Electrical Safety
 Improving health & safety behaviour
 Use of electricity at work - hazards and risks
 Principles and practice of risk assessment
 Control measures when working with electrical
 General principles of control systems or using electrical equipment in all
 Sources of health & safety information workplace conditions
 Safe systems of work (ssw) Element 6: Fire Safety
 Permits-to-work (ptw)  Fire initiation, classification and spread

 Personal protective equipment  Fire risk assessment

 Safety signs and signals  Fire prevention and prevention of fire spread

 Emergency procedures and arrangements  Fire alarm and fire-fighting equipment

 First aid in the workplace  Evacuation of a workplace

Element 4: Check Element 7: Chemical and Biological Health

Hazards and Risk Control
 Active and reactive monitoring
 Forms of, classification of, and health risks from
 Investigating incidents hazardous substances
 Recording and reporting incidents  Assessment of health risks
Element 5: Act  Occupation exposure limits
 Health & safety auditing
 Control measures
 Reviewing of health & safety performance
 Specific agents
GC2: Controlling Workplace Hazards  Safe handling and storage of waste
Element 1: Workplace Hazards and Risk Control Element 8: Physical and Psychological Health
Hazards and Risk Control
 Health, welfare and work environment
requirements  Noise

 Violence at work  Vibration

 Substance misuse  Radiation

 Safe movement of people  Stress

GC3: Health & Safety Practical Application

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The Scope
The and
Scope Nature
and of of
Nature Occupational Health
Occupational and
Health and
Safety
Safety

Introduction
Occupational health and safety has continued to evolve from the onset of the ‘Industrial Revolution’ to
the present day. Although the objective of protecting the health, safety and welfare of people at (or
otherwise affected by) work remains, the priorities and expectations are clearly different.
Prior to the 1830s and 1840s children below the age of ten were employed in factories and mines. By
the late 1870s thousands of workers were being killed each year. In 1875 alone 767 railway workers
and more than 1000 coal miners were killed in workplace accidents.
As the developed world moves forward into the ‘knowledge age’ the world of work is changing.
Manufacturing and heavy engineering become less significant and the service sector and the
management of knowledge and information takes on greater significance.
Understanding of the range of workplace hazards and techniques for protecting workers continues to
grow and workers expectations for standards of living, work life balance, and good health in the
twenty first century are much higher than they have ever been.

The management of occupational health and safety has become a multi-disciplinary affair with a
range of specialist professionals interacting with and supporting generalist safety practitioners.

Occupational health Safety engineering Ergonomics Public health

Occupational hygiene Occupational psychology

Occupational Health
Occupational health is a multifaceted concept concerned with the prevention of ill-health in working
populations.
A joint ILO / WHO committee defined occupational health as:

“the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and
social wellbeing of workers in all occupations”

Traditionally the responsibility of occupational health physicians and nurses occupational health now
involves a broad range of interested professionals.

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Occupational Hygiene Resources

The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) considers

30 years on and looking
occupational hygiene to be about:
forward: The development and
“the prevention of ill-health from work, through future of the health and safety
system in Great Britain - a
recognizing, evaluating and controlling the risks".
2004 report from the HSE

Public Health A strategy for workplace

health and safety in Great
The Faculty of Public Health uses the definition proposed by Sir Britain to 2010 and beyond
Donald Acheson (Chief Medical Officer – 1983-1991): from the HSE

"The science and art of preventing disease, Reports produced by the

prolonging life and promoting health through Health and Safety Executive
organised efforts of society." (HSE)

Obstacles Preventing
Safety Engineering
Employee Involvement in
Safety engineering is an applied science strongly related to Health and Safety report from
systems engineering. Safety engineering ensures that safety the HSE
critical systems are designed to minimise the risk of failure and to
Welfare at work guide from the
ensure that any failures minimise any harmful consequences.
HSE
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) adopts a much
broader remit of occupational health and safety.

Ergonomics
Ergonomics is literally the “science of work”. The International Ergonomics Association has defined
ergonomics (or human factors) as:

“the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among

humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory,
principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and
overall system performance.”

Occupational Psychology
The British Psychological Society (BPS) considers occupational psychology to be concerned with: the
performance of people at work; how organisations function; and how individuals and small groups
behave at work. The aim is to increase the effectiveness of the organisation, and to improve the job
satisfaction of the individual.

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The
TheLegal
LegalFramework
Frameworkfor
forHealth
Healthand
andSafety
Safety
Regulation

Introduction
Laws – written codes of conduct setting rules for individual behaviour for the good of society have
existed since Egyptian times, some 3000 years BC.
The law is the cement of society and an essential medium for societal change.

UK Law - Branches and Sources

The law is divided into two branches (or systems), civil and criminal which have different purposes.

Criminal law: if minimum legal standards are not met the enforcing authority may prosecute
the offender in the criminal courts.
Civil law: if an individual suffers loss (injury / ill-health or death) the victim, or his dependants,
may sue for damages in the civil courts.

Any given event may give rise to both civil and criminal consequences.

The law is also made in two different ways, i.e. there are two sources of law – common law or statute.

Statute law takes priority over common law and may be enacted to address a perceived inequity in
the common law. Common law often aids the interpretation of statute law as terms are debated in the
courts based on the facts of a real case. Figure 1.3 shows the relationship between the branches and
sources of law.

Common law: historically this meant law that was not local but was common to all of England.
More usually the phrase means law that is not the result of legislation. Court decisions
establish law through a system of precedents.
Statute law: or legislation is law made by Parliament as an Act of Parliament, or a statutory
instrument (e.g. Regulations) made under powers within an Act of Parliament.

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The
TheScope,
Scope,Duties and
Duties andOffences
OffencesofofEmployers,
Employers,
Managers,
Managers,Employees
Employeesand andOthers
Othersunder
underthe
theHealth
Health
and
andSafety
SafetyatatWork
Worketc.
etc.Act
Act1974
1974

Introduction
The key objectives of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
(HASAWA) that are still relevant today are: Resources

 Securing the health, safety and welfare of people at work; and Health and Safety at Work etc.
Act 1974
 Protecting people other than those at work against risks to their
health and safety arising out of work activities; Corporate manslaughter
webpages from the HSE
HASAWA applies to all types of work activity and situations and
imposes duties on everyone concerned with work and workplace Corporate Manslaughter and
activities, including: employers, the self-employed and employees; Corporate Homicide Act 2007
manufacturers, designers and suppliers; and people in control of
premises.
Duties are imposed on individuals and employing organisations be they corporations, companies,
charities, or government departments and are intended to encourage employers and employees to
take a wide-ranging view of their roles and responsibilities.

Main Duties

Section 2 – General Duties of Employers to their Employees

(1) Every employer has to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and
welfare at work of all his employees.
(2) Examples of the extent of the general duty include (so far as is reasonably practicable):
(a) The provision and maintenance of plant and systems of work that are safe and without
risks to health;
(b) Arrangements for ensuring health and safety with the use, handling, storage and
transport of articles and substances;
(c) The provision of information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure, the health
and safety at work of employees;
(d) Maintenance of any workplace, under his control, in a healthy and safe condition,
including any means of access and egress; and

Try it yourself - A contractor has been engaged by a manufacturing

company to undertake extensive maintenance work on the interior walls of
a factory workshop. State the legal duties that the manufacturing company
owes the employees under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
(4 marks)
See the answer on page11

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 Activity
Activity

The following case is a real case that has impacted upon the law of negligence. Consider whether or
not the claimant won his or her case. Also make a note of any observations or questions for
clarification.

Paris v. Stepney Borough Council [1951]

Paris worked in the Stepney Borough Council truck maintenance department. He was blinded in one
eye during the war, but concealed this from his employers until it was revealed during his medical for
the pension scheme. As a result of the medical he was given notice of dismissal.
During his notice period he was working on the back axle of a truck using a hammer to loosen a
rusted in U bolt, when a piece of metal flew into his good eye, blinding him. Eye protection was not
considered necessary for the job and was not made readily available.
Paris sued Stepney Borough Council for damages due to their negligence in failing to provide and
require the use of goggles as part of the system of work.

Notes:

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Paris v. Stepney Borough Council [1951]
The case was finally determined in the House of Lords, who held that the duty of care was owed to
each employee as an individual.
Where an employer knows of a condition making an employee more susceptible to injury or that
makes the consequences more severe than usual he must take extra precautions.
In this case the provision of safety goggles to Mr Paris would have been reasonable even if not
provided to others.
The extent of the duty of care the employer owes employees was summarised as

“the care, which an ordinary prudent employer would take in all the
circumstances”.

Stavely Iron and Chemical Co v. Jones [1956]

Illustrates the issue of vicarious liability.
The employer was held liable.
Lord Reid said:

“It is a rule of law that an employer, though guilty of no fault himself, is liable for
damage done by the fault or negligence of his servant acting in the course of his
employment.”

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Past
Pastexam
examquestion
question

Examiner Feedback

A contractor has been engaged by a manufacturing company to undertake extensive

maintenance work on the interior walls of a factory workshop.
a) State the legal duties that the manufacturing company owes the employees under
the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. (4 marks)
b) Outline the information relevant to health and safety that should be provided before
work commences by:
- the manufacturing company to the contractor AND (4 marks)

What the examiners were expecting the answer to include:

Part a)
 Reference to the requirements placed up on the manufacturing company by Section 3 the
HSW Act 1974 to ensure that persons working on their premises, who were not their direct
employees, were not exposed to risks to their health and safety from the activities carried out
by the manufacturers at their factory.
 Mention of the company’s additional duties under Section 4 of the Act as controllers of
premises, which is to ensure the premises and plant and equipment contained therein were
safe and without risks to health for persons using them as a place of work which was
particularly relevant in this case given that maintenance was to be carried out on the interior
walls of the factory workshop.
 Demonstration of a sufficient grasp of the statutory requirements which are applicable when a
contractor carries out work on a second employers’ premises and understanding that the
duties placed on the employers by Section 2 of the Act, relating to his/her own employees
only, are not relevant to the question that was asked about managing contractors on site.

Part b)
 An outline of what the manufacturer would be expected to provide the contractors with:
o Plans, drawings, the safety file and details of any hazards in the areas where they
were to work
o Means of access to and egress from the site
o General site rules including any signing in and out procedures
o Details of any restricted areas and those where personal protective equipment such
as hearing protection would have to be worn.

Ready to start your NEBOSH General Certificate?

The price for online learning is £450 + VAT. Exams are priced at £200 + VAT. Classroom courses are
dependent on location.

Choose how to take

your course

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