NEB BCSE cheat sheet

Hazard types: biological, chemical, ergonomic, physical, safety, and psychosocial; recognition precedes assessment and control.

Hierarchy of controls, most to least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, then personal protective equipment.

Incidence rate = (number of recordable cases × 200,000) ÷ total hours worked; 200,000 equals 100 full-time workers at 40 hours for 50 weeks.

Severity rate = (days lost × 200,000) ÷ total hours worked; use it to compare injury seriousness across sites.

Hazard recognition walkthroughs use worker interviews plus task observation; near-miss reports reveal hazards before harm occurs.

Physical hazards include noise, vibration, temperature extremes, radiation, pressure, and inadequate illumination.

Ergonomic risk factors are force, repetition, posture, vibration, and contact stress; cumulative trauma develops over weeks to years.

A confined space has limited entry and exit, is not designed for occupancy, and may contain a hazardous atmosphere.

Plan-Do-Check-Act drives continual improvement: plan objectives, implement, verify performance, then act on findings.

Management commitment is demonstrated by written policy, defined roles, adequate resources, and visible leadership participation.

Leading indicators (training completion, inspection closure) predict future performance; lagging indicators (injury rates) record past results.

Annual program review compares objectives to results; corrective actions receive owners and due dates.

Worker participation is a system element: joint committees, hazard reporting channels, and involvement in incident investigations.

Document control ensures only current procedures are available at the point of use; obsolete versions are removed.

Contractor safety management requires prequalification, defined scope, orientation, and performance monitoring.

Training effectiveness is verified by demonstration or testing, not attendance records alone.

Risk = probability of occurrence × severity of consequence; a risk matrix assigns qualitative levels for prioritization.

Residual risk is the risk remaining after controls; ALARP means reducing it as low as reasonably practicable.

Risk assessment steps: identify hazards, determine who is affected, evaluate risk, apply controls, record findings, review and update.

Use the hierarchy of controls to select controls; engineering controls act on the hazard, administrative controls act on people.

PPE is the last line of defense: it requires fit testing, training, inspection, maintenance, and replacement schedules.

Qualitative assessments suit routine tasks; quantitative methods such as exposure monitoring are used when limits are approached.

Reassess risk when processes, equipment, chemicals, or staffing change, and after any incident.

Lockout/tagout controls hazardous energy during service; verify zero energy state before work begins.

Industrial hygiene process: anticipate, recognize, evaluate, control, and confirm hazards.

Exposure assessment compares measured concentration to the occupational exposure limit, typically an 8-hour time-weighted average.

TWA = sum of (concentration × time in hours) ÷ 8 hours for a standard 8-hour shift.

Airborne contaminants are controlled by local exhaust ventilation, dilution ventilation, enclosure, and respiratory protection.

Noise exposure uses a 3 dB exchange rate under most North American criteria; hearing protection selection requires attenuation data.

Chemical hazards require safety data sheets and labels under the Globally Harmonized System; review before use.

Biological monitoring and medical surveillance detect health effects from lead, silica, noise, and other exposures.

Heat stress controls include acclimatization, fluid replacement, work-rest cycles, and cooling; heat stroke is a medical emergency.

Regulatory hierarchy: statute, then regulation, then standards and guidance; the most stringent applicable requirement governs.

Workers have three core rights: to know about hazards, to participate, and to refuse unsafe work.

Employer duties include a written safety program, hazard assessment, training, incident reporting, and recordkeeping.

Recordable injuries generally involve medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, restricted work, or days away.

First aid cases are typically non-recordable; prescription medication at therapeutic dose usually makes a case recordable.

Inspection and audit records must be retained per the applicable regulation; know the retention period before disposal.

Standards bodies issue consensus standards (voluntary unless adopted); regulations are legally enforceable.

Reporting timelines for serious incidents are short; notify the regulator immediately for fatalities or critical injuries.

Emergency plan elements: hazard identification, roles, communication, evacuation routes, assembly points, and drills.

Evacuation versus shelter-in-place: leave for fire, explosion, or gas release; shelter for severe weather or airborne release.

Fire response uses the PASS technique for extinguishers: pull, aim, squeeze, sweep; only for incipient-stage fires.

Emergency wardens direct occupants, sweep areas, account for personnel at assembly, and report to the incident commander.

Drills are scheduled and documented; evaluate response time, communication, and corrective actions.

Emergency equipment requires inspection intervals: extinguishers monthly visual and annual maintenance are common.

First aid and CPR coverage must match site risk, shift patterns, and response time from outside services.

Business continuity planning addresses critical operations, alternate sites, and recovery priorities after disruption.

Investigation goals are to find root causes and prevent recurrence, not to assign blame.

Root cause analysis methods include 5 Whys, fishbone (Ishikawa) diagrams, and fault tree analysis.

Immediate causes are unsafe acts and conditions; root causes are management system failures such as inadequate training or design.

Collect evidence promptly: photographs, witness statements, equipment records, and scene preservation.

Interview witnesses separately and objectively; ask open questions and record statements verbatim.

Corrective actions must address root causes, have owners and due dates, and be verified as effective.

The accident ratio concept links many near misses to fewer minor injuries and fewer serious injuries, supporting near-miss reporting.

Investigation reports include sequence of events, causal factors, findings, and recommendations.

Professional codes require protecting worker health and safety above employer or commercial interests.

Competence limits: practice only within training and experience, and refer or escalate when outside them.

Confidentiality applies to medical and personal information; share only on a need-to-know basis.

Conflicts of interest must be disclosed; do not accept gifts or benefits that could influence judgment.

Reporting obligations: document hazards honestly and escalate unsafe conditions through defined channels.

Communication with workers uses plain language, the worker's language, and verification of understanding.

Incident and inspection records must be accurate; falsification is a serious ethical and legal breach.

Whistleblower protections exist in many jurisdictions for workers who report unsafe conditions in good faith.