COSHEM case studies
COSHEM · Put your knowledge to work in context.
COSHEM is a professional certification in occupational safety and health management. It is aimed at practitioners who must build, run and defend a safety and health programme rather than simply recite regulations: safety officers, HSE coordinators, operations and facility managers with safety responsibilities, and consultants advising employers. The exam samples a broad management syllabus, from the legal and regulatory framework through management systems, risk assessment, chemical, biological and physical hazards, ergonomics, psychosocial risk, incident investigation and emergency response, training and consultation, and monitoring and audit. Expect the paper to test judgement, not recall alone: questions often describe a workplace situation and ask which control, which hierarchy level, or which monitoring method is most appropriate. The COSHEM case studies are 5 cases and about 2,993 words.
1Asbestos disturbance during a charity refurbishment: who owns the risk?
A registered charity is refurbishing a 1970s office building to meet a funding deadline. It appoints a principal contractor, who subcontracts strip-out to a three-person firm.
682 words, about 3 min2ISO 45001 certification without safety performance: a hospital's management review gap
A 900-bed teaching hospital holds ISO 45001 certification. In the last 12 months, reported sharps injuries have fallen from 46 to 21, but the occupational health unit says actual presentations are unchanged.
593 words, about 3 min3A generic risk assessment in a joinery workshop: dust, noise and the limits of a matrix
A bespoke joinery company employs 12 people in a converted warehouse. Its risk assessment, prepared by a consultant in 2019, is a 40-page matrix covering 'wood dust', 'noise' and 'manual handling'.
582 words, about 3 min4Hand-arm vibration and noise in a stonemasonry workshop
A stonemasonry workshop employs 14 people who use angle grinders and pneumatic chisels for 5-6 hours per shift. A consultant's assessment reports an A(8) vibration exposure of 5.1 m/s² and noise of 89 dB(A) Lep,d.
560 words, about 3 min5Psychosocial risk in a night-shift distribution centre after a serious near miss
A distribution centre employs 300 staff, 120 on nights. Turnover in the night pick team is 38%; sickness absence is 9%, double the site average.
576 words, about 3 min