Occupational Safety, Health and Working Environment
Occupational Safety, Health and Working Environment is tested through hazard identification, correct PPE, safe access, excavation and electrical precautions, and health protection in sewage-related work. Questions usually ask for the control that prevents injury, not a slogan.
Core controls
- PPE: helmet, steel-toe shoes, impact goggles and cut-resistant gloves; full-body harness with lanyard above 1.8 m, anchored to a structural point.
- Ladders: 4:1 base-to-height; extend about 1 m above the landing; secure the top and foot the base.
- Excavation: barricade and sign; shore or batter loose soil; gas-test before entry into a deep pit; keep a standby person outside.
- Electrical: run 230 V tools through a 30 mA RCD; keep cables off wet floors; never use a metal ladder near live lines.
- Health: wash before eating, cover cuts, disinfect tools; drainage work carries leptospirosis and hepatitis risk.
- Housekeeping: remove offcuts, store solvent cement away from flame, keep safety data sheets accessible.
Worked example
A ladder must reach a 6 m working height. With a 4:1 ladder, base distance = 6 ÷ 4 = 1.5 m from the wall. Ladder length ≈ √(6² + 1.5²) = 6.18 m, so select a 6.5 m ladder and extend it 1 m above the landing. Reason: the 4:1 rule keeps the centre of gravity inside the base and limits overturning.
Traps
Using a metal ladder near electrical work, entering an unshored trench, or wearing loose gloves near a rotating drill loses marks. A gas test is not replaced by smelling the pit, and barricading is mandatory even for a short job.