NEBOSH NGC cheat sheet

Criminal law duties in the UK sit on the employer under HSWA 1974 s.2 (employees) and s.3 (others); breach is an offence prosecuted by HSE or local authority, with unlimited fines and up to 2 years' imprisonment in the Crown Court.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require suitable and sufficient risk assessment, competent persons, co-operation and co-ordination between employers sharing a workplace, and health surveillance where risk remains.

Hierarchy of control under MHSWR 1999 reg.4: avoid the risk, evaluate risks that cannot be avoided, combat risks at source, adapt work to the individual, use technology, give priority to collective protective measures over individual ones.

RIDDOR reporting thresholds: deaths and specified injuries (e.g. fracture other than fingers/thumbs/toes, amputation, loss of sight, crush injury to head/torso) via the responsible person; over-7-day incapacitation; reportable occupational diseases; dangerous occurrences.

Accident causation models: Heinrich's domino theory (88:10:2 ratio, now discredited as precise), Bird's loss causation, Reason's Swiss cheese model (latent failures plus active failures), and Rasmussen's migration model.

Safety culture maturity ladder (Hudson/Reason): pathological, reactive, calculative, proactive, generative - indicators are reporting rate, trust, and whether near-misses are volunteered.

Consultation duties: Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (recognised trade unions) and Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 (non-unionised); employers must consult on introducing measures affecting risk.

The six-pack of 1992 regulations: MHSWR, Workplace, PPE, Manual Handling, Display Screen Equipment, Provision and Use of Work Equipment - all derived from EU directives.

Enforcement: HSE may serve improvement notices (breach, fix within period), prohibition notices (risk of serious personal injury, immediate or deferred), or prosecute; fee for intervention applies to material breaches.

Risk = likelihood × severity (or consequence); a 5×5 matrix gives scores 1–25, typically banded as trivial/low/medium/high/unacceptable, but the matrix is a ranking aid, not a measurement.

Five steps of risk assessment: identify hazards; decide who might be harmed and how; evaluate risks and decide on precautions; record significant findings; review and update.

ALARP: risk must be reduced so far as is reasonably practicable - gross disproportion test applies (cost versus benefit), so trivial cost cannot justify a serious residual risk.

Hierarchy of control order: elimination, substitution, engineering controls (isolation, guarding, LEV), administrative controls (procedures, training, rotation), then PPE as last resort.

Suitable and sufficient assessment requires consideration of: vulnerable groups (young persons, new/expectant mothers, disabled workers, lone workers, visitors, contractors), and foreseeable emergencies.

Residual risk is the risk remaining after controls; the assessor must judge whether it is tolerable against the standard expected of a reasonable employer in that sector.

Dynamic assessment applies where conditions change (e.g. confined space entry, hot work permit, changing site conditions) and supplements the generic or task-specific assessment.

PPE selection: must be suitable, compatible when worn together, CE/UKCA marked, maintained, and provided free; it protects only the wearer and relies on correct fitting and use.

Review triggers: accident or near-miss, change in process or substance, new legislation or guidance, new worker or returning worker, and a scheduled periodic review.

Noise: Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 action values - lower 80 dB(A) daily/weekly exposure (provide information and hearing protection on request), upper 85 dB(A) (mandatory PPE, hearing checks, signage), peak 135/137 dB(C); hearing loss is irreversible.

Whole-body and hand-arm vibration: HAVS caused by prolonged use of vibrating tools; controls are low-vibration tools, trigger time limits, job rotation, and health surveillance for tingling/numbness symptoms.

COSHH requires assessment of hazardous substances, exposure prevention or adequate control, monitoring, health surveillance, and records kept 40 years for substances causing occupational disease.

LEV effectiveness depends on hood design, capture velocity, ducting, and filter condition; thorough examination and test at least every 14 months (or 6 months for some processes) is a legal requirement.

Manual handling (MHOR 1992): avoid, assess, reduce; use TILE (Task, Individual, Load, Environment); guideline figures are 25 kg men / 16 kg women at knuckle-to-shoulder height close to the body, not limits.

Display screen equipment: assess workstation, provide eye test on request, breaks or changes of activity, and information/training for users; DSE risks are upper limb and visual fatigue rather than radiation.

Work at height hierarchy: avoid work at height, prevent falls (guardrails, working platforms), mitigate consequences (nets, airbags, fall arrest); ladders only for low-risk, short-duration work.

Confined spaces: avoid entry; if unavoidable, use safe system of work, atmospheric testing (oxygen, flammable, toxic), forced ventilation, rescue arrangements, and a permit to work.

Electricity at Work Regulations 1989: all systems must be constructed/maintained to prevent danger; portable appliance inspection frequency depends on equipment type and environment (e.g. construction sites more frequent).

Fire: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires a fire risk assessment covering ignition sources, fuel, oxygen, means of escape, detection, and fire-fighting equipment; fire triangle underpins control.

The NGC practical (IG2/GC3 style) requires a site inspection report plus a short management report; evidence must be observation-based, dated, and referenced to specific locations.

Inspection report format: observation (what and where), hazard classification (physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, psychological), risk rating, and a specific control for each observation.

Risk ratings must be justified using likelihood × severity; a rating of high typically means serious injury or ill health is likely without immediate action.

Management report structure: introduction/scope, executive summary of key findings, prioritised recommendations with cost/benefit and timescale, and a conclusion; it must be aimed at senior management, not the assessor.

Recommendations must address root causes (system failures such as lack of training, maintenance, supervision) rather than only the physical symptom observed.

Common marks lost: describing controls that do not address the specific hazard, failing to state a timescale or responsible person, and omitting the legal reference or standard breached.

Weaknesses in existing management systems should be identified against the Plan-Do-Check-Act (HSG65) framework: policy, organising, planning and implementation, measuring performance, audit and review.

Prioritisation criteria: number of people exposed, severity potential, frequency of exposure, and whether the risk is already subject to a legal prohibition or enforcement action.

The report should be written clearly, with numbered observations and recommendations cross-referenced, so a reader can match each finding to its proposed action.