Health and safety practical application
The practical application unit assesses whether you can inspect a workplace, identify hazards, assess risk and communicate findings in a management report. It is not a theory paper; marks depend on evidence-based observations, sensible prioritisation and actionable recommendations.
Core rules
- Plan the inspection: agree scope, route, timing and standards; take a competent person and relevant worker representative where possible.
- Record each finding with location, condition, people at risk and existing controls.
- Assess risk using likelihood and severity; rank findings so immediate danger is addressed first.
- Recommend controls using the hierarchy, with a named owner and completion date.
- Write a report with an executive summary, method, findings, recommendations, prioritisation and review date.
Worked example
In a loading bay you observe reversing vehicles sharing a pedestrian route, damaged edge protection and pallets blocking an exit. Immediate action: stop reversing until a banksman and barriers are in place. Findings record the route, the damaged barrier and the blocked exit, with workers and visitors at risk. Recommendations: segregate pedestrians with physical barriers, mark walkways, repair edge protection, relocate pallet storage, add a review date. Reasoning: the report links observation to risk to control, and prioritises the blocked exit because it affects escape in an emergency.
Traps
Do not write vague actions such as improve housekeeping or be more careful. Do not list hazards without saying who is harmed and how. Do not omit legal standards, priorities, owners or dates. Do not describe a finding you cannot evidence from the inspection. Do not ignore immediate danger while writing the report.