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BOSH SO2 practice questions

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Question 1Health and safety foundations and legal framework

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which duty does an employer owe to people who are not employees but may be affected by the undertaking?

  1. A duty to guarantee that no accident will ever occur on the premises
  2. A duty to conduct the undertaking so that non-employees are not exposed to risks to their health and safety Correct answer.
  3. A duty owed only after a written request for protection is received
  4. A duty limited to visitors who have signed a site induction form

Explanation

Section 3 of the Act requires every employer to conduct the undertaking so as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in their employment are not exposed to risks to their health and safety. The duty is qualified by reasonable practicability, so it is not an absolute guarantee, and it does not depend on requests or paperwork.

Question 2Health and safety foundations and legal framework

In the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which requirement applies to an employer's arrangements for planning, control, monitoring and review of preventive measures?

  1. They must be recorded in writing where the employer has five or more employees Correct answer.
  2. They must be recorded in writing only where the employer has 250 or more employees
  3. They must be recorded only if a trade union safety representative requests it
  4. They must be recorded only when a prohibition notice has been served

Explanation

Regulation 5 requires employers to make and give effect to arrangements for the effective planning, control, monitoring and review of preventive and protective measures. Regulation 7 requires those arrangements, together with the significant findings of the risk assessment, to be recorded where the employer employs five or more employees.

Question 3Health and safety foundations and legal framework

A safety adviser is asked to explain the meaning of 'so far as is reasonably practicable' in health and safety law. Which description best captures the legal test?

  1. There must be a gross disproportion between the cost of a measure and the risk reduction before it can be omitted Correct answer.
  2. The employer must do whatever a trade body's guidance recommends without further assessment
  3. The employer may rely on industry custom as conclusive proof that existing controls are adequate
  4. The risk must be reduced to zero regardless of the cost involved

Explanation

The courts have established that reasonable practicability involves weighing the magnitude of the risk against the sacrifice, in time, trouble and money, needed to avert it. A measure may be omitted only where the sacrifice is grossly disproportionate to the reduction in risk achieved. Cost is relevant but cannot justify tolerating a serious risk where a reasonably practicable measure exists.

Question 4Health and safety foundations and legal framework

An employer's risk assessment identifies a hazard that could affect workers and also members of the public. Which statement correctly reflects the employer's duties under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999?

  1. The assessment must be reviewed when there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change Correct answer.
  2. The assessment can only be revised by an external consultant
  3. The assessment may be reused indefinitely provided no enforcement action has been taken
  4. The assessment only needs review when a new employee joins the organisation

Explanation

Regulation 3 requires employers to review risk assessments when there is reason to suspect that they are no longer valid or when there has been a significant change in the matters to which they relate. Review is triggered by changes in work, personnel, equipment or knowledge, not by the absence of enforcement action. The employer is responsible for ensuring reviews are carried out, whether internally or with external support.

Question 5Health and safety foundations and legal framework

Which body is responsible for enforcing health and safety law in most manufacturing workplaces in Great Britain?

  1. The Environment Agency
  2. The Health and Safety Executive Correct answer.
  3. The local authority environmental health department
  4. The Employment Tribunal Service

Explanation

The Health and Safety Executive is the primary enforcing authority for health and safety in higher-hazard sectors such as manufacturing, construction and agriculture in Great Britain. Local authorities enforce in lower-risk premises such as shops, offices and some leisure facilities. The Environment Agency and employment tribunals have different statutory functions.

Question 6Health and safety foundations and legal framework

A health and safety inspector forms the opinion that a work activity involves a risk of serious personal injury and serves a notice requiring the activity to stop immediately. Which type of notice is this?

  1. A Crown notice
  2. An improvement notice
  3. A prohibition notice Correct answer.
  4. A caution

Explanation

A prohibition notice is served where an inspector is of the opinion that activities involve, or will involve, a risk of serious personal injury, and it directs that the activity be stopped. It may take effect immediately or after a specified period. An improvement notice instead requires specified remedial work within a stated period.

Question 7Health and safety foundations and legal framework

An employer receives an improvement notice. Within what period must an appeal be lodged with an employment tribunal?

  1. 21 days from the date of service Correct answer.
  2. 3 months from the date of service
  3. 7 days from the date of service
  4. 14 days from the date of service

Explanation

Under section 24 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, an appeal against an improvement or prohibition notice must be made to an employment tribunal within 21 days of service. An appeal against a prohibition notice does not automatically suspend the notice unless the tribunal directs otherwise.

Question 8Health and safety foundations and legal framework

Which statement correctly describes the role of a safety representative appointed by a recognised trade union under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977?

  1. They have a statutory right to inspect the workplace and investigate potential hazards and complaints Correct answer.
  2. They can issue prohibition notices to stop unsafe work
  3. They assume the employer's legal duties for risk assessment
  4. They may carry out their functions only with the employer's written permission for each activity

Explanation

Regulation 4 of the 1977 Regulations gives appointed safety representatives functions including investigating potential hazards and dangerous occurrences, examining the causes of accidents, and inspecting the workplace. These functions are exercised in consultation with the employer but do not require permission for each activity. Enforcement powers and the duty to assess risk remain with the inspector and the employer respectively.

Question 9Health and safety foundations and legal framework

Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, which scenario must be reported to the enforcing authority as a specified injury?

  1. A worker sustains a fracture to the wrist following a fall at work Correct answer.
  2. A worker cuts a finger requiring a plaster and returns to work the same day
  3. A worker sprains an ankle while walking to the car park and is absent for two days
  4. A worker reports a headache after a night shift

Explanation

RIDDOR 2013 specifies certain serious injuries as reportable, including most bone fractures (other than to fingers, thumbs and toes). The report must be made without delay, and a record kept. Minor injuries needing only first-aid treatment and short absences do not meet the specified injury threshold.

Question 10Health and safety foundations and legal framework

An employee is off work for eight consecutive days, excluding the day of the accident, following a workplace injury. What reporting obligation arises under RIDDOR 2013?

  1. The over-seven-day injury must be reported within 15 days of the accident Correct answer.
  2. The injury must be reported as a specified injury within 10 days
  3. No report is required because the absence is under 28 days
  4. The injury must be reported as a dangerous occurrence

Explanation

Where a worker is incapacitated for more than seven consecutive days, excluding the day of the accident, the employer must report the over-seven-day injury to the enforcing authority within 15 days of the accident. This is distinct from the specified injury list, which requires immediate reporting. Records of the absence must also be kept.

Question 11Health and safety foundations and legal framework

Which duty is placed on employees by section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974?

  1. To conduct their own written risk assessments of their workstations
  2. To purchase their own personal protective equipment where the employer does not provide it
  3. To report all hazards directly to the enforcing authority
  4. To take reasonable care of themselves and others affected by their acts or omissions, and to co-operate with the employer Correct answer.

Explanation

Section 7 requires employees to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions, and to co-operate with the employer so far as is necessary to enable statutory duties to be complied with. Personal protective equipment is provided by the employer under other regulations, and risk assessment is an employer duty.

Question 12Health and safety foundations and legal framework

A worker is temporarily supplied to a host employer by an employment business. Which statement best reflects the division of health and safety responsibilities under the Management Regulations 1999?

  1. The worker is solely responsible for identifying and managing risks in the host workplace
  2. Only the employment business has any health and safety duties towards the worker
  3. The host employer must assess risks to the worker and provide information, while both parties must co-operate and share relevant information Correct answer.
  4. Responsibilities transfer entirely to the host employer, releasing the employment business from any duty

Explanation

Regulation 15 requires the host employer to provide temporary workers with comprehensible information on risks and protective measures, and to assess risks to them. Both the employment business and the host employer must co-operate and exchange information so that each can meet their duties. Responsibility is shared, not transferred wholly to one party.

Question 13Health and safety foundations and legal framework

Which document must an employer provide under the Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations 1989 to inform employees of health and safety law?

  1. A copy of the employer's public liability insurance certificate
  2. The approved poster or a leaflet containing the approved text Correct answer.
  3. A completed accident report form
  4. A copy of the employer's fire risk assessment

Explanation

The 1989 Regulations require employers to display the approved poster or provide the approved leaflet to employees so they are aware of health and safety law and where to seek advice. The poster or leaflet must be in the approved form and include the contact details of the enforcing authority.

Question 14Health and safety foundations and legal framework

What is the maximum penalty for a health and safety offence tried in the Crown Court in England and Wales following the coming into force of the Sentencing Council guideline and statutory changes?

  1. Community service only
  2. A maximum fine of £5,000 and no imprisonment
  3. An unlimited fine and/or imprisonment for up to two years Correct answer.
  4. A fixed fine of £20,000

Explanation

For most health and safety offences tried on indictment, the Crown Court may impose an unlimited fine and imprisonment for up to two years. The Sentencing Council guideline for health and safety offences, corporate manslaughter and food safety offences sets out how fines should be calculated by reference to culpability and turnover.

Question 15Health and safety foundations and legal framework

An employer wishes to rely on the defence that it took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid an offence. Which statement about this defence is accurate?

  1. The defence can only be raised before an inspector serves a notice
  2. The defence requires the employer to show it took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence, and it may be defeated if the contravention was caused by another person's act and the employer failed to take reasonable steps to prevent it Correct answer.
  3. The defence removes the need to comply with the duty in future
  4. The defence is available automatically once a written health and safety policy exists

Explanation

Section 40 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places the burden on the accused to prove that it was not reasonably practicable to do more than was done, or that it took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence. Where the alleged contravention was due to another person's act or default, the defence requires the employer to show it took reasonable steps to prevent that act. The defence is fact-specific and does not remove ongoing duties.

Question 16Health and safety foundations and legal framework

Which statement correctly describes the duty of an employer to consult employees on health and safety under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 and the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996?

  1. Consultation must cover the introduction of measures affecting health and safety, and the appointment of competent persons Correct answer.
  2. Consultation is required only when the employer proposes to make redundancies
  3. Consultation may be replaced by displaying the approved poster
  4. Consultation is required only with trade union representatives and never with other employees

Explanation

The consultation duties require employers to consult on matters including the introduction of measures that may substantially affect health and safety, arrangements for appointing competent persons, and the health and safety information required. Where there are no recognised trade union representatives, the 1996 Regulations require consultation with employees directly or through elected representatives. Displaying a poster is a separate information duty.

Question 17Health and safety foundations and legal framework

A small employer with four employees carries out a risk assessment but does not record the significant findings. Which statement is correct?

  1. The employer has breached the Management Regulations because all employers must record significant findings
  2. The employer is not required to record the significant findings because it employs fewer than five employees Correct answer.
  3. The employer must record findings only if an inspector requests them in writing
  4. The employer must record findings only if the workforce exceeds 50

Explanation

Regulation 7 of the Management Regulations requires the significant findings of the risk assessment to be recorded where the employer employs five or more employees. With four employees, the recording duty does not apply, although the employer must still carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment and may choose to record for good practice.

Question 18Health and safety foundations and legal framework

Which of the following best describes the purpose of the Health and Safety Executive's Enforcement Policy Statement (the 'Enforcement Management Model' approach)?

  1. To set out how inspectors decide on enforcement action, including the use of notices and prosecution, based on risk and the public interest Correct answer.
  2. To guarantee that every reported incident results in a prosecution
  3. To provide technical design standards for machinery guarding
  4. To replace the employer's duty to carry out risk assessments

Explanation

The Enforcement Policy Statement and the Enforcement Management Model guide inspectors in making consistent, proportionate enforcement decisions. They help inspectors decide the appropriate response to a breach, from advice through to prosecution, taking account of risk and the public interest. They do not set technical standards or displace employer duties.

Question 19Health and safety foundations and legal framework

An employer is considering whether a control measure is 'reasonably practicable'. Which factor is least relevant to that legal test?

  1. Whether the measure would be popular with the workforce Correct answer.
  2. The cost of the measure in money, time and trouble
  3. Whether the measure would reduce the risk to a meaningful extent
  4. The likelihood and severity of the harm

Explanation

The reasonably practicable test weighs the magnitude of the risk against the sacrifice needed to control it. Popularity with the workforce is not a factor in the legal test, although consultation may improve how measures are implemented. Cost, risk reduction and the nature of the harm are all relevant considerations.

Question 20Health and safety foundations and legal framework

Which statement correctly distinguishes an approved code of practice (ACOP) from guidance issued by the Health and Safety Executive?

  1. An ACOP is legally binding in every respect and creates criminal liability independently of the regulations
  2. Neither an ACOP nor guidance has any relevance in legal proceedings
  3. An ACOP has special legal status, so failure to follow it may be used as evidence of a breach unless the employer can show compliance by other means Correct answer.
  4. Guidance has greater legal force than an ACOP because it is more detailed

Explanation

An approved code of practice is approved by the Health and Safety Executive with the consent of the Secretary of State and has special legal status. Where a duty is qualified by 'so far as is reasonably practicable', following the ACOP is normally sufficient, but an employer may show that compliance was achieved by other means. Guidance is advisory and does not carry the same evidential status.

Question 21Health and safety management systems

Under OHSAS 18001, which element forms the foundation for setting objectives and operational controls within the OH&S management system?

  1. Management review minutes
  2. Emergency evacuation drills
  3. Hazard identification, risk assessment and determining controls Correct answer.
  4. Procurement records

Explanation

OHSAS 18001 places hazard identification, risk assessment and determination of controls at the core of planning, because objectives, operational controls and monitoring must all be derived from the significant hazards and risks the organisation identifies.

Question 22Health and safety management systems

In the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle applied to an OH&S management system, which activity belongs to the 'Check' stage?

  1. Setting annual safety objectives
  2. Monitoring and measuring OH&S performance against criteria Correct answer.
  3. Issuing a new permit-to-work procedure
  4. Appointing a new safety manager

Explanation

The 'Check' stage covers monitoring, measurement and evaluation of OH&S performance against planned criteria, providing the feedback loop that informs corrective action and management review.

Question 23Health and safety management systems

Which document typically sits at the top of an organisation's OH&S management system documentation hierarchy and states intent and direction?

  1. The incident investigation report
  2. The risk register
  3. The OH&S policy Correct answer.
  4. The training matrix

Explanation

The OH&S policy is the top-level document that states the organisation's commitment, intent and direction for occupational health and safety, and all lower-level procedures and records must be consistent with it.

Question 24Health and safety management systems

A worker is legally required to report a hazard they notice in their work area. Within the management system, this requirement is best described as which type of arrangement?

  1. A defined role, responsibility and authority Correct answer.
  2. A voluntary good practice
  3. A contractual obligation
  4. A consultation arrangement only

Explanation

Defining who must do what, and with what authority, is how the system assigns roles and responsibilities. A legal duty to report hazards is captured as a defined responsibility and authority within the organisation's structure.

Question 25Health and safety management systems

Which of the following is the primary purpose of an internal OH&S management system audit?

  1. To certify the organisation to a standard
  2. To determine whether the system conforms to planned arrangements and is effectively implemented Correct answer.
  3. To discipline workers who breached procedures
  4. To replace the need for management review

Explanation

Internal audits evaluate whether the management system conforms to planned arrangements, to the standard's requirements and to the organisation's own arrangements, and whether it is effectively implemented and maintained.

Question 26Health and safety management systems

An organisation records near-miss events in addition to injuries. Which system benefit does this practice most directly support?

  1. Eliminating the need for risk assessment
  2. Reducing the number of documents requiring control
  3. Proactive identification of controls before harm occurs Correct answer.
  4. Avoiding the requirement to consult workers

Explanation

Near-misses are leading indicators: they reveal failures in controls before injury results, allowing corrective action to be taken proactively. Recording them strengthens prevention rather than merely reacting to harm.

Question 27Health and safety management systems

Which of the following best describes a leading OH&S performance indicator?

  1. The total cost of compensation claims
  2. The percentage of planned inspections completed on schedule Correct answer.
  3. The number of lost-time injuries in the last year
  4. The number of enforcement notices received

Explanation

Leading indicators measure preventive activity and control implementation, such as completing planned inspections. They give early warning of risk trends before harm occurs.

Question 28Health and safety management systems

During a management review, senior managers note that a corrective action from six months ago has not been closed. Which system element is failing to operate effectively?

  1. The corrective and preventive action process Correct answer.
  2. The procurement process
  3. The document approval step
  4. The policy statement

Explanation

Corrective and preventive action requires that actions be implemented and their effectiveness reviewed. An open action left unaddressed shows this process is not functioning as designed.

Question 29Health and safety management systems

A company introduces a new chemical and updates its risk assessment before first use. Which planning principle does this best illustrate?

  1. Emergency preparedness
  2. Management of change Correct answer.
  3. Outsourcing control
  4. Competence assurance

Explanation

Management of change requires that hazards and risks arising from changes to processes, materials or equipment are assessed before the change is implemented, so introducing a new chemical triggers a pre-use risk assessment.

Question 30Health and safety management systems

Which arrangement best demonstrates effective worker consultation within an OH&S management system?

  1. Publishing incident statistics in an annual report
  2. Involving worker representatives in developing risk controls and recording their input Correct answer.
  3. Posting the policy on a noticeboard without discussion
  4. Distributing personal protective equipment without explanation

Explanation

Consultation is a two-way process in which workers and their representatives contribute to decisions such as the development of risk controls. Involving representatives and recording their input demonstrates genuine participation.

Question 31Health and safety management systems

An organisation sets an objective to reduce manual handling injuries by 30% within twelve months. Which characteristic makes this objective consistent with management system requirements?

  1. It is reviewed every five years
  2. It covers multiple unrelated hazards
  3. It is measurable and assigned a timeframe Correct answer.
  4. It is communicated only to senior managers

Explanation

OH&S objectives should be measurable, consistent with the policy and set with defined timeframes and responsibility. A quantified target with a twelve-month horizon meets these criteria.

Question 32Health and safety management systems

A contractor is engaged to carry out maintenance on site. Under the OH&S management system, which control is the most appropriate first step?

  1. Excluding the contractor from site induction to save time
  2. Transferring all legal responsibility to the contractor
  3. Exchanging information on hazards, controls and emergency arrangements before work begins Correct answer.
  4. Relying on the contractor's own risk assessments without review

Explanation

Contractor control requires the exchange of relevant OH&S information, including hazards, controls and emergency arrangements, before work starts so that both parties understand and manage the interface risks.

Question 33Health and safety management systems

Which of the following is an example of a reactive monitoring activity?

  1. Investigating an injury that occurred last week Correct answer.
  2. Auditing permit-to-work compliance
  3. Scheduling monthly workplace inspections
  4. Surveying workers about perceived stress levels

Explanation

Reactive monitoring responds to events that have already happened, such as injuries, ill health or incidents. Investigating an injury is therefore a reactive monitoring activity.

Question 34Health and safety management systems

An organisation identifies that several safety-critical procedures are held only in a manager's personal folder. Which system requirement is most clearly breached?

  1. Management review frequency
  2. Worker consultation
  3. Control of documented information Correct answer.
  4. Emergency preparedness

Explanation

Control of documented information requires that documents be available where and when needed and be protected from loss or unauthorised change. Storing critical procedures only in a personal folder fails this requirement.

Question 35Health and safety management systems

Which approach best reflects the hierarchy of controls when eliminating a significant risk from a machine?

  1. Rely on warning signs and training
  2. Rely on supervision to enforce safe behaviour
  3. Modify the machine to remove the hazard at source Correct answer.
  4. Provide hearing protection to operators

Explanation

The hierarchy of controls prioritises eliminating the hazard at source over administrative and personal protective measures. Redesigning the machine to remove the hazard is the highest-order control available.

Question 36Health and safety management systems

A worker is transferred to a new task requiring a forklift licence. Which system element ensures the worker is competent before operating the equipment?

  1. Competence, training and awareness Correct answer.
  2. Document control
  3. Management review
  4. Incident reporting

Explanation

Competence, training and awareness requires that people be competent on the basis of education, training or experience for the tasks they perform, so a licence and verification of competence must precede operation.

Question 37Health and safety management systems

Which of the following is the most appropriate content of an emergency preparedness and response procedure?

  1. The organisation's financial reporting timetable
  2. The list of approved suppliers
  3. The arrangements for first aid, evacuation and liaison with emergency services Correct answer.
  4. The schedule of internal audits for the year

Explanation

Emergency preparedness and response procedures must cover planned responses to potential emergency situations, including first aid, evacuation, communication and liaison with external emergency services, and should be tested periodically.

Question 38Health and safety management systems

An organisation has a legal register but does not update it when new regulations are introduced. Which system element is most directly compromised?

  1. Emergency preparedness
  2. Identification of legal and other requirements Correct answer.
  3. Worker consultation
  4. Control of records

Explanation

The system must identify and have access to applicable legal and other requirements and keep this information up to date. Failing to update the register when regulations change undermines this element.

Question 39Health and safety management systems

In an OH&S management system, which of the following best describes the purpose of a nonconformity report?

  1. To record a failure to meet a requirement and trigger corrective action Correct answer.
  2. To record the results of a worker satisfaction survey
  3. To document the annual budget
  4. To approve a new supplier

Explanation

A nonconformity report documents a failure to meet a requirement, together with the action taken to correct it and to address its cause so that it does not recur. It is the trigger for the corrective action process.

Question 40Health and safety management systems

A safety manager argues that because the organisation has had no reportable injuries for two years, its OH&S management system must be effective. Which criticism of this reasoning is most valid?

  1. Absence of recorded harm may reflect under-reporting rather than effective controls Correct answer.
  2. Injury statistics are never relevant to system performance
  3. Management systems only apply to large organisations
  4. Two years is too long a period for any monitoring

Explanation

Lagging indicators such as injury counts can be low because of under-reporting or because high-risk activities are limited, not necessarily because controls are effective. Effectiveness must be judged using proactive monitoring and verification of controls as well.

Question 41Health and safety management systems

An organisation outsources a high-risk process to a contractor but retains the same hazard profile on site. Which statement best reflects good management system practice?

  1. The organisation retains responsibility for controlling risks to which its workers and others remain exposed Correct answer.
  2. Hazard identification only applies to direct employees
  3. Outsourcing removes the need for on-site risk assessment
  4. Contractor workers are outside the scope of the OH&S policy

Explanation

Outsourcing work does not remove the organisation's duty to control risks arising from its activities. It must coordinate with the contractor and ensure that risks to its own workers, contractor workers and others remain adequately controlled.

Question 42Health and safety management systems

An auditor finds that corrective actions are always recorded as 'retrain the worker'. Which analysis best identifies the systemic weakness?

  1. The organisation is over-investing in training
  2. The policy is too short
  3. Actions address individual behaviour rather than the underlying causes of nonconformity Correct answer.
  4. The audit programme is too frequent

Explanation

Corrective action should address the root cause of a nonconformity, which may lie in design, procedures or supervision rather than individual behaviour. Defaulting to retraining indicates that root-cause analysis is not being performed.

Question 43Health and safety management systems

A risk assessment records a risk as 'low' after controls, but no criteria for the rating are documented. Why is this a significant system weakness?

  1. Because the assessment cannot be consistently applied or reviewed without defined criteria Correct answer.
  2. Because risk ratings must always be numerical
  3. Because low risks never require controls
  4. Because risk assessments must be repeated weekly

Explanation

Risk assessment requires defined criteria so that ratings are applied consistently and can be reviewed and compared over time. Without documented criteria, the 'low' rating is subjective and cannot be reliably relied upon.

Question 44Health and safety management systems

A manager proposes to demonstrate system effectiveness by counting the number of toolbox talks delivered. Which critique of this measure is most defensible?

  1. It measures activity output rather than whether risk controls have improved Correct answer.
  2. It should be replaced entirely by injury statistics
  3. It overstates the role of worker consultation
  4. Toolbox talks are not part of an OH&S management system

Explanation

Counting talks measures activity, not outcome or effectiveness. A sound indicator links to whether controls have been implemented and risks reduced, so activity counts should be paired with verification of control effectiveness.

Question 45Risk assessment and control

Under the BOSH SO2 framework, which document must an employer prepare before assigning work that exposes employees to a substance classified as a respiratory sensitiser, in order to identify the hazard and the necessary protective measures?

  1. A written risk assessment specific to that activity Correct answer.
  2. A medical surveillance certificate for each employee
  3. A general company safety policy signed by the board
  4. A purchase order for respiratory protective equipment

Explanation

The risk assessment is the core planning document in occupational safety: it identifies the hazardous substance, evaluates exposure and defines the controls needed before work starts. A generic policy or equipment purchase does not analyse the specific activity, and medical certificates are a consequence of exposure control, not its basis.

Question 46Risk assessment and control

An employer introduces a new solvent into a degreasing process. Which action best reflects the hierarchy of control before any personal protective equipment is selected?

  1. Shorten shifts so exposure time is halved
  2. Rely on natural ventilation in the workshop
  3. Issue respirators to all operators and continue as before
  4. Substitute the solvent with a less hazardous product or enclose the process Correct answer.

Explanation

The hierarchy of control requires eliminating or substituting the hazard, then applying engineering controls such as enclosure, before relying on administrative measures or PPE. PPE is the last line of defence because it depends on correct fit and use. Reducing exposure time helps but leaves the hazard in place.

Question 47Risk assessment and control

In risk assessment terminology, what does the term 'hazard' refer to?

  1. The probability that harm will occur in a given period
  2. A source or situation with the potential to cause harm Correct answer.
  3. The number of workers exposed to a chemical agent
  4. The combination of likelihood and severity of harm

Explanation

A hazard is the intrinsic source or situation that can cause harm, whereas risk expresses the chance and severity of harm arising from it. Keeping the two terms distinct matters because controls act on hazards while risk ratings guide prioritisation.

Question 48Risk assessment and control

Which exposure route is most commonly associated with inhalation of vapours released during open handling of volatile organic compounds?

  1. Inhalation through the respiratory tract Correct answer.
  2. Injection through a puncture wound
  3. Ingestion via hand-to-mouth contact
  4. Absorption through intact skin

Explanation

Volatile organic compounds evaporate readily and form vapour in the breathing zone, so inhalation is the dominant route for open handling. Skin absorption and ingestion can occur but are secondary for vapours unless there is direct contact or poor hygiene.

Question 49Risk assessment and control

A risk assessment identifies that a worker may be exposed to a hazardous substance above an occupational exposure limit. Which action should be taken first in the control strategy?

  1. Schedule periodic lung function testing
  2. Provide training on correct respirator use
  3. Post warning signs at the workshop entrance
  4. Introduce measures to prevent or adequately control exposure at source Correct answer.

Explanation

Where exposure limits may be exceeded, the priority is to prevent or adequately control exposure at source through elimination, substitution or engineering measures. Training, health surveillance and signage support the control programme but do not reduce the airborne concentration themselves.

Question 50Risk assessment and control

What is the primary purpose of recording the findings of a risk assessment?

  1. To replace the need for periodic reassessment
  2. To satisfy insurers regardless of content
  3. To document employee disciplinary records
  4. To provide evidence that the assessment was carried out and to communicate controls Correct answer.

Explanation

A record demonstrates that the assessment was performed and serves as a working reference that communicates the identified hazards and required controls to those affected. It does not remove the duty to review the assessment when circumstances change.