Unit IG2
Risk Assessment Guidance
Reference:
NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety
(October 2018 specification)
Guidance and information for learners. Guidance version: 1
Publication date: August 2019
Available at: https://www.nebosh.org.uk/documents/ig-practical-guidance/
Stages of Risk Assessment
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance
Description
of the
organization
and
methodology
used
Risk
assessment
Priorities 3
actions with
justification
Review,
communicat
e and check
Stages of Risk Assessment
Minimum information to include:
• Name of the organisation
• Site location (no need to give the full address, e.g. Musaffah)
• Number of workers employed
• General description of the organisation
• products manufactured or services provided
• types of activities undertaken
• shift patterns worked
• Description of the area to be included in the risk assessment
• Other relevant information e.g. who is responsible for the day-to-day health and
safety
• If there is nothing relevant here, no need to include this in the description
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance
Example of general description of the organisation
Stages of Risk Assessment
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance
Source: NEBOSH IGC - IG2-Guidance-V1.pdf
• Need to outline how you carried out the risk assessment (methodology used).
• Need to include as a minimum:
• the sources of information that you consulted
• who you spoke to
• how the hazards and controls were identified
• Also include anything else that is relevant to the completion of the risk assessment.
Stages of Risk Assessment
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance
• Identify at least 10 different hazards that are taken from at least 5 different hazard
categories. Hazard categories are the topic headings for Elements 5 – 11 of the IG1.
Stages of Risk Assessment
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance
Element Hazard categories
- Noise; vibration; radiation; mental ill-health; violence at work; substance abuse at work
- Work related upper-limb disorders (ergonomics, workstation design etc); manual handling;
load handling equipment - Hazardous substances
- Health, welfare and work environment; working at height; confined spaces; lone working;
slips and trips; movement of people and vehicles in the workplace; work-related driving - Work equipment and machinery
- Fire
- Electricity
Risk assessment must include details on:
• The hazard and the hazard category (column 1)
• Who may be harmed and how (column 2)
• What you are already doing to control the hazard (column 3)
• What further controls or actions might be needed (column 4)
• Must take account of hierarchy of control and prevention and control measures
(ILO-OSH 2001, Section 3.10.1) in deciding on further controls
• What the timescales are for completion of each action (column 5)
• The role of the person responsible for completing each action (column 6)
Stages of Risk Assessment
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance
Stages of Risk Assessment
Risk assessmentsample form:
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance
• Must pick the 3 highest priority/most urgent actions needing attention. These
actions can be associated with the same or different hazards/hazard categories;
(it must be the highest priorities for action)
• Must give a justification for why you think these are the highest priority/most
urgent actions
• Your justification must include:
• Moral, legal and financial arguments for all actions. Your legal arguments
must be based on the International Labour Organization’s (ILO)
Conventions, Recommendations and Codes of Practice. You may also
include country-specific legislation but this will not be marked.
Stages of Risk Assessment
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance
• Your justification must include:
• Consideration of the likelihood AND severity (taking account of current
control measures) of injury, ill-health or harm occurring. Consider the:
• types of injury, ill-health or harm likely to be seen, the number of
workers at risk, how often the activity is carried out and how
widespread the risk is, e.g. same threat exist in other branches/sites
• Detail on how effective each action is likely to be in controlling the risk.
Describe the:
• the intended impact of each action
• justification for the timescale for completion for each action
• whether you think the action will fully control the risk
Stages of Risk Assessment
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance
Final part of the assessment is to:
• set a realistic review date for the risk assessment and say why you have chosen
that review date
• indicate how the findings of the risk assessment are to be communicated (verbal
or written up date and the methods to be used, eg, email, noticeboards) and
who needs to know the information
• indicate how you will follow-up on the risk assessment to check that the actions
have been carried out.
Stages of Risk Assessment
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance
• The assessment must be carried out in your own workplace. Your workplace
should be large enough to provide a sufficient range of hazard
categories/hazards.
• If you do not have access to a workplace HSEPro will guide you.
• Before carrying out the assessment, you must speak to the management at the
premises to ensure that you can carry out the inspection without endangering
your own health and safety (so that advice can be given on any restricted areas,
whether PPE must be worn, etc).
Assessment Location
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance
• The time needed to complete the assessment is not restricted. Recommended
time is that you take around 3 hours to complete all four parts of the
assessment. Please note that the three hours is for guidance; you may choose to
take more or less time to complete your assessment.
• Discuss your approach with your tutor. Tutor can give you advice on whether you
are ‘heading in the right direction’, for example:
• Tutor can comment on whether you have chosen a suitable workplace or
situation that will give enough scope to be able to tackle this assessment
properly.
• DO NOT submit drafts of your work to your tutor as they are NOT allowed to
pre-mark or comment on specific details.
Assessment time and tutor guidance
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance
Your assessment can either be hand written or completed electronically.
• Electronic forms
When you start your assessment you must double-click the page footer and
insert your Learner number and name on the first sheet. The page numbering
will change automatically as you increase the number of pages that you use.
• Hand written forms
You must ensure that your Learner number and name are written on the top of
every form. Additionally, you must all ensure that you include the page numbers
at the top of every sheet where indicated e.g. page 2 of 8.
Assessment forms and submission
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance
• Your assessment will be marked by an examiner appointed by NEBOSH.
• You will receive a ‘Pass’ or ‘Refer’ for your assessment. If you are referred, you
can re-submit your assessment
• You will receive a ‘Refer’ result if, for example, you:
• do not include a methodology
• include 9 hazards from 5 hazard categories
• include 11 hazards from 4 hazard categories
• include 10 hazards but do not state the hazard category for all hazards
• prioritise two actions
• include how the risk assessment will be communicated but do not say who
needs to know the information
Assessment marking
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance
• NEBOSH aim to issue results within 50 working days of the date of the
assessment
Assessment results
• You can only achieve a ‘Pass’ or ‘Refer’ for the assessment. If you need to
resubmit you will need to register for the assessment again and pay the
appropriate fee.
• You are not limited on the number of times that you can resubmit the practical
for marking.
• You must remember that both of the units (IG1 and IG2) must be passed within a
five year period.
Resubmission in case of referral
Unit IG2 - Risk Assessment Guidance