Exam Skills

Element IA1 PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT

It should go without saying that to achieve the NEBOSH International Diploma you will need to work carefully
through your course materials; but you also need to perform when it really matters - in the exam.
As you work through this course Im going to help you build up your confidence in preparation for the exam day.
Before we go any further, lets just look at some basic information about the exam itself:
You have three hours, plus 10 minutes reading time.
There are two sections:
Section A: six compulsory questions (10 marks each).
Section B: you can choose to answer three questions from five (20 marks per question).
So 120 marks are available in total.
The exam questions require you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the elements you have
studied as part of your course and to show that you can apply your knowledge and understanding to both familiar
and unfamiliar situations.
That might sound daunting, but basic exam technique is really quite simple (as long as you know the required
information, of course!). Essentially, what you need to do is:
Step 1: Read the question carefully.
Step 2: Review the marks available (consider how long you should spend on the question and how many points of
information you need to include).
Step 3: Highlight the key action words.
Step 4: Read the question again.
Step 5: Plan your answer (using mind maps, bullet points, etc.) so that you have a structure to work to.
Step 6: Answer the question in full, keeping a close eye on the time (allow 15 minutes for a Section A, 10 mark
question, and 30 minutes for a Section B, 20 mark question).
You will find more guidance as you work through the course along with plenty of sample/practice questions.
Its really important that you complete these and get in touch with your tutor if you have any queries or there is
anything you are struggling with.
Taking into account what we have just covered on exam technique, look at the following past question:

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Exam Skills

Element Ia1 PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT

Question
An organisation is proposing to move from a health and safety management system based on the International Labour
Organisation ILO-OSH-2001 model to one that aligns itself with BS OHSAS 18001. Outline the possible advantages
AND disadvantages of such a change.
(10)
(Unit IA July 2009)

Approaching the Question

Now think about the steps you would take to answer this question:
Step 1: Read the question carefully.
Step 2: Next, consider the marks available. This question is worth 10 marks so you are expected to provide around
ten/twelve different points of information; the question should take around 15 minutes to answer.
Step 3: Now highlight the key words. In this case the question might look like this:
An organisation is proposing to move from a health and safety management system based on the International
Labour Organisation ILO-OSH-2001 model to one that aligns itself with BS OHSAS 18001. Outline the possible
advantages AND disadvantages of such a change.
(10)
Step 4: Read the question again to make sure you understand it and have a clear understanding of the two
management systems it is asking about. (Re-read your notes if you need to.)
Step 5: The next stage is to develop a plan there are various ways to do this. A common approach is to outline
the advantages and disadvantages between the two health and safety management systems. Remember that your
answer must be based on the key words you have highlighted.
Step 6: Now you are in a position to have a go at answering the question. Provide your answer in table form only at
this stage, bullet points and an explanation of each point. Hint integration of systems is an important factor!
When you have finished have a look at the following comments and guidance.
The following is an answer that a student might have produced in the examination room.

Possible Answer by Exam Candidate

IILO-OSH-2001 follows a tried and tested approach, which has been used by quality organisations for a number of years
and has been championed by the regulators. It is used by companies of all types as a starting point for building a safety
management system because it has the advantage of being relatively simple and straightforward and does not require
the approval of an external body in the same way as other systems such as OHSAS 18001 do. In essence, a company can
simply set up its systems using the framework provided by ILO-OSH-2001 without the need to go through potentially
costly and time-consuming certification processes. ILO-OSH-2001 may be perfectly satisfactory for a small business that
does not need to go to the expense and trouble of developing a more sophisticated system like OHSAS 18001. However,
as the business grows, its management systems inevitably become more complex and so it may consider moving to
OHSAS 18001, which offers an integrated solution.
A move from ILO-OSH-2001 to BS OHSAS 18001 means that the company would need to bring in an external
organisation to certify the system. This will entail initial and on-going costs, including extra paperwork and activities to
source information, procedures, etc. However, this could potentially strengthen the organisations image, as this is done
by an outside agency, rather than being done in-house, and would be seen as more independent. By achieving the OHSAS
18001 standard, the company would be able to promote its business within the local community and secure orders/work
with organisations that require an externally certificated standard.
If the organisation already has other certificated systems such as BS EN ISO 14001:2004 or BS EN ISO 9001:2008, they
may be able to integrate the systems to save money, as well as helping to embed H&S into the organisation. Other
benefits from moving to a system based on OHSAS 18001 include the opportunity to undertake an initial review and
measure the organisations current practices to establish where improvements can and/or should be made. The process
allows a company to actually measure the improvements it has made.
The final thing to consider with the new system would be that 18001 looks at continuous improvement as one of its
central themes, so the organisation can look at getting better performance over a period of time.

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Exam Skills

Element IA1 PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT

Hints and Tips

Dont worry too much about the grammar and spelling in your answer, but the Examiner MUST be
able to understand what you are trying to say. There must be a logical flow to the information you
provide and this is where your Answer Plan is so important.
Also remember that the Examiner MUST be able to read your handwriting if they cant read what
you have written they cant award you any marks!

Suggested Answer Outline

Advantages and Disadvantages of moving from ILO OSH 2001 to OHSAS 18001
Possible Advantages
Integration of systems a move
to OHSAS 18001 would facilitate
easier integration with BS EN
ISO 14001 and ISO 9001:2008
to produce an integrated
management system
Publicity opportunity to
promote company through
having an independently verified
system
Benchmarking easier to
benchmark performance with
other companies that have this
certification
Continual improvement shows
the company is committed
to continually improving its
performance

Possible Disadvantages
Although OHSAS 18001 is a well-known standard, it may produce
a system that significantly exceeds the minimum legal standard.
Regulators, however, tend to prefer the simple and straightforward
approach offered by systems based on ILO-OSH-2001, which
conform more closely to the basic legal requirements
Costs costs involved in changing to this system including
registration, certification, changes to standards/paperwork, etc.
Costs in terms of time changing from one system to the other will
involve a lot of time from management, staff and H&S professionals
Paperwork increased paperwork to get certificated by the awarding
body
Possibly too complicated a system based on OHSAS 18001 may be
more than what a small or medium-sized company really needs and
may be too difficult to implement for that reason
Audits for OHSAS 18001 compliance may not be conducted by
auditors with detailed health and safety knowledge
Audits may not involve the companys H&S professionals if
integrated with other systems such as quality or the environment

An exam candidate would achieve poor marks for an answer that did not:
Demonstrate a clear understanding of the differences between the systems.
Identify BS OHSAS 18001 as an integrated management system.
Outline the possible advantages and disadvantages of moving from one management system to another.
Concentrate on advantages and disadvantages of each system and strayed into providing a description of the
components of each system.

Hints and Tips

A question that asks you to outline something, expects you to give the key features of something a
brief explanation or description.

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