MARCH 2025-NEBOSH IGC SCENARIO AND TASKS

 SCENARIO
Prime Plaza is one department store of many in a retail organisation. It is situated in a town centre
and is a large, two-storey building. The store’s warehouse is on the ground floor. Retail space and
an outdoor garden area selling garden consumables and plants, are also located on the ground floor.
There is a customer café and additional retail space on the upper floor.
There is a managing director (MD) who reports to a head office. The store manager (SM) has 15
years of service at the store and has been given the responsibility, by the MD, of making sure that
sales targets are reached. All departments are set challenging targets; if these are achieved,
workers are rewarded with large financial bonuses. The MD and the SM have regular weekly
meetings, and in these meetings they check to see if targets are on track to be reached. The SM has
recently decided to arrange weekly team briefings with all supervisors and workers.
The SM feels that health and safety is ‘common sense’ and does not require any allocation of
resources. This attitude is shared by the MD and most of the supervisors. The MD has no interest in
health and safety and believes it is not their responsibility. The sales supervisor has five years of
service and has a strong influence on those workers reporting to them. The sales team work well
together and are given the freedom to work how they want. They believe that what matters most is
getting the job done and achieving their targets, and as a result, most of the sales team take chances
with health and safety to maximise their bonuses.
During opening hours, workers use an electric forklift truck (FLT) to move stock in the warehouse and
around the store. There is a narrow doorway with flexible rubber curtains that leads from the
warehouse to the store. Near misses have occurred in this area that have not been investigated.
The accident
One morning, the SM informs the MD that they are concerned about the problems with stock supplies
and the number of empty shelves. The MD ignores this concern and states how important it is for
targets to be met. After a large stock delivery arrives, the SM informs all of the supervisors that it is
crucial for all workers to increase the speed of their work. Once this message is communicated,
everyone works quickly to restock the shelves before the store opens.
Worker A arrives late to work that morning. They have a severe toothache and have not had enough
sleep. The earliest dental appointment available to them is later that day. The sales supervisor
shouts at Worker A for being late, which puts the worker in a bad mood as they are usually very
punctual.
When Worker A climbs into the FLT, another worker shouts “get a move on” at them. The sales
supervisor tells Worker A that stock of a certain cleaning product for sale is low in the store. They
ask Worker A to take a pallet of this cleaning product from the warehouse into the store to restock the
shelves. Worker A questions this instruction as there are customers in the store, but the sales
supervisor insists. As Worker A approaches the doorway into the retail area, they fail to sound the
FLT’s horn and turn the corner very quickly. They do not see a pile of boxes and knock them over,
and the boxes strike a customer who is in the aisle. The FLT becomes unbalanced and falls onto its
side, causing the containers on the pallet to break and the contents spill all over the floor.
As a result of the accident the customer suffers a head injury. Worker A has scraped their leg, but is
otherwise unharmed. The FLT has been damaged and cannot be driven any further. The floor is
damaged by the corrosive nature of the cleaning substance that has spilled onto the floor.
A nearby worker witnesses the accident and hurries to the scene. They shout for Worker B, who is a
first-aider. Worker B immediately arrives and assists the customer and Worker A. They attend to the
customer and ask another worker to telephone for an ambulance.
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The SM arrives at the scene of the accident and examines the area. They immediately ask a worker
to cordon off the aisle, and to display ‘no entry’ signs. Two supervisors are asked to leave their usual
tasks to help clear up the spillage.
The SM checks that Worker B can stay with the customer, and then reassures Worker A as they are
distressed. They calmly take Worker A to the welfare area, make them a hot drink, and sit with them.
When Worker A has calmed down, the SM asks, “Are you able to tell me what happened?” With
Worker A’s permission, the SM records what is said on their mobile phone. Worker A explains that
they were distracted when operating the FLT because of their toothache. After Worker A finishes
their explanation, the SM kindly thanks them for their time.
The SM returns to the accident scene and Worker B informs them that the customer has been taken
to hospital and that a family member has been contacted. The SM asks Worker B to visit Worker A
in the welfare area. The SM then starts to video record their observations on their mobile phone,
stating details of the time, date, and location in which the accident occurred. They take some
photographs of the area, before returning to the welfare area to check on Worker A. The SM
interviews two other workers who witnessed the accident, and then telephones the MD to inform
them of the accident.
In the afternoon, after visiting the dentist, Worker A is feeling slightly better and returns to work. They
are allocated other work tasks by the sales supervisor. However, after finishing work later that day
they visit a healthcare centre, as their leg wound has signs of infection and will not stop bleeding.
The next day, the SM receives a telephone call from head office, who have been contacted by a
health and safety officer from the local authority. They are responding to a member of the public who
has made a complaint about the accident.
One month later
As a result of the accident, head office has decided to introduce a range of approaches to raise the
profile of health and safety at the store. One objective is for the store to implement a behavioural
safety programme (BSP). As part of the BSP, regular observations will take place. This involves
observation of the store workers when carrying out a task. An observer will look for both safe and
unsafe behaviour, as well as noting the general workplace conditions at the time. There will be a
follow-up conversation between the store worker and the observer. Usually, this will occur during, or
immediately after, the observation. In this conversation, the observer will give positive feedback to
store workers on observed safe behaviour, as well as challenging workers on unsafe behaviour. The
aim is to encourage safe behaviour. If store workers are behaving unsafely, the observer will try to
establish why they are behaving in that way, discussing what can be done to change it.
The observers will be workers who have volunteered to actively monitor respective departments.
Training will be arranged for the observers. They will use a checklist of critical behaviours that has
been developed by other stores, and from studying past accidents and incidents in the wider
organisation. The checklist will be common across all areas of the store. The completed checklists
will be collated, and all findings will be shared at weekly team briefings. All of the associated forms,
checklists, and procedures will be carefully version-controlled.
The MD and some of the supervisors are not convinced of the value of the BSP. Head office has
provided resources for training observers and workers. The MD would rather use this money for
promotions and sales.
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Task 1: Behavioural safety observations
1 What are the benefits of using a checklist during the behavioural safety
observations? (14)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.
Task 2: Health and safety leadership
2 Comment on the poor health and safety leadership of the MD. (8)
Note: Your answer must be based on the scenario only.
Task 3: Workers’ responsibilities in the workplace
3 Workers have obligations under Recommendation 16 (a) of the International
Labour Organisation’s (ILO’s) – Occupational Safety and Health
Recommendation.
Comment on how these worker obligations may not have been followed by
Worker A. (6)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.
Task 4: Moral reasons for managing health and safety
4 Comment on Prime Plaza’s negative health and safety morals. (10)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.
Task 5: Accident investigation
5 (a) What are the underlying causes of the accident? (5)
Note: Your answer must be based on the scenario only.
(b) What are the root causes of the accident? (5)
Note: Your answer must be based on the scenario only.
(c) What was positive about the actions taken to collect evidence to help
investigate the accident? (10)
Note: Your answer must be based on the scenario only.
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Task 6: Training recommendations
6 The accident investigation reveals a general lack of awareness of health and
safety at the store.
What training would you recommend for different types of workers, to improve
health and safety competence? (14)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.
Task 7: Understanding arrangements in ISO 45001: 2018 (Plan, Do, Check, Act)
7 ISO 45001: 2018 incorporates the Plan, Do, Check, Act process.
Indicate which one of these elements the following arrangements (extracted
from the scenario) belong to
(a) active monitoring (implementing BSP). (1)
(b) occupational health and safety (OH&S) objectives (for the whole store). (1)
(c) hazard identification (hazards identified on site). (1)
(d) control of documented information (careful version control). (1)
(e) managing incidents/accidents (accident investigation to identify root
causes). (1)
(f) emergency response (first aid by a store first-aider). (1)
Task 8: Developing a safe system of work (SSoW)
8 A new SSoW needs to be developed, covering restocking activities.
(a) Why should workers be involved when developing this SSoW? (10)
(b) Why should this SSoW be recorded or written down? (4)
Task 9: The influence of peers
9 Comment on the influence of peers at Prime Plaza. (8)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.
End of examination
Now follow the instructions on submitting your answers.
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