Aug - Oct 2014

Examiners Report NEBOSH National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety (NCC1)

Examiners’ Report NEBOSH NATIONAL CERTIFICATE IN CONSTRUCTION HEALTH AND SAFETY UNIT NCC1: MANAGEMENT AND CONTROLLING HAZARDS IN CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES AUGUST – OCTOBER 2014

CONTENTS Introduction 2 General comments 3 Candidate performance 4 Learning outcomes 4 Examination technique 6 Command words 7 Conclusion 8

2015 NEBOSH, Dominus Way, Meridian Business Park, Leicester LE19 1QW tel: 0116 263 4700 fax: 0116 282 4000 email: info@nebosh.org.uk website: www.nebosh.org.uk The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health is a registered charity, number 1010444

Introduction NEBOSH (The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) was formed in 1979 as an independent examining board and awarding body with charitable status. We offer a comprehensive range of globally-recognised, vocationally-related qualifications designed to meet the health, safety, environmental and risk management needs of all places of work in both the private and public sectors. Courses leading to NEBOSH qualifications attract around 50,000 candidates annually and are offered by over 600 course providers, with examinations taken in over 110 countries around the world. Our qualifications are recognised by the relevant professional membership bodies including the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM). NEBOSH is an awarding body that applies best practice setting, assessment and marking and applies to Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) regulatory requirements. This report provides guidance for candidates which it is hoped will be useful to candidates and tutors in preparation for future examinations. It is intended to be constructive and informative and to promote better understanding of the syllabus content and the application of assessment criteria. © NEBOSH 2015 Any enquiries about this report publication should be addressed to: NEBOSH Dominus Way Meridian Business Park Leicester LE19 1QW tel: 0116 263 4700 fax: 0116 282 4000 email: info@nebosh.org.uk

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General comments Many candidates are well prepared for this unit assessment and provide comprehensive and relevant answers in response to the demands of the question paper. This includes the ability to demonstrate understanding of knowledge by applying it to workplace situations. There are other candidates, however, who appear to be unprepared for the unit assessment and who show both a lack of knowledge of the syllabus content and a lack of understanding of how key concepts should be applied to workplace situations. This report has been prepared to provide feedback on standard date and on-demand NCC1 examinations sat between August and October 2014. Feedback is presented in these key areas; examination technique, command words and learning outcomes and is designed to assist candidates and course providers to prepare for future assessments in this unit. Candidates and course providers will also benefit from use of the ‘Guide to the NEBOSH National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety’ which is available via the NEBOSH website. In particular, the guide sets out in detail the syllabus content for NCC1 and tutor reference documents for each Element. Additional guidance on command words is provided in ‘Guidance on command words used in learning outcomes and question papers’ which is also available via the NEBOSH website. Candidates and course providers should also make reference to the NCC1 ‘Example question paper and Examiners’ feedback on expected answers’ which provides example questions and details Examiners’ expectations and typical areas of underperformance.

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Candidate performance This report covers all examinations, both standard and on-demand examination sittings during August to October 2014. Learning outcomes Candidates performed well in these areas of the syllabus: 3.1 Explain the hazards and control measures for the safe movement of vehicles/plant within

a construction environment, including when using public highways as a workplace Candidates needed to be able to demonstrate understanding of the hazards from workplace vehicles and plant and associated control measures to reduce risk. Candidates performed well, explaining factors that lead to employees being struck by moving vehicles on construction sites including absence of crossing points and physical barriers. Areas of weakness included an inability to explain distracted pedestrians or drivers. The quality of candidate responses suggested good course provision with this learning outcome. 10.1 Explain the hazards of working at height and outline the precautions necessary to control

them Candidates needed to explain work activities with the risk of injury when working at height. The hazards and factors affecting risk when working at height needed to be understood. Hazards such as vertical distance, unprotected edges and falling materials and risks such as falling from height, incurring injury from falling materials and collapse of poorly maintained access equipment, needed consideration. Candidates were able to attain high marks for outlining precautions to prevent falls and falling materials from working platforms, correctly specifying pre-use inspection and worker competence. Areas of weakness included hoists being used to safely transport materials up and down. The quality of course provision for the content required within working at height appears to be fairly comprehensive. However, the lack of understanding observed by Examiners for the specific aspect of safety nets suggested room for improvement in course tuition. 11.4 Outline the control measures for confined space working Candidates were expected to understand precautions for safe entry into a confined space through avoidance where possible, risk assessment, confined space entry permit-to-work procedures, use of competent persons, atmospheric testing, means of access, personal protective equipment, monitoring arrangements and emergency arrangements. In a scenario with a deep trench, candidates recognised the identification of a confined space and the requirements to monitor oxygen levels and continually pump out water. However, candidates omitted to mention emergency arrangements such as emergency procedure and emergency rescue equipment. Candidate responses suggested that course providers had addressed the issue of confined space entry but insufficient focus was apparent with understanding the specific requirements of integrated emergency procedures.

Unit NCC1 Managing and controlling hazards in construction activities

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The following learning outcomes have been identified as being the most challenging area of the syllabus for candidates in this period: 9.1 Outline the health effects associated with exposure to noise and appropriate control

measures Candidates were expected to understand physical and psychological effects of exposure to noise, the meaning of commonly used terms in the measurement of sound, assessment of exposure, noise control measures, monitoring and health surveillance. Areas of weakness included the meaning of the term ‘decibel’ where candidates did not understand it is the intensity of sound. Candidates were expected to outline factors affecting the performance of hearing protection and did not understand the concept of inadequate attenuation. Correct responses were often limited to incorrect selection and comfort issues. Examiners reported that the responses from candidates suggested a low level of understanding with this learning outcome and the associated expanded content within. Course providers should focus on this particular learning outcome as Examiners suggested room for improvement. 6.1 Outline the principles, hazards and risks associated with the use of electricity in the

workplace 6.2 Outline the control measures that should be taken when working with electrical systems

or using electrical equipment Candidates were expected to understand the principles and risks of electricity and the controls in the form of suitable equipment, proper installation of electrical systems, temporary electrical supplies, advantages and limitations of protective systems, safe systems of work, inspection and maintenance strategies and emergency procedures after incidents. Areas of weakness included theoretical nature of electricity and specific controls with electricity in a variety of practical industrial situations. In relation to prevention of fires due to electricity, candidates lacked understanding of complying with electricity regulations and use of intrinsically safe equipment in flammable atmospheres. Candidates understood the health effects of electricity and measures limiting the effect of an electric shock and emergency procedures to take in the event of someone receiving an electric shock. Examiners reported that course providers could use this feedback to focus on the basic theory of electricity and the implications of control measures for practical use of electricity in a construction environment. 1.6 Outline the legal and organisational health and safety roles and responsibilities of clients

and their contractors Candidates were expected to understand roles and responsibilities within the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM). Specifically, candidates needed to display knowledge of the relationships between client and contractor, the duties each has to the other and to the other’s employees, effective planning and co-ordination of contracted work, management controls for significant construction projects including duties and responsibilities of the client, designer, CDM co-ordinator, principal contractor and contractors. Candidates were unable to elaborate with a sufficient breadth of answers. If a question specifies identification of the designer’s duties then the candidates must specify eight correct duties in order to attain full marks for an 8-mark question. Candidates frequently specified a few correct responses such as provision of information to clients, contractors and other designers and co-operation with the CDM co-ordinator. However, few mentioned the need to provide information for the health and safety file. Examiners reported that candidates displayed limited knowledge in this area and this could be a focus for course providers.

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Examination technique The following examination techniques were identified as the main areas of improvement for candidates: Candidates did not respond effectively to the command word Examiners reported that many candidates provided insufficient detail in answers in order to satisfy the required depth of information elicited by the command word in the question. The learning outcomes in the syllabus guide dictate the depth of answer that a candidate would be expected to provide and the questions contain command words that reflect these learning outcomes. All Examiners reported that candidates frequently responded with insufficient depth to the command word specified. For example, candidates frequently provided listed answers to an ‘outline’ or ‘explain’ command word and were not awarded all marks available for the corresponding question. In contrast, candidates occasionally provided excessive information for the command words such as ‘give’ or ‘identify’ and wasted valuable time although overall marks awarded were unaffected. If a question or part of a question specifies identification of aspects, there is no need to identify impacts. Unnecessary additional information consumes valuable time. Course providers should ensure that learning materials complement the command words in the NEBOSH guidance on command words and sufficient time is given to advising candidates on suitable examination technique during a course of study. Candidates provided rote-learned responses that did not relate to the question Candidates provided responses that had been rehearsed and possibly rote-learned. However, these responses were not appropriate in relation to the questions with original work scenarios. Often, candidates responded with large paragraphs of previously learned information although it did not relate to the question. Examiners would not be able to award marks under these circumstances as the technical points in the mark scheme differed from the technical points specified by the candidates in response to a different question. Candidates did not allocate enough time to the question A number of candidates did not answer all the questions as a result of running out of time or through lack of knowledge. There are about 30 minutes to answer a 20-mark question in Section 1 and 9 minutes available to answer an 8-mark question in Section 2 of a NEBOSH National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety question paper. This time will be required for reading and understanding the question, developing an answer plan mentally or in brief note form on the answer booklet and finally committing the answer to the answer booklet. The efficient use of time is essential in order to answer the eleven questions within the 2 hours available.

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Command words The following command words are listed in the order identified as being the most challenging for candidates: Describe The command word ‘describe’ requires that candidates provide distinctive features of the particular syllabus learning outcome and not a need to provide extensive information. Candidates occasionally respond to ‘describe’ by completing a full page of text without actually responding with the distinctive features associated with question topic. Candidates need to distinguish between ‘outline’ and ‘describe’ and not respond with a series of unconnected points. If a candidate was asked to ‘describe a way of shoring a six foot deep trench about twenty feet long where new electrical cables are being laid’ and a response of ‘some sections of sheet metal against the bank and some supporting bars at 90°’ is a sufficient outline but is an insufficient description as specified in the ‘describe’ command word. However, if a candidate responded with ‘the use of vertical poling boards spaced symmetrically along the deep face of each side of the trench with a rectangular framework of walers and struts reinforced with horizontal cleats and vertical puncheons at each corner of the rectangular framework’ this would satisfy the command word. Explain When a question specifies ‘explain’ the candidate is required to provide an understanding or make clear an idea or relationship, for example, ‘explain how driver error could have contributed to a dumper truck overturning’. If a candidate responds with ‘cornering at high speed with a heavy load’ then this constitutes an outline but not an explanation and this would be insufficient to merit full marks as this does not provide a deep enough understanding or relationship from the specified command word or the context in which the question is asked. However, if a candidate responded with ‘the dumper truck was being driven carelessly at excessive speed around a sharp corner with a load in excess of the safe working load, placed off centre in the dumper bucket, so that driver vision was impaired when the truck struck a deep pothole’, this would merit the awarding of marks. Outline Examiners reported that the command word ‘outline’ challenged many candidates. Insufficient detail was provided in response to the principal features or parts of the topic matter when ‘outline’ was specified in the question. Exhaustive descriptions were not required for ‘outline’ but limited answers like single words or listed answers did not satisfy the command word requirements. If the use of the command word in everyday language or conversation is considered it may help the candidate understand what is required. If asked to ‘outline the concept of double insulation with portable electrical goods’ and the candidate responds with ‘two insulation layers, internal faults’ this would be insufficient as this represents a listed answer. However, ‘internal live parts have two layers of insulation’ would be sufficient. Give ‘Give’ is normally used in conjunction with a further requirement, such as ‘give the meaning of’ or ‘give an example in EACH case’. Candidates generally responded appropriately to this command word. Identify When providing a response to ‘identify’ the mental selection and naming of an answer that relates to the question should be sufficient. In most cases one or two words would be sufficient to be awarded corresponding marks. Any further detail would not be required and impacts negatively on the time limit for completing the examination. For example, if the question is ‘identify ways of raising the alarm for a fire’ suitable responses include ‘use a break glass or shout’ in order to be awarded a mark.

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For additional guidance, please see NEBOSH’s ‘Guidance on command words used in learning outcomes and question papers’ document, which is available on our website: www.nebosh.org.uk/students/default.asp?cref=1345&ct=2. Conclusion The feedback from Examiners highlighted that candidates taking the NCC1 examinations from August to October 2014 needed most improvement in learning outcome 9.1 (exposure to noise and appropriate control measures) where deeper understanding of specific noise related terms and understanding of practical applications of controlling noise in given scenarios was highlighted and learning outcomes 6.1 and 6.2 (principles, hazards, risks and control measures with electricity) where greater understanding of electrical principles was suggested and wider understanding of practical work situations involving electricity and learning outcome 1.6 (legal and organisational roles and responsibilities of clients and contractors) and in particular a better understanding of the CDM regulations. With regard to examination technique, candidates should concentrate more closely on the command word within the question, planning enough time to answer the questions and not relying so heavily on rote learned responses. Overall, candidates could gain additional marks for responding with greater understanding of the technical aspects of this qualification and application of this knowledge to construction work scenarios frequently encountered in industry.

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