NEBOSH

MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH AND SAFETY

UNIT IG1:
For: NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety

Open Book Examination

Available for 24 hours

Guidance to learners

This is an open book examination. It is not invigilated, and you are free to use any learning
resources to which you have access, eg your course notes, or a website, etc.

By submitting this completed assessment for marking, you are declaring it is entirely your own work.
Knowingly claiming work to be your own when it is someone else’s work is malpractice, which carries
severe penalties. This means that you must not collaborate with or copy work from others. Neither
should you ‘cut and paste’ blocks of text from the Internet or other sources.

The examination begins with a scenario to set the scene. You will then need to complete a series of
tasks based on this scenario. Each task will consist of one or more questions.

Your responses to most of these tasks should wholly, or partly, draw on relevant information from the
scenario. The task will clearly state the extent to which this is required.

The marks available are shown in brackets to the right of each question, or part of each question.
This will help guide you to the amount of information required in your response. In general, one mark
is given for each correct technical point that is clearly demonstrated. Avoid writing too little as this
will make it difficult for the Examiner to award marks. Single word answers or lists are unlikely to
gain marks as this would not normally be enough to show understanding or a connection with the
scenario.

You are not expected to write more than 3 000 words in total.
Try to distribute your time and word count proportionately across all tasks.
It is recommended that you use the answer template.
Please attempt ALL tasks.

IG1-0052-ENG-OBE-QP-V1 Jul25 © NEBOSH 2025 page 1 of 6

SCENARIO

Dough Delight is a family-owned bakery that was established 60 years ago. It specialises in
producing fresh bread for small, independent cafés. The bakery site features a factory, a small
canteen, and welfare facilities for all workers. The factory operates 24 hours a day, seven days a
week.

Six months ago, Dough Delight installed new, automated machinery in the factory to improve
production standards. As a result of the increase in efficiency of the new machinery, several workers
were made redundant. Despite this, there is still a small, dedicated workforce on site. This
workforce has a peer group that includes a newly-appointed manager, shift managers, maintenance
engineers, and factory workers.

The shift managers are responsible for putting together the factory workers’ monthly rota. The
factory workers are contracted to work 12-hour shifts, four days a week, followed by three days off.

Two months ago, a factory worker told the manager that they are pregnant, and submitted all of the
necessary documentation. Due to their pregnancy, the worker was also concerned about their
current shift patterns, so provided a medical certificate requesting exemption from night shifts. The
manager instructed them to continue with their usual duties and hours, emphasising the importance
of taking regular breaks, and encouraging the expectant mother to share any additional concerns.

The bread-making process

The automated bread-making process starts in the mixing area, where all of the ingredients are
combined to form a dough. The dough is then divided into pieces, placed on a conveyor belt, and
sent to the prover (a controlled environment designed to allow the dough to rise before baking). After
proving, the dough is shaped and placed into tins, ready for baking. Once baked, the bread is left to
cool to prevent condensation before packing. Finally, the bread is sliced and packaged.

Increased production
Following the installation of the new machinery, there has been an increase in bread production
orders from new independent cafés. Shift managers have noticed that additional manual intervention
from the factory workers is now required to correct any errors or reset machinery. They also want the
factory workers to perform quality checks, both during the production process and after the bread is
baked, to help ensure that the automated process is running smoothly.

As a result of the increased workload, factory workers have complained. Because of this, for the first
time, five young factory workers were hired one month ago during a busy, seasonal period. On their
first day, a shift manager (SM) provided them with a handbook and gave them a brief tour of the
factory. Given their inexperience, each young worker was paired with a factory worker to job shadow
and observe for the remainder of the day. After this initial day, the young workers were then
expected to perform tasks independently.

The accident
At 02:00 on a busy, rainy morning, the factory workers on shift included the expectant mother and
some of the young workers. The expectant mother was working in the packaging area. The floor in
this area was cluttered with empty boxes and plastic packaging. The floor was particularly dirty from
mud and water tracked indoors by workers. One of the young workers arrived late and was
immediately given the task of tidying up and mopping the floor in the packaging area by the SM.
Eager to impress the SM, they began mopping the floor quickly and showing off in front of the
expectant mother. They thought it would be humorous to slide across a section of the freshly
mopped floor. When they were nearly finished, the SM called them away to assist with another task.
In a rush, the young worker forgot to display a wet floor sign and tidy up the boxes and plastic
packaging, as instructed. Meanwhile, as the expectant mother was leaving the packaging area, they
tripped over a box, slipped and fell on the recently mopped floor.

IG1-0052-ENG-OBE-QP-V1 Jul25 © NEBOSH 2025 page 2 of 6

Two minutes later, factory workers A and B were walking past the packaging area and heard
someone screaming, “Somebody please help me!” They ran towards the screaming voice and found
the expectant mother lying on the floor. Worker A telephoned the SM to call them to the scene.
Worker A then asked Worker B to quickly find a first-aider, while they stayed with the expectant
mother and tried to calm them down.

After a short while, Worker B returned to the scene of the accident with the SM, who carried a chair
and some water. The SM had already called for an ambulance on their mobile phone. Worker A
asked about the first-aider’s whereabouts, and the SM responded that they were not working that
day. Worker A sighed and shook their head. While waiting for the ambulance, the SM helped the
expectant mother onto the chair and offered them a drink of water. Meanwhile, other factory workers
started to gather in the doorway of the packaging area to see what was going on.

The ambulance arrived within 20 minutes and the ambulance crew had to ask these factory workers
to move away from the doorway so that they could access the area. After an initial assessment by
the ambulance crew, the expectant mother was taken to the hospital for further checks.

Later that day, the SM received a call from the hospital with news that the expectant mother had only
sustained minor injuries and would make a full recovery. The expectant mother chose not to return
to work for the remainder of their pregnancy.

After the accident

The following day, the SM met with the manager to discuss the accident. They told the manager that
the outcome could have been much more severe, and that they would begin gathering information for
an accident investigation. The SM also recommended hiring a health and safety officer to review the
current health and safety policies and procedures at Dough Delight. The manager reluctantly
agreed.

A month later, a part-time health and safety officer (HSO) was hired. On their first day, the SM gave
the HSO a tour of the factory. During the tour, the HSO noticed a young worker mopping the floor
and asked the SM, “Will the worker put up a wet floor sign once they have finished cleaning the
area?” The SM replied, “I hope so, as that contributed to a previous accident.” The HSO then asked,
“What accident? What happened? Is it recorded in the accident book?” The SM said that the
accident was not recorded in the accident book and then explained what had happened. The HSO
was not impressed.

The SM then left the HSO to review the current health and safety policies and procedures. The SM
provided the HSO with several documents, including the health and safety policy, risk assessments,
accident book, maintenance reports, and training records. Upon reviewing the health and safety
policy, the HSO noticed that it was dated 2021 and signed by a previous manager. They then
examined the risk assessments; these had not been reviewed for two years and seemed to be very
generic.

After observing the young worker mopping the floor, the HSO became curious about the types of
training provided. They reviewed the organisation’s job training records and discovered that these
were dated up to 2023. There were no health and safety training records available.

Later that day, the HSO met with the manager to discuss their concerns about the documentation.
The HSO asked the manager why there was no specific risk assessment completed for the expectant
mother involved in the accident. The HSO added that there was a record of a previous risk
assessment completed for another expectant mother. The manager responded, “I am not aware of
any previous records as that was before I started, and I have not had the time to complete a new,
specific, risk assessment.” The manager told the HSO that they did have a meeting with the
expectant mother. During that meeting, the manager advised the expectant mother that they should
limit the time that they spent standing, to perform some of their tasks seated, and to avoid lifting
heavy items.

IG1-0052-ENG-OBE-QP-V1 Jul25 © NEBOSH 2025 page 3 of 6

The HSO then commented that, after reviewing all the documentation and records, “the only records
that seem to be up to date are the maintenance reports.” The manager responded, “Well, without
regular machinery maintenance, we would have poor-quality produce, which would lead to low
sales.”

Since the meeting between the HSO and the manager, a new workplace inspection programme has
been implemented.

IG1-0052-ENG-OBE-QP-V1 Jul25 © NEBOSH 2025 page 4 of 6

Task 1: Management failures

1 What management failures could have contributed to the accident? (16)

Note: You should support your answer using relevant information from the
scenario.

Task 2: Employers’ responsibilities

2 Under clause 6.1.2.1 of ISO 45001:2018, organisations should consider making

necessary adaptations to the needs and capabilities of workers.

How effectively did the manager respond after the expectant mother informed
them of their pregnancy? (6)
Note: Your answer must be based on the scenario only.

Task 3: Policy review

3 Why might Dough Delights’ health and safety policy require a review? (9)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.

Task 4: Legal reasons for health and safety management

4 What are the legal reasons for managing health and safety? (10)

Task 5: Emergency management

5 How effectively did members of the workforce immediately manage the

accident? (14)
Note: Your answer must be based on the scenario only.

Task 6: Benefits of worker and employer involvement

6 What would be the benefits of worker and employer involvement in workplace

health and safety consultation at Dough Delight? (12)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.

IG1-0052-ENG-OBE-QP-V1 Jul25 © NEBOSH 2025 page 5 of 6

Task 7: Determining the benefits of inspections

7 How could carrying out health and safety inspections before the accident have
benefitted Dough Delight? (14)
Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.

Task 8: The influence of peers

8 Comment on the influence of peers at Dough Delight. (7)

Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant
information from the scenario.

Task 9: Special case applications

9 Why should a special case risk assessment for young workers be completed at
Dough Delight? (12)
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.

Disclaimer
This case study is entirely fictional. It has been crafted to simulate a realistic situation in order to
assess your ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical problems. Some details in this case
study may reflect the author’s real-world insights or experiences. However, for the purpose of
assessment, factual details have been changed or fictionalised. No element of the content is
intended as a factual representation of any specific person, organisation, or event.

Important note
All NEBOSH Intellectual Property shall remain vested in NEBOSH. NEBOSH assessment papers,
supporting documents and answer sheets must not be reproduced/copied/distributed in any way, or
any form, electronic or otherwise, without the prior written consent of NEBOSH or as required by law.

IG1-0052-ENG-OBE-QP-V1 Jul25 © NEBOSH 2025 page 6 of 6