NEBOSH International General Certificate in

Occupational Safety and Health

Unit IGC2

Element 4: Work Equipment

Hazards and Risk Control

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Learning Outcomes
On completion of this element, you should be able to
demonstrate understanding of the content through the
application of knowledge to familiar and unfamiliar
situations. In particular you should be able to:

•Outline general principles for selection, use and

maintenance for work equipment
•Explain the hazards and controls for hand-held
tools
•Describe the main mechanical and non-
mechanical hazards of machinery
•Describe the main control measures for reducing
risk from machinery hazards
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Unit IGC 2
Element 4.1

General Principles for Selection, Use

and Maintenance of Work
Equipment

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 Types of Work Equipment

Hand held tools Hand held Mobile work

power tools equipment

Machine Single machines

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assembly

Suitability
Work equipment should be carefully selected to
ensure it is appropriate for the:
• Task
• Environment

Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 1992

• Machine meets basic safety standards, e.g. BSEN
• Is “CE” marked

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Group Discussion Point

• Work equipment should only be used
by certain persons.

• Who do you think these persons are

and why?

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 Restriction of Use
• Work Equipment use restricted to
trained and competent operators
• Highly specialised equipment
• Range of hazards

• Maintenance of work equipment

restricted to trained and competent
persons

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Information, Instruction &

Training
• Workers
– low risk – reading instructions
– high risk – formal training, check effectiveness
• Management of operators
• Maintenance staff
– specific information, instruction
and training
– minimise risk
– understand maintenance requirements

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Maintenance, Inspection &

Testing
Maintenance Conditions
• Planned preventive maintenance (PPM)
– e.g. oil change
– scheduled at regular intervals
• Condition-based maintenance
– e.g. vehicle break pads
– following routine inspection
• Breakdown maintenance
– emergency repairs

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 Maintenance Risk
• Guards and enclosures removed
• Safety devices removed or disabled
• Power sources exposed
• Stored power released, e.g.
compressed spring
• Access awkward
• Manual handling heavy parts
• Additional hazards, e.g. power tools

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Maintenance Precautions
• Safe system of work (see IGC Unit 1) to include:
• Competent staff
• Power sources isolated/locked off
• Stored power released or secured or:
– cover live parts with insulating material
– use additional PPE
• If dangerous moving parts are accessed:
– run at very slow speed
– fit purpose-made maintenance guards
• Precautions for safe access
• Use manual handling aids
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Statutory Inspections
• Some equipment must be inspected by
law
• Lifting equipment
• Pressure systems

• Carried out by competent inspector

• Often insurance company employee
• Frequency determined in law

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 Equipment Controls
Controls should be:
• Well designed, easy to use
• Suitably located
• Easily identifiable
• In good working order
• Compliant with relevant standards
• Emergency stops:
– Buttons
– Pull cords

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Environmental Factors
• Equipment should be:
– stable
– controls appropriately marked
– have appropriate warning signs
• Lighting should be:
– adequate
– suitable (note "strobe" effect)
– environmentally suitable
• Space should be adequate

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Operators
Operators should:
• Only operate equipment authorised to use
• Follow instruction and training
• Only use equipment for its intended purpose
• Carry out safety checks before use
• Not use equipment if it is unsafe
• Report defects immediately
• Not use equipment under the influence of
drugs or alcohol
• Keep equipment clean and in safe order

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 End of Section Quiz
1. Work equipment must be “suitable” –
what should you consider when
deciding which equipment is
“suitable”?
2. What is an emergency stop? Where
should emergency stop controls be
located?

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Unit IGC 2
Element 4.2

Hazards and Controls for Hand-Held

Tools

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Hand Tools
• Include:
• Chisel
• Hammer
• Screwdriver
• Axe

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 Group Syndicate Exercise
•Discuss what accidents can occur with
hand held tools
and
•how the tools may become damaged.

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Hazards of Hand-Held Tools

• Tool may shatter
• Handle may come loose
• Tool may be blunt requiring
excessive force
• Human error, e.g. hits thumb with
hammer
• Misuse, e.g. wrong tool for job

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Precautions
• Tools suitable for the task
• Information, instruction and training
• Visual inspection of tools
• Substandard tools maintained or
discarded
• Maintenance of tools
• Supervision of practices

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 Hand-Held Portable Power Tools
Higher risk because:
• Forces are greater, meaning - potential for severe
injury
• Hazards associated with power tools:
– electricity
– fuel
– noise
– vibration
– dust
– ejection of materials
– trip hazards
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Controls for Safe Use of Power

Tools
• Careful selection
– task
– environment
• Instructions
– manufacturer's instructions
– in-house rules
• Training and information, competence
• Supervision
• Routinely inspected
• Regular maintenance
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Further Controls
• Tools used for intended purpose
• Guards and safety devices in place
• PPE used
• Power cables controlled
• Ejected parts controlled, e.g. secured work area
• Control of:
– noise
– dust
– vibration
– petrol
– electrical equipment

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 End of Section Quiz
1. What hazards can arise from the use
of a hammer?
2. Suggest controls to reduce the risk of
injury when using hammers.
3. What hazards can arise from the use
of a portable mains powered drill?
4. Suggest controls to reduce the risk of
injury when using drills.

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Unit IGC 2
Element 4.3

Machinery Hazards

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Mechanical and Non-Mechanical

Hazards
Mechanical hazards
• Contact with or being caught
up in moving parts

Non-Mechanical hazards
• From power source or things
being emitted by the machine

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 Mechanical Hazards
• Crushing
• Shearing
• Cutting or severing
• Entanglement
• Drawing in or trapping
• Impact
• Stabbing or puncture
• Friction or abrasion
• High pressure fluid injection
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Crushing

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Shearing

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 Cutting or Severing

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Entanglement

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Drawing in or Trapping

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 Impact

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Stabbing or Puncture

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Friction or Abrasion

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 High Pressure Fluid Injection
• Injuries caused by liquids released
under pressure
• May have small entry wound but travel
through tissue

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Group Syndicate Exercise

What are the non-mechanical hazards
which are associated with machinery?

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Non-Mechanical Hazards
• Electricity
• Noise
• Vibration
• Hazardous substances
• Ionising radiation
• Non-ionising radiation
• Extreme temperatures
• Ergonomics
• Slips, trips and falls
• Fire and explosion

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 End of Section Quiz
1. Identify the
mechanical hazards

2. Identify the non-

mechanical hazards

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Unit IGC 2
Element 4.4

Control Measures to Reduce the Risk

from Machinery Hazards

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Machinery Guards, etc.

• Fixed guards
• Interlocked guards
• Adjustable/self-adjusting guards
• Trip devices

• Protective Devices
• Two-handed controls
• Protective appliances
• Emergency stop controls
• Personal protective equipment
• Information, instruction, training and supervision
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 F.I.A.T

•Fixed
• Interlocked
• Adjustable/self adjusting
• Trip

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Fixed Guards
• Completely prevent access to dangerous
parts of machinery
• Are fixed in place
• Require a tool for removal
– limitations

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Interlocked Guards
Guard open:
• Power to the machine is disabled when
the guard is open and it will not operate
until the guard is in place
Guard closed:
• The guard is locked shut until the
machine has returned to a safe condition
• The act of opening the guard stops the
dangerous parts of the machinery and
disables power

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 Interlocked Guards
Limitations
• Can bypass the system
• Person may gain access by closing the
guard around them
• Needs rule to be enforced

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Interlocked Guard

On/off switch
interlock
activator

Interlock and Actuator on a Sliding Guard

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Adjustable/Self-Adjusting
Guards
Used when it is not possible to
prevent access to dangerous
parts
• Adjustable guard
– Set manually to a range of positions
by the operator
• Self-adjusting guard
– Usually spring-loaded to adjust
itself to the workpiece
– Requires no adjustment by the
operator

• Limitations
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 Trip Devices
• Not a physical barrier
• Use sensors to detect presence
of operator and stop the machine
• They include:
– pressure mats
– trip bars
– photo-electric devices
• Limitations??

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Two-Hand Controls
• Designed to protect the
operator's hands
– controls should be more
than a hand span apart
– must activate at the same
time
– (within 0.5s of each other)
– releasing controls must
stop the machine
immediately
• Limitations??

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Protective Appliances
• Designed to keep operators’ hands away
from danger
• Include:
– Push-sticks
– Jigs
– Clamps

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 Emergency Stop Controls
• Should bring the machine to a safe stop as
quickly as possible
• Machine can only be restarted using the
reset button
• Release of the button should not restart the
machine
– limitations

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Requirements for Guards

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Basic Characteristics of a Guard

or Safety Device
• Suitable for intended purpose
• Adequate strength
• Meets relevant standards
• Compatible with machine operation
• Not easy to defeat
• Maintained, not rough or sharp
• Allow maintenance without removal
• Doesn’t increase overall risk

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 Specific Equipment
Office machinery: Retail machinery:
• Photocopier • Compactor
• Document shredder • Checkout conveyor
system
Manufacturing
machinery: Construction
• Bench top grinder machinery:
• Pedestal drill • Cement mixer
• Bench mounted
Agricultural machinery: circular saw
• Cylinder mower
• Strimmer
• Chainsaw
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Group Syndicate Exercise

Chose one of the ‘specific machines’ and
outline:
• The hazards (mechanical and non-
mechanical) and
• Control measures

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Office Machinery
Photocopier Document shredder

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 Manufacturing Machinery
Bench top grinder Pedestal drill

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Agricultural Machinery
Chainsaw
Mower
Strimmer

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Retail Machinery
Compactor, conveyor belt

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 Construction Machinery
Bench Mounted Circular saw
Cement mixer

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End of Section Quiz

• Identify the types of guards and
protective devices

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End of Section Quiz

• Identify the types of guards and
protective devices

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 End of Section Quiz
• Identify the types of guards and
protective devices

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