NEBOSH Monitoring and Review 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the main purpose of a health and safety audit?
- To investigate a specific accident
- To systematically evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of the overall health and safety management system against defined standards or criteria (Correct answer)
- To check whether fire extinguishers have been serviced
- To ensure workers are wearing the correct PPE
Correct answer: To systematically evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of the overall health and safety management system against defined standards or criteria
A health and safety audit is a structured, systematic evaluation of the entire safety management system — its policies, organisation, planning, implementation, monitoring, and review processes. It assesses whether the system is adequate, effective, and compliant with relevant standards, unlike inspections which focus on physical conditions.
Question 2: What is the key difference between an internal and external health and safety audit?
- Internal audits are less valuable than external audits
- Internal audits are conducted by the organisation's own trained personnel, while external audits are conducted by independent third parties with no connection to the organisation (Correct answer)
- External audits are only required for ISO certification
- Internal audits cover policies while external audits cover procedures
Correct answer: Internal audits are conducted by the organisation's own trained personnel, while external audits are conducted by independent third parties with no connection to the organisation
Internal audits are performed by trained auditors from within the organisation (but independent of the area being audited). External audits use independent third-party auditors with no organisational connection. External audits bring greater objectivity and are required for certification to standards like ISO 45001, while internal audits provide ongoing self-assessment.
Question 3: What is benchmarking in the context of health and safety performance?
- Setting the minimum legal standard for compliance
- Comparing an organisation's health and safety performance against similar organisations, industry standards, or its own previous performance to identify areas for improvement (Correct answer)
- Testing the physical strength of workplace benches
- Recording the time taken to complete safety training
Correct answer: Comparing an organisation's health and safety performance against similar organisations, industry standards, or its own previous performance to identify areas for improvement
Benchmarking compares an organisation's safety performance with that of peers, industry averages, recognised good practice, or its own historical performance. It helps identify where performance falls below expected standards and highlights areas where improvement efforts should be focused.
Question 4: Which reactive monitoring measure involves recording events where something happened but no injury or damage resulted?
- Accident investigation
- Ill-health surveillance
- Near-miss reporting (Correct answer)
- Enforcement action analysis
Correct answer: Near-miss reporting
Near-miss reporting captures events where an incident occurred but, by chance, no injury or damage resulted. Near-misses represent the much larger base of the safety triangle — for every serious injury, there are many near-misses. Reporting them provides valuable data for preventing future incidents that might not be so fortunate.
Question 5: What does ISO 45001 require regarding internal audits of the occupational health and safety management system?
- Internal audits are optional under ISO 45001
- The organisation must conduct internal audits at planned intervals to determine whether the OH&S management system conforms to requirements and is effectively implemented and maintained (Correct answer)
- Only external audits are required for ISO 45001 certification
- Internal audits are only required after a serious incident
Correct answer: The organisation must conduct internal audits at planned intervals to determine whether the OH&S management system conforms to requirements and is effectively implemented and maintained
ISO 45001 Clause 9.2 requires organisations to conduct internal audits at planned intervals. The audits must assess conformity with the organisation's own requirements and with ISO 45001, effective implementation and maintenance of the system, and the audit programme must consider the importance of processes and results of previous audits.
Question 6: Why is it important to analyse trends in accident and ill-health data as part of reactive monitoring?
- Only to satisfy insurance company requirements
- To identify patterns, recurring causes, and high-risk areas so that targeted preventive actions can be taken before more serious incidents occur (Correct answer)
- To compare accident statistics for annual awards
- To determine which workers are most accident-prone for disciplinary action
Correct answer: To identify patterns, recurring causes, and high-risk areas so that targeted preventive actions can be taken before more serious incidents occur
Trend analysis of accident and ill-health data reveals patterns that individual incident investigations might miss — recurring locations, activities, times, or causes. Identifying these patterns enables the organisation to target preventive actions at the root causes and highest-risk areas, rather than only reacting to individual events.
NEBOSH Monitoring and Review 2
What is the main purpose of a health and safety audit?