WAMITAB - Chartered Institution of Wastes Management Health and Safety Compliance Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, what is the primary duty of an employer regarding their employees?
- To provide the highest possible salary and benefits.
- To ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees. (Correct answer)
- To report all workplace incidents to the company's board of directors within 24 hours.
- To supply all employees with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) regardless of the task.
Correct answer: To ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees.
Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places a fundamental duty on employers to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their employees 'so far as is reasonably practicable'. This encompasses providing a safe work environment, safe systems of work, and necessary information and training.
Question 2: A worker at a waste transfer station trips over loose waste on a walkway and fractures their arm. They are unable to perform their normal duties for 10 consecutive days. According to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR), what is the correct action for the site manager to take?
- Record the incident in the site's accident book but no further action is needed.
- Report the incident to the Environment Agency immediately.
- Report the incident to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) within 15 days of the incident.
- Submit a report to the HSE as it is a 'specified injury' and an 'over-seven-day incapacitation'. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Submit a report to the HSE as it is a 'specified injury' and an 'over-seven-day incapacitation'.
This incident is reportable under RIDDOR for two reasons. Firstly, a fracture (other than to fingers, thumbs, or toes) is listed as a 'specified injury'. Secondly, the worker's inability to perform their normal duties for more than seven consecutive days constitutes an 'over-seven-day incapacitation'. Therefore, a report must be submitted to the HSE.
Question 3: When conducting a COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) assessment for a newly accepted waste stream containing chemical solvents, which of the following control measures represents the highest priority in the hierarchy of control?
- Providing chemical-resistant gloves and respiratory protective equipment (RPE) to all operatives.
- Implementing a job rotation schedule to limit individual exposure times.
- Finding an alternative, less hazardous treatment process that avoids the use of the solvent-based waste altogether. (Correct answer)
- Installing a local exhaust ventilation (LEV) system around the processing area.
Correct answer: Finding an alternative, less hazardous treatment process that avoids the use of the solvent-based waste altogether.
The hierarchy of control under COSHH prioritises measures that eliminate or reduce the hazard at its source. The most effective measure is Elimination (removing the hazard completely), followed by Substitution (replacing it with a safer alternative). Finding an alternative process that avoids the hazardous waste is a form of elimination/substitution and is therefore the highest priority, more effective than engineering controls (LEV), administrative controls (job rotation), or PPE.
Question 4: Which of the following scenarios on a construction and demolition waste recycling site would most likely fall under the scope of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM)?
- Routine daily pre-start checks on a mobile jaw crusher.
- The installation of a major new piece of fixed plant, such as a sorting cabin and conveyor system. (Correct answer)
- The regular servicing and maintenance of the site's loading shovel.
- A toolbox talk on the correct use of personal protective equipment.
Correct answer: The installation of a major new piece of fixed plant, such as a sorting cabin and conveyor system.
The CDM Regulations 2015 apply to all construction projects, which includes the installation of new structures and fixed plant. The installation of a new sorting cabin and conveyor system is a significant construction project involving design and management elements, directly falling under the scope of CDM. Routine maintenance and daily checks are typically covered by other regulations like PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations).
Question 5: A site manager is developing a new risk assessment for vehicle and pedestrian segregation in a busy materials recovery facility (MRF). Which piece of legislation provides the foundational requirement for employers to carry out risk assessments?
- The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016
- The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
- The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (Correct answer)
- The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR)
Correct answer: The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 specifically require employers to make a 'suitable and sufficient' assessment of the risks to the health and safety of their employees and others who may be affected by their work. While other regulations require risk assessments for specific hazards (like COSHH for substances), these regulations establish the general, overarching legal duty to conduct them.
Question 6: According to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, who holds a legal responsibility for health and safety in the workplace?
- Only the designated Health and Safety Manager.
- Employers and employees only.
- Employers, employees, self-employed persons, designers, manufacturers, and suppliers. (Correct answer)
- The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) exclusively.
Correct answer: Employers, employees, self-employed persons, designers, manufacturers, and suppliers.
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is comprehensive and places duties on various parties. Section 2 covers employer duties, Section 7 covers employee duties, and other sections extend responsibilities to the self-employed, as well as designers, manufacturers, importers, and suppliers of articles and substances for use at work. This creates a system of shared responsibility.
WAMITAB - Chartered Institution of Wastes Management Health and Safety Compliance Questions and Answers
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc.
Act 1974, what is the primary duty of an employer regarding their employees?