NEBOSH

KNOW - WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY

PRINCIPLES

UNIT DN1:
For: NEBOSH National Diploma for Occupational Health and Safety Management
Professionals

UNIT DI1:
For: NEBOSH International Diploma for Occupational Health and Safety
Management Professionals

General note about this sample assessment

This is not a full assessment paper. It is a sample, designed to illustrate the range of
activity types you will face. This sample has only 90 marks available, whereas a full
paper will have 200 marks available.

This sample can be used for either the DN1 or DI1 units. In a live assessment, a paper
will be produced for each unit. Although the questions in this sample paper are the
same for both units, they may differ in a full live paper.

PAPER 2 OF 2
Guidance to learners

There are two question papers for this assessment. This paper (Paper 2 of 2) has 200 available
marks.

All the activities in all parts of the assessment are mandatory.

You will have 4 weeks (20 working days) to complete both papers.
Please refer to your registration confirmation email for the upload deadline.
Please note that NEBOSH will be unable to accept your assessment once the deadline has passed.
You must use the answer template for Paper 2.

This assessment is not invigilated, and you are free to use any learning resources to which you have
access, eg your course notes, or the HSE 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.

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Information for learners
This paper includes activities that:
1. You must carry out in your chosen workplace;
2. require you to reflect on your practices.

Typically, the chosen workplace will be the workplace in which you normally work. However, if your
workplace is not suitable (for example it does not provide sufficient scope), you can choose any
suitable workplace, provided you can access the information you need to complete the activities in
this part.

The reflective practice activity(s) aim is for you to reflect on transferable leadership and/or
professional skills that you may already have and/or need to develop. These skills could have been
acquired through your work life (whether in health and safety or some other work activities) or your
personal life.

For instance, you may want to draw on examples where you have been chairing a meeting, or being
required to make decisions under pressure. Alternatively, you may carry out voluntary work and want
to draw on this for your examples. The examples can be from any element of your working or
personal life.

Workplace-based activities
Activity 1: Create an organisation risk profile of your chosen organisation
This section is very important. It describes the main risks that your organisation faces. The
answers you give to the remaining activities in this paper must be consistent with the
information you provide here (unless otherwise stated). For example, if the risks that you give
here relate to the banking or insurance sectors, it would be unusual to later describe a situation
where welding contractors are repairing a chemical storage tank in your own organisation.

1 Produce a risk profile of your chosen organisation that outlines four significant
risks. (20)
Note: You must use the Activity 1 format table to record your answers.

Activity 1 format table in answer sheet

Nature and level Likelihood of Likely level of Likely realistic Effectiveness of
of threats faced adverse disruption costs the controls in
by the effects should adverse associated with place to manage
organisation occurring effects occur each type of the identified
risk risks.

NOTE: This table would not appear in a ‘live’ question paper or mark scheme. It is given here to
show how the information should be presented.

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Activity 2: Sensible and proportionate risk management

2 Prepare a brief research report that

• critically reviews approaches to implementing and maintaining ‘sensible
and proportionate’ risk management.
• evaluates your chosen organisation’s effectiveness at ‘sensible and
proportionate’ risk management.
• makes two recommendations for improving ‘sensible and proportionate’
risk management in your chosen organisation. (50)

Your research report must be presented in the following format (see marking
descriptors for further information)
- Executive summary
- Introduction – containing aims/objectives, methodology and introduction
to the topic
- Critical review – which briefly, but critically, reviews approaches to
implementing and maintaining ‘sensible and proportionate’ risk
management. This must draw from a range of reliable reference
sources such as authoritative guidance, expert opinions, and other
evidence. References for the cited evidence should use a recognised
referencing style (Harvard, Vancouver, OSCOLA, etc). The learner can
choose which style to use, but the style must be used consistently
throughout the report
- Brief analysis of your organisation’s effectiveness at ‘sensible and
proportionate’ risk management –this is effectively a brief gap analysis
or commentary comparing your organisation to good practice/effective
insights that you have gleaned from your critical review. It should
include examples from the workplace to support the analysis
- Conclusion – a summary of findings that includes
o A clear outline of two recommendations for improving sensible and
proportionate risk management in your chosen organisation.
o A justification for each of your recommendations. The
justifications must include links back to the research carried out in
the introduction to show that they logically follow and that they
would most likely be effective.
o List of Reference sources cited.

Marks will be awarded as follows

Criteria Marks
Executive summary 3
Introduction 3
Critical review 15
Analysis 10
Conclusions 3
A clear description of the two recommendations
(3 marks for each recommendation) 6
Justification for recommendations (5 marks for each recommendation) 10

Ϯ Marks will be allocated using the descriptors on the following pages.

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Ϯ Descriptors
Criteria Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Executive
3 2 1 0
summary [max 3]
Coherent and logical A clear, logical The format is The format is poor An executive
format giving clear format gives clear generally good but and the information summary has not
information. information. does not flow in is unclear. been included.
some areas and
Adequately and some information Main findings,
concisely appears to be conclusions and
summarises main missing. recommendations
findings, are not well
conclusions and Summarises main summarised.
the two findings,
recommendations. conclusions and The case for
the two implementation of
Provides a recommendations the
persuasive case but some of these recommendations
for implementing may not be is not persuasive.
recommendations adequately
covered or be
unclear.

Provides a case for

implementing
recommendations
but this may not be
very persuasive.
Introduction
3 2 1 0
[max 3]
Clear and concise The aims and The aims and The aims and The aims and
introduction objectives are objectives are objectives are objectives have not
containing all the clearly stated and given but the detail described poorly. been included.
necessary elements. relate to the activity in some areas is
brief. brief or unclear. The aims and The topic has not
objectives do not been introduced.
The topic is clearly The aims and relate to the activity
and succinctly objectives brief. A methodology has
introduced. generally relate to not been given.
the activity brief. The topic is poorly
A clear description introduced/the
of the methodology The topic is detail is very poor.
used to carry out introduced but the
the research. detail in some A methodology is
areas is brief or given but this is
unclear. very poor/unclear.

A methodology has
been outlined but
this is brief or
unclear in some
areas.

Critical review
11-15 6-10 1-5 0
[max 15]
Critical review of Draws from a wide Draws from a Draws from a very This may be a
approaches to range of relevant range of relevant narrow range of simple opinion
implementing and authoritative authoritative relevant piece that does not
maintaining ‘sensible sources which are sources which are authoritative cover
and proportionate’ effectively used mostly effectively sources. implementing/maint
risk management. and cited to used to support aining or make any
support assertions. assertions. attempt to critically
review approaches

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 Criteria Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Covers aspects of Covers aspects of Covers aspects of drawn from
both implementing both implementing both implementing relevant
and maintaining. and maintaining. and maintaining. authoritative
Critically reviews Good attempt at Basic attempt at sources.
approaches (ie critical review of review of
does not just approaches but approaches. This Some sources may
report/describe but these may not be may be mostly have been
also well-argued (ie simple reporting of accessed but these
analyses/discusses although goes the work from may not be
pros and cons and beyond simple sources with little relevant nor
applicability). report/description attempt to analyse authoritative.
from sources, the or apply. A recognised
Recognised analysis is citation referencing
citation referencing simplistic). Citation system has not
system used referencing is not a been used.
consistently. Recognised recognised system
citation referencing and/or is used
system used in inconsistently
most areas. throughout.
Analysis [max 10] 8-10 3-7 1-2 0
Commentary on how Good, clear and Commentary is Commentary is No commentary
‘sensible and detailed generally clear but poor, being unclear and no examples
proportionate’ the commentary, is unclear or or lacking detail in given.
chosen organisation drawing on findings lacking in detail in many areas.
is at risk from review with some areas. Few relevant
management. many relevant Examples are examples given.
examples given to given and the
illustrate. majority of these
are relevant.
Conclusions
3 2 1 0
[max 3]
Clear and concise Clear, concise Conclusion Conclusion does
Concise conclusion
conclusion conclusion that summarises not summarise
that summarises
logically findings but misses main findings but
most of the
summarises the out some key largely introduces
important findings.
main findings. findings. new ideas.
Description of two
recommendations 3 2 1 0
[max 6]
Examiners’ note: Use these levels to mark EACH of the recommendations.
Description of the A good, clear The description of A poor/unclear The
recommendation for description of the the description of the recommendation
improving sensible recommendation recommendation is recommendation has not been
and proportionate has been given. generally good, but has been given. described.
risk management. more information
could have been
provided in some
areas.
Justification for the
recommendation 5 3-4 1-2 0
[max 5]
Examiners’ note: Use these levels to mark EACH of the recommendations.
Justification for each A good, clear Each justification Each justification No justifications
recommendation. justification has given is generally given is poor. have been given.
been given for clear.
each Each justification is
recommendation. Each justification simplistic, lacks
refers to main body detail in most
Each justification findings on areas and is not
refers back to main effective ways to convincing. It is
body findings on implement and not clearly linked to
effective ways to maintain ‘sensible the main body
implement and findings.
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 Criteria Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
maintain ‘sensible and proportionate’
and proportionate’ risk management.
risk management.
Each justification is
Each justification is based on
well-argued and is effectiveness as
based on well as other
effectiveness as business factors
well as other such as cost.
business factors
such as cost.

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Activity 3: Transferable leadership skills
3 Compare your own leadership experience against the characteristics of a
resonant leader. You must identify EIGHT characteristics and show how
these are, or are not, reflected in your leadership style. (20)

You must use relevant personal examples to support your answer.

Note: You must use the Activity 3 format table provided in the answer sheet
to record your answers.

Activity 3 format table in answer sheet

Characteristic How characteristic is reflected Personal experience
in your leadership style example(s)

NOTE: This table would not appear in a ‘live’ question paper or mark scheme. It is given here to
show how the information should be presented.

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