Risk assessments and method statements questions for the CSCS test
7 free questions on Risk assessments and method statements, from section A. Working environment. Every question is original and explains why each option is right or wrong.
HSE sets out simple steps for managing the risks of a job. Your employer follows these steps before your gang starts work on a new task.
Put these steps in order, starting with the first.
Put these 5 steps in order.
AA. Review the controls
BB. Identify hazards
CC. Control the risks
DD. Assess the risks
EE. Record your findings
Show the answer and explanation
Correct order: B, D, C, E, A
B. Identify hazards First. Find what could cause harm, such as working at height, moving plant or dust.
D. Assess the risks Second. Decide how likely it is that someone could be harmed by each hazard, and how badly.
C. Control the risks Third. Once you know how serious each risk is, put measures in place to remove it or reduce it as far as reasonably practicable.
E. Record your findings Fourth. Write down the main findings and what is being done about them. Employers with five or more workers must record them.
A. Review the controls Last. Check the controls still work and update the assessment when something changes, such as new equipment or after an accident.
Explanation
HSE's steps are: identify hazards, assess the risks, control the risks, record your findings, and review the controls.
During a toolbox talk, your supervisor points to an extension lead trailing across a walkway. They say the lead is a hazard.
Which of these describes the risk?
Choose one answer.
AA. The chance someone trips, and how badly they're hurt
BB. The trailing extension lead lying across the walkway
CC. The name of the person who set up the extension lead
DD. The cost of replacing the lead if it gets damaged
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: A
A. Right: Right. A risk is the chance that a hazard will harm someone, together with how serious that harm could be. HSE asks you to think about both when assessing risks.
B. Wrong: Wrong. The lead is the hazard: something that could cause harm. The risk is how likely that harm is, and how bad it could be.
C. Wrong: Wrong. Knowing who set it up may help put it right, but it is not the risk. The risk is about the chance and seriousness of harm.
D. Wrong: Wrong. Risk assessment is about harm to people, not the cost of equipment. A damaged lead is a hazard in itself, so it should be taken out of use.
Explanation
A hazard is anything that could cause harm. The risk is how likely it is that someone is harmed, and how badly.
You are about to fix cladding panels to a wall. The method statement says you will work from a MEWP, a machine with a platform that lifts you up. The MEWP has not arrived, and a colleague suggests using a ladder instead.
What should you do?
Choose one answer.
AA. Wait for the MEWP and start later, without telling anyone
BB. Stop and tell your supervisor, so the job can be planned again
CC. Use the ladder, but only for the shorter parts of the job
DD. Use the ladder, as long as someone holds the bottom of it
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B
A. Wrong: Wrong. Not using the ladder is right, but your supervisor needs to know the plan can't be followed. Tell them, so the delay and any new risks can be managed.
B. Right: Right. The method statement sets out a safe way to do the job, based on the risk assessment. If you can't follow it, the work must be planned again by someone with the authority to do so.
C. Wrong: Wrong. A ladder may sometimes be suitable for short, simple work, but that decision is part of planning the job. It is not something to change on the spot.
D. Wrong: Wrong. Footing a ladder does not make it the right equipment for the job. The plan was made for a MEWP, and the risks of a ladder have not been assessed.
Explanation
Follow the method statement. If the job can't be done the way it says, stop and tell your supervisor. Don't make up a new way of working on the spot.
Your employer is writing a risk assessment for a refurbishment job.
Which two groups does HSE say may need particular thought? (Choose two.)
Choose two answers.
AA. Only workers with more than five years' experience
BB. Young workers
CC. New or expectant mothers
DD. Only the site manager
Show the answer and explanation
Answers: B, C
A. Wrong: Wrong. Experience matters, but a risk assessment covers everyone who could be harmed, not just experienced workers.
B. Right: Right. HSE lists young workers as a group with particular needs. They may lack experience or not recognise risks.
C. Right: Right. Some work can harm a new or expectant mother or her baby, so the risks need particular thought.
D. Wrong: Wrong. A risk assessment covers everyone who could be harmed, including workers, visitors and the public.
Explanation
A risk assessment thinks about everyone who could be harmed. Some groups, such as young workers, migrant workers, new or expectant mothers and disabled people, need particular thought.
What does the law say about writing down its risk assessment?
Choose one answer.
AA. Nothing needs writing down, as long as the boss remembers it
BB. Only firms with more than 50 workers need to record it
CC. It must be written down only after an accident
DD. The significant findings must be recorded
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: D
A. Wrong: Wrong. With 5 or more employees, the significant findings must be recorded.
B. Wrong: Wrong. The rule applies from 5 employees, not 50.
C. Wrong: Wrong. The findings must be recorded as part of the assessment, not only after something goes wrong.
D. Right: Right. HSE says if you employ 5 or more people, you must record your significant findings: the hazards, who might be harmed and how, and the controls.
Explanation
Employers with 5 or more people must record the significant findings of their risk assessment. The main aim is still to control the risks in practice.