Most health and safety courses in Great Britain start from the same few rules. This quiz turns them into twelve questions with answers, for an induction, a refresher or a safety week, and every answer names the law it comes from.
The rules behind every course
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 sets the general duties. Employers must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees and of others affected by their work. Employees must take reasonable care of themselves and others and co-operate with their employer (section 7). Nobody may interfere with or misuse safety equipment (section 8), and employers cannot charge employees for things required by law, such as PPE (section 9).
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 add the method: a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, recorded when there are five or more employees and reviewed when things change; competent help; procedures for serious and imminent danger; and training on recruitment and whenever risks change, given in working hours. Employees, for their part, must report dangers and shortcomings.
When things go wrong, RIDDOR 2013 decides what must be reported to the enforcing authority: deaths, specified injuries, injuries that keep a worker off normal duties for more than seven days, some occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences.
Who this quiz is for
It suits new starters at induction, staff who need an annual refresher, and supervisors who want to check that the basics are understood. It is also a lighter way to open a safety meeting: the question on the 15-day RIDDOR deadline or on charging for PPE often surprises people who have worked for years.
Training needs depend on the job. Construction workers will also want the CSCS practice questions; anyone handling chemicals needs COSHH; and every workplace needs first aid and fire safety arrangements.
Not a qualification
A quiz is a check of understanding, not a certificate. It does not replace an accredited course such as those run by IOSH or NEBOSH centres (Quizhat is not linked to either), and it does not replace your employer's own risk assessments and site rules.