Level 6 Diploma in

Occupational Safety and Health

Unit 2 Assignment Guidance

April 2015
This document should be read in conjunction with the Qualification Specification.
1
This document sets out the requirements of the Unit 2 assignment - the structure and style of the report,
when and how it should be submitted, and the way in which it will be marked.

It is therefore important that candidates read through the whole document before embarking on their
assignment.

2
Contents

1. Structure and scope of the Unit 2 assignment ...................................................................................... 4

Workplace ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Background research ..................................................................................................................... 4
Assessment of risks ........................................................................................................................ 4
Proposed control measures ........................................................................................................... 4
2. The assignment report .......................................................................................................................... 5
Presentation and style of the report ............................................................................................... 6
3. Checklist for completing the Unit 2 assignment .................................................................................... 7
4. Booking the assignment ........................................................................................................................ 8
5. Timescale for completion ...................................................................................................................... 8
6. Unit 2 Assignment Marking Criteria ...................................................................................................... 9

3
1. Structure and scope of the Unit 2 assignment

Workplace
Wherever possible, you are expected to base your assignment on your own workplace. It is your
responsibility to arrange an alternative workplace if your own is unavailable or unsuitable. It is not
acceptable to complete an assignment about a fictitious workplace.

Identification of an occupational health hazard

First, carry out a review of your workplace and identify a range of occupational health hazards that may
be present. From these you must select one which will be the focus for your assignment. You must give
a clear justification for your selection, based on the importance of the hazard for your workplace and the
potential benefits from controlling it.

Background research
Next, research the history of the occupational health hazard you have selected for study: for example,
when and how it became recognised as a hazard, what is known about its potential health effects,
measures that have been used to minimise the risks it poses to health, relevant legislation, regulatory
requirements and employers’ responsibilities. Remember that all sources have to be acknowledged
and properly referenced, so make sure you keep a record of where you found each piece of
information.

Assessment of risks
Using any appropriate method, conduct a thorough assessment of the risks to health posed in your
workplace by the hazard you have selected. This assessment should draw on the background
research you have conducted and will substantiate your justification for its selection.
For certain hazards there are regulatory requirements for a specific assessment, for example COSHH
and DSE. If the hazard you have selected carries such a regulatory requirement you should conduct the
appropriate assessment and append it to your report.

Proposed control measures

Identify a range of additional control measures, or improvements to existing control measures, and
investigate their advantages and disadvantages. Identify key control measures and investigate their
costs and benefits, as well as their limitations.

4
2. The assignment report
The assignment report should be presented in eight parts:

Part 1 - Executive summary

Part 2 - Description of the workplace and activities
Part 3 - Identification of an occupational health hazard
Part 4 - Background research
Part 5 - Assessment of risks
Part 6 - Proposed control measures
Part 7 - Bibliography
Part 8 - Appendices

Part 1 - Executive summary

The assignment report should start with an executive summary of no more than one side of A4, which
should summarise the whole report, with a brief description of the workplace and the main conclusions
and recommendations for measures to control the risks to health from the hazard identified. From the
summary alone someone familiar with occupational health issues should be able to envisage the
workplace and its activities, understand the hazards described and appreciate the costs and benefits of
the control measures proposed.

Part 2 - Description of the workplace and activities

Keep in mind that the examiner will not be familiar with your particular workplace or with the activities
involved. Give a clear description of both the workplace and the activities, together with sufficient
relevant background information to allow the examiner to understand the occupational health issues in
context. At the same time, you should avoid the temptation to describe every aspect of the company
or organisation. Focus your description on the aspects of the workplace and the activities that are
relevant to the assignment.

Part 3 - Identification of an occupational health hazard

Give a brief description of a range of occupational health hazards relevant to your workplace and to the
activities described in Part 2. Then present a justification for your selection of the one hazard on which
the assignment is based.

Part 4 - Background research

Describe your findings from researching the hazard you have selected for study, including its history, its
potential health effects, legislation, regulatory requirements and employers’ responsibilities in respect of
the hazard. You must include reference to all sources, printed or electronic.

Part 5 - Assessment of risks

Describe your assessment of the risks to health from the occupational health hazard you have selected,
as they apply in your workplace. If you have conducted a specific assessment as required by
regulations (e.g. a COSHH assessment), it should be included as an appendix and referred to in the
main body of the report. If an assessment has been undertaken by an external specialist (e.g. noise,
vibration, legionella sampling) you may refer to its findings in your report, but should not rely on it as
your sole assessment. Naturally, your assessment of risks should include an evaluation of any existing
control measures.

Part 6 - Proposed control measures

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a range of additional control measures, or improvements
to existing control measures. Identify key control measures and explain their projected costs and
expected benefits, including reference to their limitations. You may make reasonable assumptions
about the associated costs.

5
Part 7 - Bibliography
You must include a comprehensive bibliography (including titles, authors, dates of publication and page
numbers of all printed sources referenced, or website details of internet sources, with URLs and dates
accessed). References in the body of your report or in footnotes should be clearly cross-referenced to
the bibliography.

Part 8 - Appendices
Include a contents page and cross-reference appendices to the text within the body of the report.

Presentation and style of the report

The report should be approximately 5,000 words in length, excluding the bibliography and any
appendices.

The report must be properly structured, with section headings and clear signposting. The style should
be formal but clear and as unfussy as possible, avoiding unnecessary jargon while being technically
accurate. This is a technical business report, not a work of literature. You are advised to proof-read
your assignment report carefully before submission in order to eliminate errors.

The report should be typed in Arial font size 11, with 1.5 line spacing.

6
3. Checklist for completing the Unit 2 assignment

1. Description of the workplace and activities

Is the description of the workplace and its activities adequate to convey a clear picture to someone
unfamiliar with the workplace?
Is the description focused on those areas and activities relevant to the occupational health
issues, avoiding unnecessary and distracting background detail?

2. Identification of an occupational health hazard

Has a range of occupational hazards been identified and described?
Is there a justification for your selection of one particular occupational health hazard,
clearly related to your workplace?

3. Background research
Is there a thorough report of your research into the occupational health hazard you have
selected?
Has relevant legislation been clearly referred to?
Is there a clear description of the potential effects on the health of the workforce?

4. Assessment of risks
Have the risks to health been properly assessed with reference to your workplace?
Is there a clear description of the existing control measures?
Have the existing control measures been properly evaluated for their effectiveness?

5. Proposed control measures

Are the new or revised control measures clearly described?
Is there an explanation as to how each measure will control the risk?
Are the advantages and disadvantages of each control measure described?
Are the limitations of each control measure described?
Is there a reference to the projected costs and benefits of each measure?

6. Bibliography
Is there a clear reference to every source used in writing the report?
Is each reference properly presented?
Is there appropriate cross-referencing to footnotes and other textual notes?

7. Style and structure

Is the report well-presented (e.g. section headings, page numbering)?
Is the structure logical and coherent throughout?
Is the style clear and as jargon-free as possible?

8. Executive summary
Has an executive summary been included at the beginning of the report?
Does the summary fit on to one side of A4 in Arial 11 point?
Does the summary describe the workplace, activities, hazard, assessment of risks, proposed control
measures, their costs and benefits?

9. Cover sheet
Has the assignment cover sheet been completed?
Has the declaration been completed?
Have the verifier details been completed?
Has the cover sheet been emailed with your assignment?

7
4. Booking the assignment
Candidates may book and pay online via the website (www.britisafe.org). Alternatively, candidates
may download an Assessment Booking Form from the website. The completed booking form should
be returned to the Qualifications Department. The full assessment fee must accompany the booking. Upon
receipt of an assignment booking, the Qualifications Department emails the candidate confirming
the booking and supplying an electronic cover sheet which the candidate must complete and submit
with their assignment.

5. Timescale for completion

You may choose when you complete and submit your assignment, depending on your other commitments.
A result will be issued within six weeks of submission.

6. Authentication of authorship
All the work in your assignment must be your own work, except where you have given clear
acknowledgment of other sources either in the body of the report or in the bibliography. It must be
clearly understood that plagiarism is regarded by the British Safety Council as cheating, and that any
proven cases will be treated as malpractice and will lead to complete disqualification from the Diploma. You
must complete the electronic cover sheet (provided to you at the time of booking) to confirm that the
assignment submitted is your own work. You must also obtain the agreement of your line manager to
verify that the work submitted is your own. If your line manager is unable to do this, or you have no line
manager, you will need to identify another responsible adult (not a family member) to act as a verifier.
The British Safety Council will contact all verifiers, so it is important that your verifier has agreed to
provide personal contact details to the British Safety Council and is in a position to confirm that the
assignment is your own work. The British Safety Council reserves the right to withhold a result if an
assignment cannot be verified.

7. Submitting the assignment, marking and re-submissions

You should submit your assignment by email to [email protected]. Please combine all parts of the
assignment including appendices into one single Word or PDF document of not more than 5MB in size. If
you have any difficulties over emailing your assignment, please contact the Qualifications Department.

Assignments will be retained by the British Safety Council for quality assurance purposes.

Independent examiners mark assignment reports against the marking criteria in this handbook. Rigorous
examiner standardisation procedures are in place to ensure that the marking criteria are correctly and
consistently applied.

If you wish to resubmit your assignment in order to improve your unit result, you must enter for the
Unit 2 assignment again and pay another assignment fee. More than one resubmission is permitted.

8
Unit 2 Assignment Marking Criteria

5-6 3-4 1-2 0

Executive Within one side of A4; Within one side of A4; Within two sides of A4; Missing or completely unclear
summary complete and well-presented, complete, with incomplete or unclear; or more than two sides of A4. Grading
with clear conclusions and conclusions. may lack conclusions.
recommendations.
Marks are added together to
give a mark out of 60 for the
Description Full, detailed, clear, relevant, Adequate, clear, Incomplete, unclear or Missing or completely unclear.
of workplace without unnecessary detail. relevant. burdened with distracting
report as a whole.
and activities detail.
Identification Range of hazards described, Range of hazards Limited range of hazards No relevant hazards Grade boundaries for the
of hazard with detailed, clear identified, adequate identified; description of identified. assignment are as follows.
from a range description of one hazard description of hazard hazard unclear or lacking
and justification for its selected, some detail, justification for
Fail: A total mark of less than 24
selection. justification for its selection weak.
selection. Fail (above threshold): 24 marks
9-12 5-8 1-4 0 (for explanation of threshold
Background Thorough, detailed, with Adequate, with reference Less than adequate No reference to legal please refer to the specification)
research reference to legal to legal requirements reference to legal requirements or description of Pass: 28 marks
requirements and description and description of health requirements or health effects. Merit: 38 marks
of health effects. effects. description of health
effects.
Distinction: 48 marks
Assessment Thorough; risks clearly Adequate; risks Less than adequate; risks No effective assessment or no
of risks identified, existing control identified, existing may be unclear, control reference to existing control
measures clearly and control measures measures referred to but measures.
thoroughly evaluated. evaluated. not properly evaluated.
Proposed Clear description of a range Reasonably clear Range less than No proposed control
control of appropriate control description of a range of adequate, may not be measures.
measures measures, thorough control measures, some wholly appropriate, may
justification, explanation of justification; some lack detail, clarity or
costs and benefits. explanation of costs and justification. Limited
benefits. information on costs and
benefits.
3 2 1 0
Bibliography Complete, thorough, Complete, presentation Partially complete, Missing.
presentation conforms. conforms. presentation may not
conform.
Style and Logical structure with Good attempt at a logical Confusing structure,
structure signposting; clear, unfussy structure; style may lack unclear style.
style. clarity.

9
 Cover Sheet For Submission of Assignment
Level 6 Diploma in Occupational Safety and Health

Your assignment and coversheet should be emailed to [email protected]

The British Safety Council will acknowledge receipt of your assignment by email

Unit (Unit 2 or 3)
Full Name
Date of Birth
Home Address

Post Code
Email

Notice to Candidates
The work that you submit for assessment must be your own. If you copy from someone else, or
allow another candidate to copy from you, you may be disqualified from the qualification.

Declaration by Candidate
I have read and understood the Notice to Candidates (above). I have produced this assignment
without any help apart from that acknowledged within the report.

YES NO

(Tick as applicable)

Verification by Line Manager or other Verifier

Enter contact details in the box below for the person who will verify that you produced this
assignment without any help apart from that acknowledged within the report.

Name
Position
Organisation
Relationship to
candidate
Contact telephone
number