The passage contains the following question types from IELTS Reading Question Types:
- Sentence completion,
- Short-answer questions
- Summary Completion
HAZARD MANAGEMENT
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-11 , which are based on Reading Passage below.
In many industrial or manufacturing workplaces, managing hazards is essential for a successful health and safety system. Hazard management is an ongoing process that goes through five different stages, with each step becoming a stage on tire hazard management plan.
The first step is to identify potential hazards, remembering that hazards are classed as anything that could potentially cause harm not only to people, but also to the organisation. To illustrate, an industrial accident can cause an injury to employees, but can also result in lost production, broken machinery and wasted resources for the company, In many cases, local and national government legislation has strict regulations concerning hazard identification, and in many industries, especially those perceived to be dangerous, severe penalties can be incurred by companies overlooking such hazard identification.
Having identified the potential hazards, the next step is to assess the hazard; that is, to consider to what extent they are significant. To a degree, this is a subjective aspect of risk management, as what may be seen by one person to be a significant issue can be seen by another to be an acceptable feature of a workplace. To allow for a degree of uniformity, in this stage, hazards are rated using risk assessment tables. These tables work by assigning a point value to three areas. The first is the exposure score, which assesses how often people are exposed to the hazard. If this is a continuous risk which employees face all the time, the score will be high; if the exposure is very rare, the points given will be substantially lower, The score is then multiplied by the likelihood of this hazard causing an injury, ranging from ‘Definite’ (it happens all the time) down to ‘Unlikely’ (it hasn’t happened yet). This is referred to as the chances rating. The sum of the first two scores is again multiplied by the effects score, which considers how serious any accident might be. This can be rated from 1 (requiring minor fist aid) right up to multiple deaths (classed as disaster ). All 3 scores then give the final risk assessment result. Generally, a result in excess of 100 points requires caution, but a result of 200 hundred or more is classed as high priority. Certain jobs are, for the most part, permanently gamer scores of over 200 (firefighting, for example) and in many cases additional payments, informally known as ‘danger money’, are applied.
The third step on the hazard management plan is to control hazards that have been identified. There are 3 stages to hazard control. The first aim is to eliminate the hazard – that is, to get rid of it altogether. This can be achieved by removing debris or unnecessary obstacles from the workplace. Often, however, this is not possible, so the next step is to isolate the hazard, to store it out of the way. For example, a cleaning company cannot completely eliminate hazardous chemicals, but they can keep these chemicals locked away until required. Isolating hazards is an ongoing process which requires companies to have very dear and enforced guidelines regarding safe storage of potentially hazardous products.
If the hazards cannot be isolated, then the aim must be to minimise the risk. This is achieved through staff training in safe handling techniques and best practices, as well as the provision of personal protection equipment (PPE). PPE commonly includes items such as gloves, overalls and footwear with steel reinforced areas.
The fourth and fifth steps on a hazard management plan are connected – to record and review’ the hazard. The recording is done in the hazard register, and this register is continually reviewed to ensure best practices are maintained. If a severe accident does occur in the workplace, it is the hazard register that investigators often first turn to, to see if the issue had previously been reported and if so what the company bad done about the hazard.
It is worth noting that since more rigorous application of hazard management systems, workplace accidents have experienced a significant decline in many industries previously identified as ‘high risk’.
Questions 1 – 2
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your glower in questions 1 and 2 on your answer sheet.
1) The 5 stages of the managing hazards are put together as what?
2) Damaged machinery and discarded resources are two examples of hazards to what?
Questions 3 – 8
Complete the summary using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from Reading Passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 3 – 8 on your answer sheet
To mathematical calculate risk assessment, 3)_____________ stages need to be calculated. The exposure score considers the amount of time employees spend working near the hazard. The 4)____________ then measures the probability of an accident, ranging from not likely to 5)____________ .The results are then 6)_______________ by each other, and then again by the degree of seriousness of an accident. The highest ‘effect’ score is given when more than one person is killed (this is rated as a 7)___________). When calculated, a result of 200 or more is considered 8)_____________ .
Questions 9 – 11
Complete the flowchart
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from Reading Passage for each answer.
STAGES OF HAZARD CONTROL
| 1st step is to 9)_________________ if possible |
| ⇓ |
| Locate the hazard ( e.g. 10)______________ it out of the way) |
| ⇓ |
| 11)____________ hazard by wearing protective clothing and following safety training |
Answers for IELTS Reading Sample Question
1) Hazard management plan
‘five different stages, with each step becoming a stage on the hazard management plan’
2) The organisation
‘…the organisation…can also result in lost production, broken machinery and wasted resources for the company’
3) Three
‘These tables work by assigning a point value to three areas’
4) Chances rating
‘…the likelihood of this hazard causing an injury…is referred to as the chances rating.’
5) Definite
‘…ranging from ‘Definite’ (it happens all the time) down to ‘Unlikely’ (it hasn’t happened yet).’
6) Multiplied
‘The score is then multiplied’
7) Disaster
‘multiple deaths (classed as ‘disaster’).’
8) High priority
‘a result of 200 hundred or more is classed as high priority’
9) Eliminate
‘The first aim is to eliminate the hazard
10) Store
‘the next step is to isolate the hazard, to store it out of the way’
11) Minimise
‘minimise… through staff training in safe handling techniques and best practices, as well as the provision of personal protection equipment (PPE).’
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