SCENARIO NaturesNest is a local farm animal petting zoo that has become very popular since it opened 30 years ago. The zoo is open daily from 10:00 to 16:00. The zoo covers a large area of land, and includes a children’s play area, picnic areas, and a small restaurant. There are welfare facilities available, along with handwashing stations with signs reminding people to wash their hands after touching the animals.
Monday to Thursday are the busiest days, with school visits for children aged between five and ten. The zoo offers tractor and trailer rides, giving visitors a brief tour of the whole zoo, that last around 15 minutes. The zoo allows visitors to watch, or take part in, feeding sessions for the animals. Visitors are also given the opportunity to stroke some of the animals.
There are 20 permanent workers including the owner and a manager (who was previously the supervisor). As the zoo is always extremely busy during the warmer months, the owner hires additional, young temporary workers. The temporary workers are mostly university students who are on their summer holidays. Most of the temporary workers have some previous experience of working in a similar environment. On their first day, all new temporary workers are provided with job-specific written work instructions and a guided tour of the zoo; they then spend this first day job-shadowing a permanent worker in the same role. There are also returning temporary workers, who are required to begin work immediately when the zoo is busy.
Six weeks ago, the owner decided to take early retirement and wanted to hand over all of their management responsibilities. The supervisor was promoted to manager and given these additional responsibilities as they have a lot of knowledge from their 15 years of service as the supervisor of the zoo. On several occasions before their promotion, the supervisor job-shadowed the owner and covered management duties when the owner was unavailable. As part of their promotion, they receive formal health and safety management training.
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The owner has a Diploma in Health and Safety, and since they will no longer be on site, they want to make sure that someone at the zoo has an equivalent qualification. As a result of this, a full-time, experienced health and safety officer (HSO) is employed. The owner reviewed the HSO’s qualifications and experience to decide what further training might be required. On the HSO’s first day, they met the team. As they were more experienced than other workers, they only received a brief induction. During a tour of the zoo, first-aid, fire, and evacuation arrangements were shown to them and discussed. Since their promotion, the manager has introduced weekly team briefings. This is for all workers to discuss any changes at the zoo, and for the manager to listen to their ideas and concerns. The manager also works closely with the HSO to help ensure that all health and safety requirements are met. The manager wants to encourage greater involvement from all workers in health and safety matters. Both the manager and the HSO are first-aid trained.
The accident
It is a warm Wednesday afternoon, and the zoo is busy with a school visit of over 60 children and their teachers. There are several temporary workers working in the zoo. A teacher and 20 children are gathered around the goat enclosure, waiting to see the goats being fed. While waiting, the teacher reads a sign to the children that is displayed on the enclosure gate; the sign states that no visitors should enter the enclosure.
One of the recently-hired temporary workers (Worker Y) is a relative of the owner and was given a job at NaturesNest despite their lack of experience. Worker Y has arrived late for work every day this week; this results in the manager shouting at Worker Y, and giving them a verbal warning. The manager tells them that any further lateness will result in dismissal, which had happened previously with another worker. This puts Worker Y in a bad mood. The manager then tells them that they have noticed Worker Y has not been focusing on the job and has been observed spending a lot of time on their mobile phone during working hours.
Worker Y is now running late for the feeding session at the goat enclosure. Once they arrive, they realise that they only have one feeding bucket and have not yet put on their rubber boots, overalls, and gloves. They run back to the storage room to put on their clothing and collect the other bucket, leaving the enclosure gate open behind them, ignoring the ‘Keep gate closed’ sign.
One of the children waiting to watch the feeding session looks through the open gate. This catches a goat’s attention, and it moves towards the child. This scares the child, so they start to run away. The goat chases after the child, leaving the enclosure. The child, running fast while looking behind them, trips and falls, hitting their head on the metal bar of a climbing frame. The child is in shock and crying, with a lump on their head, a nosebleed, and grazes on both knees. The teacher who was at the goat enclosure rushes over, and everyone nearby gathers around them.
A nearby worker telephones the manager. The HSO, who is carrying out their daily safety checks in the area, notices the crowd of people. The HSO has a closer look and then rushes off to collect the first-aid kit. Another worker goes to find the escaped goat to return it to the enclosure.
Within two minutes, the manager arrives and takes control of the situation. The HSO arrives shortly afterwards with the first-aid kit. The manager asks everyone nearby to move away. The child is taken to a bench to calm down and for first aid to be administered. The manager asks a worker to stay with the child while they speak to the teacher. The manager asks the teacher to contact the child’s parents to explain what has happened. As the child is still on site, the manager continues to monitor the child for any signs of concussion.
As the HSO has previous experience in accident investigations, they take over and immediately secure the scene of the accident. They start their investigation by carrying out some initial observations and taking photographs of the scene. One at a time, they take Worker Y, the teacher, and a nearby worker, to the storage room to interview them and gather information to help understand what has happened.
The tractor incident Two hours have passed since the accident involving the child, and it is time for a tractor tour. NaturesNest has recently invested in a new, more powerful tractor. One of the returning temporary workers drives the new tractor, pulling a trailer full of visitors who are sitting on straw bales.
Unaware of a slight change in the route, the tractor driver misjudges a turn near to the sheep enclosure, and the trailer’s rear wheel hits a wooden fence, knocking it down. This startles nearby animals, and panics the visitors in the trailer.
A nearby worker telephones the manager, who arrives at the scene and reassures the visitors. The manager then telephones the HSO to ask them to come to the scene.
Investigations The HSO arrives within five minutes to the scene of the tractor incident. They move everyone away and cordon off the area with barriers, to begin the incident investigation. Photographs of the scene are taken. Making some initial observations, they notice that the track where the trailer hit the fence is uneven, perhaps due to the hot, dry weather.
The HSO then takes the tractor driver, and a visitor who was on the trailer, to a nearby office to interview them separately.
The HSO asks the tractor driver, “Did you receive any refresher training, as it has been a year since you last drove the tractor, and this is a new tractor?” The tractor driver shakes their head and tells the HSO that there was no refresher training this year for any returning temporary workers. The HSO then asks them, “When you were first assigned this job last summer, what training did you receive?” The tractor driver replies that they spent some time with another driver, who showed them the specifics of the tractor, the route it takes, and discussed potential risks. They then add, “I already have a driving licence that is necessary to drive a tractor and trailer with passengers, and I have regular medical assessments.” The HSO then asks the tractor driver if they have ever seen the risk assessment for tractor tours. The tractor driver responds, “No, never.”
It is now 17:00; the HSO has been investigating both the accident and the incident, which has taken them nearly all afternoon. They are now in the office; they look for the health and safety policy that has fallen behind a filing cabinet and is covered in dust. The policy is dated six years ago, and clearly not visible to workers. They then begin to search for training records, but are unable to find any. They then want to see if they can find a policy for group visits, to see whether these are to be supervised by an experienced worker, but nothing is available. Next, they review the maintenance records for the tractor, which are up-to-date. Risk assessments are available for both activities: animal care and tractor tours; however, both risk assessments were last updated four years ago.
The HSO analyses the findings of both of the investigations and considers potential causes. They begin to write investigation reports, that they take home to finish that evening.
The next day As soon as the manager arrives at work, they contact the school to check if the child involved in the goat accident is okay. They find out that the child is fine and has returned to school.
The manager and the HSO then meet to discuss the findings from the HSO’s investigations. The manager updates the accident book.
Before the zoo opens, the HSO suggests to the manager that all workers are gathered for a team briefing. The manager talks about the accident, and shares findings from the HSO’s investigations. They then tell the workers that this is not the first time that the goat enclosure gate has been left open; this has been reported as a near miss, twice. They then emphasise that the safety of workers and visitors is their top priority.
The manager then raises their concerns about the tractor incident.
The HSO prompts workers to share their opinions on what happened yesterday and what could be done to prevent a re-occurrence. The main concern is the lack of training. The manager suggests that improving training will be an action from the investigations. The manager delegates all training responsibilities to the HSO.
A week later, the HSO, the manager, Worker Y, and another worker who carries out the animal feeding task, meet at the goat enclosure to discuss the implications of the accident. The HSO emphasises that the outcome of the accident could have been more serious. They explain that the meeting is to help carry out the risk assessment for the animal feeding activity. The HSO then encourages everyone to share their thoughts. At the end of the meeting, the HSO thanks everyone for taking part and makes a record of the risk assessment.
Task 1: Health and safety management systems 1 Comment on the positive aspects of the manager’s health and safety leadership. Note: You should support your answer, using relevant information from the scenario. (10)
Task 2: Individual human factors 2 What individual human factors might have influenced the behaviour of Worker Y, leading to the accident? Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant information from the scenario. (10)
Task 3: First-aid arrangements 3 What would you consider in a review to determine if first-aid provision is realistic and proportionate at NaturesNest? Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant information from the scenario. You do not need to itemise specific first-aid equipment. (14)
Task 4: Learning lessons from adverse events 4 Why is it important for an organisation to learn lessons from adverse events? (14)
Task 5: Accident investigation 5 What were the positive aspects of the HSO’s approach to investigating the accident involving the child? Note: Your answer must be based on the scenario only. (12)
Task 6: Training 6 Article 19 (d) of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Occupational Safety and Health Convention (No. C155) places obligations on employers to give workers appropriate training in occupational safety and health.
Review whether the training provided by NaturesNest was appropriate for different types of workers. Note: Your answer must be based on the scenario only.
(14)
Task 7: Risk assessment 7 What should be considered when carrying out the risk assessment of the animal feeding activity to make it suitable and sufficient?
Note:You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant information from the scenario. (16)
Task 8: Administrative control measures 8 What administrative control measures could be put in place by NaturesNest to help prevent a repeat of the accident involving the child?
Note:You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant information from the scenario. (10)
End of examination