NEBOSH IG2 Risk Assessment Report | A Complete Guide 2023

The NEBOSH Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety is an internationally recognized qualification that is designed to equip learners with the skills and knowledge they need to manage workplace health and safety risks effectively.

One of the key units in this qualification is NG2/IG2 Risk Assessment. To successfully pass your NEBOSH IG2 risk assessment, read the following step-by-step guide. If you’re taking the Nebosh IGC course, you’ll probably know the course format. This course consists of two units:

• IGI: Management of Health and Safety
• IG2: Risk Assessment

You have to pass both units to get the Nebosh IGC certificate qualification. 

What is NEBOSH Certificate Unit NG2/IG2 Risk Assessment?

The NG2/IG2 unit covers the principles and practice of risk assessment, including the legal requirements and key terms associated with risk assessment. It also covers the process of risk assessment, from identifying hazards and assessing risk levels to evaluating risk control measures and developing a risk assessment action plan.

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The NG2/IG2 unit is assessed through a practical risk assessment, where candidates are required to conduct a risk assessment of a workplace or activity and develop a report outlining the hazards identified, the risk level, and recommendations for control measures.

The risk assessment is divided into 4 Parts:

• Part 1: Background (Description of Your Organization and Your Methodology)
• Part 2: Risk Assessment and Hazard Identification
• Part 3: A description of 3 actions with justification
• Part 4: Review, communicate, and check

You must meet the marking standards for each stage. We've broken down what's required in each stage so you can stay on track!

What are the Passing Marks for the NEBOSH IG2?

The risk assessment has no numerical mark or grade, only a pass or referral (fail).

However, there is a grading standard for each of the four levels. To pass the overall unit, you must get a pass in each of the 4 stages. A referral (failure) in any of the four stages results in a referral for the entire evaluation.

When do you Complete the Unit NG2/IG2 Risk Assessment?

According to the old NEBOSH General Certificate (2014) syllabus, you had to submit your assignment within two weeks of having your written exam. 

The revised 2018 syllabus does not specify a deadline for submitting your assignment, so you can choose a date that works for you. Under the upcoming dates area, you may see upcoming NEBOSH General Certificate Risk Assessment submission dates. And then kindly submit your final risk assessment report by the deadline you registered for.

How much time is Required to Complete NEBOSH IG2 Risk Assessment? 

The NEBOSH recommends that the Unit NG2/IG2 on Risk Assessment should take approximately 30 hours of study time, which includes the time required to conduct the risk assessment and prepare the written report. However, this is only an estimate, and the actual time it takes can vary depending on the individual candidate's circumstances. 

You can take as much time as you need to complete your risk assessment. In general,  NEBOSH recommends you a time of 3 hours to complete the practical risk assessment assignment for Unit NG2/IG2. However, this may vary depending on the specific NEBOSH course provider and the mode of study (distance learning, classroom-based, or online).

How to Get Started with Your NEBOSH IG2 Risk Assessment?

Getting started with the NEBOSH Certificate Unit NG2/IG2 or Risk Assessment can be a challenging task, but with the right approach, it can be a rewarding experience. Here are some steps to help you get started with your NEBOSH Certificate Risk Assessment:

Register for Your Practical Exam

As previously mentioned, in order to submit your risk assessment, you must be registered against an exam date. If you're taking your course in a traditional or virtual classroom, you'll be immediately registered for a submission date that works for you.

If you study online, you can choose a time that works for you. Before submitting your practical assessment, you should have completed your NEBOSH Open Book Exam. After you've registered, your course provider will email you a series of Word documents that you'll use to complete the assessment.  

Choose a Workplace

Your risk assessment should preferably be based on your own workplace. This ensures that it is feasible and will benefit you and your organization. Your workplace should be large enough to deal with various hazard categories and hazards. If you can’t have access to a suitable workplace, please contact your course advisors. They'll be able to find you something right.

Remember to consult with the premises' management before starting your risk assessment. You'll want to make sure you can do it without compromising your own health or safety.

Read the NEBOSH Risk Assessment Guidance

NEBOSH provides extensive instructions on how to complete your assignment as well as a sample report. Check each area of your assessment against the marking criteria to ensure you've included everything necessary to pass.

The Stages of Risk Assessment

There are several stages to this assessment as shown below:

Part 1: Background

You must use the headed table in part 1 of the standard risk assessment form provided by NEBOSH. Click here to download the PDF of the NEBOSH IG2 Risk Assessment Report.

Description of Organization (approximately 150 to 200 words)

The first stage is to provide a clear and brief description of your selected organization (usually the organization for which you work, but this is not required).

Your workplace should be large enough to accommodate various hazard categories/hazards. However, you must also make the risk assessment feasible and take into account the time and resources available to you. For example, you may examine the entire organization or simply a certain department or division. If the organization is huge and complex, concentrate on one element of it or specific activities or procedures.

You can use false details to hide your organization's name and location if you like (for confidentiality), but everything else must be true.

The marking criteria show that you must include the following in your description:

1. The Name of The Organization
2. Site location - You do not need to provide the complete address, just the approximate location, such as Manchester.
3. Numbers of workers - How many workers are employed by the organization?
4. A general description of the organization -  This must include the items created or services given, as well as the types of operations carried out.
5. A description of the area included in the risk assessment.
6. Any additional relevant details, such as who is in charge of health and safety in your organization on a daily basis. If you don't think there's anything relevant here, leave it out.

Remember: Your assessment will be graded by a NEBOSH-appointed examiner. The examiner will require a detailed description of your organization in order to determine whether your risk assessment is appropriate and sufficient. The organization's description should be descriptive enough to 'paint a picture' for the examiner (who may be unfamiliar with your business) so that they comprehend what your organization performs. If you submit an imprecise or insufficient description, the risk assessment may be marked incorrectly.

Methodology (approximately 200 words)

After you've given the description, explain how you conducted the risk assessment (methodology used). The NEBOSH examiner can then assess the reliability and validity of your assessment.

You'd like to explain why you did what you did. After you've done your risk assessment, fill up this part so you have work to refer to.

For your methodology, you must include:

• The sources of information that you consulted
• Who you spoke to.
• How the hazards and controls were identified - the hazards, what is currently being done, and any new controls/actions that may be required.

Make sure that you have included all the required information that is requested in the NEBOSH assessment form. You may also include anything else related to the risk assessment's completion. This may appear to be a minor section, but if it is not included, you will fail.

Stage 2: Risk Assessment & Hazard Identification

Your risk assessment must include details on the information requested in each column in Part 2 of the assessment pack. You have to make sure all columns are filled appropriately. If you have nothing to include, for example, under additional controls/actions, kindly enter N/A or anything like that; otherwise, you will fail. The NG2/IG2 example on the NEBOSH website shows when N/A (or something similar) must be used. You must identify and document at least 10 distinct dangers from at least five distinct hazard categories.

These five categories are the heading topic for columns 5 – 11 of the NG/IG syllabus.

• Physical and psychological hazards
• Musculoskeletal health
• Chemical and biological agents
• General workplace issues
• Work equipment
• Fire
• Electricity

There are a total of 20 different types of hazards. Please keep in mind that you must select your hazards from 5 or more of the NEBOSH hazard categories. Many students fail because they overlook this easy rule. You will fail if you include any hazard categories that are not specified in Table 1 of NEBOSH's NG2/IG2 Risk Assessment Guide. You will fail if you only include 9 hazards from 6 hazard categories, or if you provide 10 hazards but do not identify the hazard category.

To meet the marking standards, you must include the following information for each hazard:

• The hazard and the hazard category (column 1)
• Who may be harmed and how (column 2)
• What you are already doing to control the hazard (column 3)
• What further controls or actions might be needed (column 4) – Remember to consider the control hierarchy and preventative principles when deciding on additional controls.
• The timescales for completion of each action (column 5)
• The role of the person responsible for completing each action (column 6)

As you go through your risk assessment, you'll notice that columns 3 (what you're already doing) and 4 (additional controls required) support each other.

If you're already doing enough to mitigate risk, you'll have a lot of controls in column 3 but very few (if any) in column 4. You might easily just remark that no further action is required. Column 3 will include very few controls, whereas column 4 will contain many more. Both alternatives are acceptable because they are both feasible.

Stage 3: Prioritize 3 Actions with Justification

You must prioritize your actions by using the table in part 3 of the risk assessment provided by NEBOSH. You must select the three most important/urgent actions that require your attention. These acts may be linked to the same or different hazards/hazard categories. 

Please Note: The most important thing is that they are your top priority for action. You must additionally justify why you think these are the highest priority/most urgent actions. You aren't allowed to use new actions that are not listed in column 4 of Part 2 of the risk assessment form. Otherwise, you will fail.

Your justification must include the following elements:

Moral, General Legal, and Financial Arguments for All Actions (300-350 words)

You have to provide your argument for why such actions must be managed. Consider the overarching legislation, such as the Health and Safety at Work Act, as well as the potential penalties for your organization and the people involved. Then, include any financial consequences, such as sick leave, damaged equipment, enforcement actions, and prosecution fees.

Remember to emphasize the moral considerations - protecting workers should be a top concern for any firm. Every employee has the right to work in a safe, healthy, and pleasant environment.

You can then go over each single activity in further detail.

Specific Legal Arguments (100-150 words)

Your legal case for your specific activity must include references to relevant legislation/standards.

For example, while addressing hazardous material control in the United Kingdom, you should refer to appropriate duties under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. 

Likelihood AND Severity (75-150 words)

You need to consider the chance AND severity (in light of present control measures) of injury, ill-health, or harm occurring. You should consider

• The forms of injury, illness, or harm that are likely to occur.
• The number of workers that are at risk.
• How frequently the activity is performed and how broad the risk is? Is the same threat, for example, present in other parts/branches/divisions/sites of the organization?

Effectiveness of Each Section (100 to 150 words)

Here you should describe:

• The intended impact of each action.
• Justification for the timescale indicated in your risk assessment for the action.
• Whether you believe the action will fully control the danger.

Each action should have the same impact as the next. You will fail if you spend too much time justifying one of the actions and not enough time justifying the other.

Stage 4: Review, Communicate, and Check

In the final part of your risk assessment report, you show your ability to communicate your recommendation to the relevant person. To complete the review, communication, and check exercise, you use the tables in part 4 of the assessment pack. To meet the grading standard, you must include:

• A realistic review date for the risk assessment, as well as your justification for selecting that date (50-100 words).
• An indication of how the findings of the risk assessment are to be communicated (100 to 150 words). Consider the system of communication (email, noticeboards, intranet), the timetable, and who needs to know the information.
• A description of how you intend to follow up on the risk assessment to ensure that the steps have been taken. (100 to 150 words).

If you miss any of the above-mentioned points in your assessment report, you’ll fail. 

How to Submit Your Assessment Report?

Once you have completed your assessment report, you need to upload your report on the NEBOSH OBE portal and submitted. Remember to double-check that your name and learner number are written on all of the form's footer sections.

NEBOSH Certificate Unit IG2 Risk Assessment Result

NEBOSH will email you your results within 50 days of your submission date. If you pass your NG1/IG1 Open Book Exam, you will receive a soft copy certificate through e-mail within 12 weeks. If you fail the NG2/IG2, you will receive an email with detailed feedback from the examiner outlining where you 'Not Met'. You can resubmit your existing risk assessment after revising it using the examiner's feedback.

NEBOSH General Certificate Practical Risk Assessment Resources

After reading this guide, NEBOSH recommends that you discuss your approach with your tutor. They can advise you on whether you are "heading in the right direction" - for example, whether you have picked an appropriate workplace or position that will provide adequate choice to tackle this assessment properly.

You can’t submit a draft of your work to your tutor or course provider. They are not permitted to mark or comment on certain details. But they may direct you in the right direction and answer your questions.