NEBOSH Working at Height 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under working at height regulations, which hierarchy of controls should be applied FIRST when work at height cannot be avoided?
- Use personal fall arrest equipment
- Install collective fall prevention measures such as guardrails (Correct answer)
- Minimize the height of the work and its duration
- Provide training to all workers involved
Correct answer: Install collective fall prevention measures such as guardrails
Collective fall prevention measures (e.g., guardrails, barriers) take priority over personal protective equipment because they protect all workers without relying on individual action.
Question 2: What is the recommended maximum angle from vertical for a leaning ladder when placed against a surface?
- 60 degrees
- 75 degrees (Correct answer)
- 45 degrees
- 80 degrees
Correct answer: 75 degrees
A leaning ladder should be set at a 75-degree angle (1 unit out for every 4 units up), which provides the safest combination of stability and reach.
Question 3: Which of the following is classified as 'work at height' under NEBOSH IGC guidelines?
- Working in a basement below ground level
- Working on a flat roof with no edge protection (Correct answer)
- Working at a desk on the ground floor
- Loading goods from ground level onto a pallet
Correct answer: Working on a flat roof with no edge protection
Any work where a person could fall and injure themselves, including on a flat roof with no edge protection, is classified as work at height regardless of the distance above ground.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of a toe board fitted to a scaffold platform?
- To provide extra grip for workers walking on the platform
- To prevent tools and materials from falling off the edge (Correct answer)
- To support the weight of the scaffold boards
- To act as a visual warning for workers near the edge
Correct answer: To prevent tools and materials from falling off the edge
Toe boards are fitted at the edges of scaffold platforms to prevent tools, materials, and debris from rolling or sliding off and striking people below.
Question 5: Before erecting a scaffold, which factor relating to the ground conditions must be assessed?
- The colour of the soil to identify contamination
- The moisture content of the soil for landscaping purposes
- The load-bearing capacity of the ground to support the scaffold (Correct answer)
- The depth of underground utilities for drainage planning
Correct answer: The load-bearing capacity of the ground to support the scaffold
The ground's load-bearing capacity must be assessed to ensure scaffold base plates and sole boards are adequate to spread the load and prevent settlement or collapse.
Question 6: A competent person must inspect scaffold in which of the following circumstances?
- Only when a worker reports a defect
- After erection, after any modification, and after adverse weather (Correct answer)
- Once per month regardless of usage
- Only before the scaffold is dismantled
Correct answer: After erection, after any modification, and after adverse weather
NEBOSH IGC requires scaffold inspections after erection, after any modification, and after any event such as adverse weather that could affect its integrity.
Question 7: Which type of fall protection is considered 'passive' because it does not require any action from the worker to be effective?
- Full-body harness with lanyard
- Inertia reel fall arrester
- Guardrail and toe board system (Correct answer)
- Work restraint belt
Correct answer: Guardrail and toe board system
Guardrails and toe boards are passive fall protection because they provide a physical barrier that works automatically without any action required by the worker.
NEBOSH Working at Height 1
Under working at height regulations, which hierarchy of controls should be applied FIRST when work at height cannot be avoided?