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🇬🇧 NEBOSH National General Certificate · flashcards
NEBOSH National General Certificate Musculoskeletal and Equipment Hazards Flashcards
50 question-and-answer cards covering Musculoskeletal and Equipment Hazards as it is examined in NEBOSH National General Certificate. 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Musculoskeletal and Equipment Hazards deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
What does DSE stand for, and what regulations govern its use in the UK?
DSE = Display Screen Equipment. Governed by the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992.
Who is classified as a 'DSE user' under the DSE Regulations 1992?
A worker who habitually uses DSE as a significant part of their normal work — typically daily, for continuous periods of an hour or more at a time.
List the main health risks/hazards associated with DSE workstation use.
Work-related upper limb disorders (WRULDs); visual fatigue/eye strain; temporary headaches; backache and postural fatigue; stress/fatigue. (No proven link to permanent eye damage or, generally, to radiation harm.)
What four main components must be assessed in a DSE workstation assessment?
The display screen; the keyboard and mouse/input devices; the desk and chair (work surface and seating); and the work environment (lighting, glare/reflections, noise, space, software and the task).
What are the key features of a suitable DSE chair under the DSE Regulations?
Stable (five-castor base); seat height adjustable; backrest adjustable in height and tilt to support the lower back; allows freedom of movement and comfortable posture; a footrest provided if needed.
Describe the recommended posture for a DSE user at their workstation.
Forearms approximately horizontal ($\approx 90^{\circ}$ at the elbow); top of screen at roughly eye level; screen about arm's length away; feet flat on floor or footrest; lower back supported; wrists straight and not bent when keying; minimal twisting/reaching.
What entitlements do DSE users have regarding eyesight under the DSE Regulations 1992?
On request, the employer must provide an eye and eyesight test (and at regular intervals thereafter), and provide special corrective appliances (e.g. spectacles) if normal ones cannot be used and they are needed specifically for DSE work.
Besides equipment, what other control reduces DSE-related risks during the working day?
Regular breaks or changes of activity — short, frequent breaks are better than occasional long ones; breaking up screen work with other tasks; plus training/information and a workstation assessment with adjustments.
What does PUWER stand for, and what is its purpose?
PUWER = Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. It places duties on those who own, operate or control work equipment to ensure it is suitable, safe, maintained, inspected and used only by trained people.
What is the definition of 'work equipment' under PUWER 1998?
Any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool or installation for use at work — ranging from a hand tool (e.g. hammer) to complex machinery and plant.
List the key general requirements PUWER 1998 places on work equipment.
Suitable for its intended use; safe for use, maintained in efficient working order and in good repair; inspected to ensure correct installation/safety; used only by adequately informed, instructed and trained people; protected by suitable safety measures (guards, controls, warnings); with controls and stop/emergency systems.
Under PUWER, what specific control devices/systems must many machines have?
Suitable controls for starting/changing operating conditions; readily accessible stop controls; emergency stop where appropriate; isolation from energy sources; suitable warning devices/markings; controls positioned and identified safely; preventing inadvertent start-up.
Distinguish between mechanical and non-mechanical machinery hazards.
Mechanical hazards arise from moving parts of machinery (e.g. crushing, shearing, entanglement). Non-mechanical hazards arise from associated factors such as electricity, noise, vibration, heat, dust, chemicals, ergonomics and radiation.
List the main types of MECHANICAL hazards from machinery (per BS EN/ISO categories).
Crushing; shearing; cutting or severing; entanglement; drawing-in or trapping (in-running nip); impact; stabbing or puncture; friction or abrasion; high-pressure fluid ejection (injection).
Give an example of each: crushing, shearing, and entanglement hazards.
Crushing: a part moving toward a fixed object (e.g. hydraulic press platen). Shearing: two parts moving past each other (e.g. guillotine blade against a fixed edge). Entanglement: loose clothing/hair caught on a rotating shaft or drill bit.
What is an 'in-running nip' (drawing-in) hazard, and where is it found?
A trap point created where two rotating parts, or a rotating part and a tangent/fixed surface, move together and can draw in body parts or clothing. Found at meshing gears, between rollers, belt-and-pulley contacts, and chain-and-sprocket drives.
List the main NON-MECHANICAL hazards associated with machinery.
Electricity; noise; vibration; high/low temperature (burns/scalds); fire and explosion; harmful substances (dust, fumes, fluids); ionising/non-ionising radiation; ergonomic/manual handling factors; access (slips, trips, falls).
Name the four main types of machine guard, in order of preference.
1) Fixed guard; 2) Interlocked (movable) guard; 3) Adjustable/self-adjusting guard; 4) Trip device / protection device (e.g. photoelectric/light curtain). Fixed guards are preferred where access is not routinely needed.
What is a fixed guard, and what is its main advantage and disadvantage?
A guard with no moving parts, permanently fixed (e.g. bolted) to prevent access to danger. Advantage: simple, reliable, no moving parts to fail. Disadvantage: gives no protection if removed/left off, and can hinder access for maintenance or feeding work.
How does an interlocked guard work to protect the operator?
It links the guard position to the machine's power/control so the machine cannot operate while the guard is open, and opening the guard stops or isolates the dangerous motion (often with guard locking so it cannot be opened until motion has stopped).
What is a trip device (e.g. light curtain/pressure mat), and how does it protect?
A protection device that detects a person/body part entering the danger zone and immediately stops or reverses the dangerous machine motion, without a physical barrier. Examples: photoelectric light curtains, pressure-sensitive mats, trip bars/wires.
List the essential requirements that any machine guard should meet.
Be compatible with the process; prevent access to the danger zone; be of robust/durable construction; not introduce new hazards (e.g. trap points, sharp edges); be difficult to bypass or defeat; allow maintenance ideally without removal; not unduly restrict the view or the work.
List the main hazards associated with hand-held tools (both non-powered and powered).
Non-powered: cuts/abrasions, flying particles, burrs/splinters from mushroomed heads, struck-by, repetitive strain, eye injury. Powered: electric shock, entanglement/contact with moving parts, ejected material, noise, vibration (HAVS), dust/fumes, and (cartridge tools) explosion/penetration.
State key control measures for the safe use of hand-held power tools.
Select the right tool for the job; use double-insulated or reduced-voltage (e.g. $110\ \text{V}$) supplies and RCDs; maintain and PAT-inspect tools; fit guards; provide PPE (eye, hearing, RPE, gloves); train operators; limit vibration exposure and rotate tasks; ensure secure workpieces and good housekeeping.
What this deck covers
The Musculoskeletal and Equipment Hazards deck follows the NEBOSH National General Certificate Musculoskeletal and Equipment Hazards syllabus — 3 chapters and 10 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 16.7 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 231 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
Musculoskeletal and Equipment Hazards flashcards FAQ
How many Musculoskeletal and Equipment Hazards flashcards are in this NEBOSH National General Certificate deck?
50 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these NEBOSH National General Certificate flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 50-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Musculoskeletal and Equipment Hazards cards cover?
They follow the NEBOSH National General Certificate Musculoskeletal and Equipment Hazards syllabus — 3 chapters and 10 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.