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Free NEBOSH IGC Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety (NEBOSH IGC) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free NEBOSH IGC practice test to study every exam domain.

Question 1

A production worker trips on a trailing cable and fractures their wrist. The company's employer's liability (EL) insurance policy pays out the £14,000 compensation claim in full. Which of the following would MOST likely represent an uninsured cost to the organisation?

  1. The time spent by the site manager and safety advisor investigating and reporting the incident
  2. The £14,000 compensation payment made to the injured worker
  3. The legal costs of defending the compensation claim in court
  4. Emergency medical treatment the worker received at the local hospital
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - The time spent by the site manager and safety advisor investigating and reporting the incident

Question 2

Under the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model for health and safety management, which of the following activities takes place during the 'ACT' stage?

  1. Conducting workplace inspections to verify that risk controls are functioning correctly
  2. Identifying hazards and setting health and safety objectives for the year ahead
  3. Implementing safe systems of work and delivering worker training programmes
  4. Reviewing overall health and safety performance at senior management level and identifying improvements
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Reviewing overall health and safety performance at senior management level and identifying improvements

Question 3

Workers in a vehicle body repair shop use a solvent-based degreaser that emits harmful vapours. The current control measure is a half-face respirator worn by each operative. A health and safety advisor recommends moving to a higher level of control. Which recommendation BEST applies the hierarchy of control?

  1. Upgrade workers from half-face respirators to powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs)
  2. Install local exhaust ventilation (LEV) directly above each degreasing workstation
  3. Introduce a job rotation system so no single worker exceeds the occupational exposure limit
  4. Switch from the solvent-based degreaser to a water-based alternative that produces no harmful vapours
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Switch from the solvent-based degreaser to a water-based alternative that produces no harmful vapours

Question 4

An investigation finds that workers on a night shift regularly bypass a safety guard on a filling machine, despite having been trained on the correct procedure. Shift supervisors are aware but say nothing, because the guard slows the line down and the site manager has set output targets the night shift consistently fails to meet. What is the ROOT CAUSE of this unsafe behaviour?

  1. An individual factor - workers are knowingly choosing to disregard the training they received
  2. An organisational factor - management targets and culture are creating pressure that overrides safe working
  3. A job factor - the guard design makes it impractical to operate the machine at the required pace
  4. An individual factor - workers lack the competence to operate the guarded machine correctly
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - An organisational factor - management targets and culture are creating pressure that overrides safe working

Question 5

A warehouse operative routinely lifts steel drums weighing 45 kg from floor level onto a chest-height shelf. The operative recently returned to work after six weeks of sick leave for lower back pain. When reviewing the risk assessment using the TILE framework, which factor is MOST relevant to whether additional controls are needed for this specific individual?

  1. Task - the repeated lifting movement and the vertical distance each drum must be raised
  2. Load - the drum weight, which exceeds recommended single-person handling limits
  3. Environment - the height of the shelf relative to the operative's standing reach
  4. Individual - the operative's recent back condition and their heightened vulnerability to re-injury
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Individual - the operative's recent back condition and their heightened vulnerability to re-injury

Question 6

A health and safety manager wants to use leading indicators to monitor whether the safety management system is working effectively. Which of the following is a leading indicator?

  1. The percentage of scheduled safety inspections completed within the planned timeframe
  2. The total number of working days lost to work-related injuries over the past 12 months
  3. The number of prohibition notices received from the regulatory authority this year
  4. The number of workers referred to occupational health for work-related ill-health
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - The percentage of scheduled safety inspections completed within the planned timeframe

Question 7

Air monitoring in a spray-painting workshop reveals that workers' exposure to solvent vapour consistently exceeds the occupational exposure limit (OEL). The employer issues all workers with half-face respirators and considers the problem resolved. Which statement BEST explains why this response is insufficient?

  1. Workers must formally agree to wear respiratory protective equipment before it can be required by an employer
  2. Half-face respirators are not a recognised control measure for solvent vapours under occupational hygiene standards
  3. Using RPE as the only control ignores higher-level options in the hierarchy and does nothing to reduce the hazard at its source
  4. An OEL exceedance legally requires the employer to suspend the activity until engineering controls are in place
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Using RPE as the only control ignores higher-level options in the hierarchy and does nothing to reduce the hazard at its source

Question 8

A maintenance engineer needs to replace a faulty light fitting located 3.5 metres above floor level. The job will take around 15 minutes. The site supervisor suggests using a stepladder as it is readily available. Which response MOST accurately reflects a sound approach to work at height?

  1. A stepladder is acceptable here because the task is short in duration and the risk is therefore low
  2. The first step is to establish whether the fitting can be replaced from ground level - for example, using an extended tool - before any access equipment is selected
  3. Stepladders are not permitted for any electrical maintenance work at height under international safety standards
  4. All work above three metres requires a mobile elevated work platform regardless of duration
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - The first step is to establish whether the fitting can be replaced from ground level - for example, using an extended tool - before any access equipment is selected

Question 9

A fire breaks out in a server room housing live electrical equipment and rack-mounted computers. Four portable extinguishers are mounted nearby: water, foam, dry powder, and CO₂. Which extinguisher should be used, and why?

  1. Dry powder - it carries an electrical-fire rating and is effective on the widest range of fire classes
  2. CO₂ - it is safe to use on live electrical equipment and leaves no residue that would damage the servers
  3. Foam - it is the most effective option for smothering fires and preventing re-ignition
  4. Water - the volume of water will cool the fire faster than any other extinguisher available
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - CO₂ - it is safe to use on live electrical equipment and leaves no residue that would damage the servers

Question 10

A groundsworker is using a 230 V angle grinder outdoors. Unknown to anyone, the cable has been damaged beneath the outer sheathing - a fault invisible to a visual inspection. Which control measure would MOST effectively prevent a fatal electric shock if the groundsworker contacts this fault?

  1. Ensuring the tool was PAT tested within the last three months by a competent person
  2. Providing the groundsworker with rubber-soled safety boots and insulating gloves
  3. Connecting the tool to the supply through a 30 mA residual current device (RCD)
  4. Replacing the 13 A plug fuse with a lower-rated fuse to limit the fault current
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Connecting the tool to the supply through a 30 mA residual current device (RCD)

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