You’ve completed units A-C of the NEBOSH Diploma, now it’s time to put that knowledge into practice and complete a practical report. This is your guide on 
how to get the most out of unit D of the NEBOSH Diploma course.
Unit D is your chance to bring together your knowledge and understanding from the other units and apply it to a practical workplace environment.
To some people, it’s the most daunting and intimidating part of the entire NEBOSH National Diploma, but it doesn’t have to be that way. With the right planning and expert guidance you can achieve maximum success in this unit! Our 5 Top Tips will put you on the path to success…
- Plan for success
Before you even start doing any work, you need to pick an organisation that is suitable for the task in hand. Ideally, this will be the company you work for, however if you’re out of work then you will have to find a suitable one. To pick the correct organisation you need to take into account a number of important factors:
Is the company large enough to carry out a review of health and safety management systems?
Similarly, is the company too large to fully cover? If so, then maybe you could focus on a specific department or division.
Is there a sufficiently wide range of hazards in the areas covered by units B (Hazardous agents in the workplace) and C (Workplace and work equipment)? 
When you’ve weighed up all of these factors and picked your organisation, make sure you talk to your tutor and come up with a plan on how you intend to approach the practical.
- Style with substance
This may sound obvious, but remember to make your answer readable!
Don’t forget this is an assignment, so it needs to be written in a formal style as if you are submitting it to a senior manager. Don’t fill it with unnecessary technical jargon or clunky language.
You also need to think about how you are presenting the information. In many cases, bullet points or a table can help, as can organising your work into short paragraphs so as to avoid large chunks of text. If it’s difficult for you to read, then it’s going to be difficult for the examiner to read!
You can get some invaluable advice on the NEBOSH Diploma by reading our blog on How to craft killer answers for your NEBOSH exams
- Specify risks
The risk assessments for this unit must be completed on two of the hazards that have previously been identified and classed as high priority. Your physical hazard should relate to Unit C, whilst your health and welfare hazard needs to relate to those covered in Unit B.
You need to evaluate the effectiveness of the organisation in controlling these risks and propose additional methods to control the hazard and reduce the risks. Make sure you make use of any existing data for hazards that have already been quantified – e.g. Noise control.
- Make a strong impression
It’s an over used phrase, but it really does apply to your report, so make sure you nail your introduction. Ge
t the introduction right and it sets up the rest of your report. Furthermore, it will be a great help when you reach your conclusion, as you can refer back to your objectives and evaluate your success.
Firstly, it needs a clear description of your methodology, including your methods of research and a short description of your chosen organisation or workplace. This enables you to set the context for the report. In describing the organisation or workplace you need to consider:
- Size
- Nature of the business
- Employee profile – an organisational chart can be included in the appendix
- Work patterns
- Production schedules
- Special circumstances that may affect health and safety
- Any legislation or case law that is relevant
- A couple of photographs may be useful, but don’t go overboard. A sketch of the work site should be sufficient.
- Summing up
This should be a concise summary of your findings. Refer back to your aims and objectives and evaluate how well they were achieved. Do not introduce any new material or suggestions for improvements. Everything included here should already be in the main body of the report.
You must also describe your methodology for each risk assessment and include references to publications, legislations, ACOPs, and other technical documents you’ve used. The rest of the conclusion should follow on logically from these findings – although make sure you cover every finding from the main report.
Remember, you’ve done all the hard work, Unit D is about bringing together the knowledge and understanding you have gained throughout the Diploma. Just make sure you plan ahead, manage your time effectively and stick to your plan. Also, remember to speak to your tutor when in doubt, they’re there to help.
Great
On Wed, Jul 27, 2016 at 3:00 PM, Workplace Safety Blog wrote:
> Rob Burgon, CMIOSH, DipNEBOSH, MIIRSM posted: “You’ve completed units A-C > of the NEBOSH Diploma, now it’s time to put that knowledge into practice > and complete a practical report. This is your guide on how to get the most > out of unit D of the NEBOSH Diploma course. Unit D is your chance to bring > to” >