Home / NEBOSH IGC / GIC2 risk assessment

GIC2 risk assessment practice kit

Written by Imran Qureshi (NEBOSH)

Unit GIC2 is a practical risk assessment of your own workplace, marked out of 100 with a pass mark of 60. Use this page to understand the four sections, practise with a template, and compare your work with a worked example.

What the assessment involves

You complete NEBOSH's "Assessment template for Unit GNC2 and GIC2: Managing risk and risk assessment" (a Word document, NEBOSH 2025) for a real workplace after you have finished the whole syllabus (Elements 1 to 11). NEBOSH recommends around 4 hours, but the time is not restricted. The work must be your own. The result is Pass (60 or more out of 100) or Refer. Your tutor may advise whether you are heading in the right direction, but must not pre-mark drafts. The template begins with a declaration that the work is your own, tells you to read NEBOSH's guidance document on risk assessment while you complete every part, and says that all sections must be filled in. Assessments are submitted as PDF. This page is a practice tool and is not the official template. Its item numbers (1.1 to 4.4) and mark values follow NEBOSH's template. Sources: GIC2 guidance and the template, linked on the sources page.

How the 100 marks are split, item by item

Item	What you write	Marks
Section 1: Background (10 marks). Aim for 150 to 250 words for 1.1 to 1.5 and 100 to 200 words for 1.6 and 1.7
1.1, 1.2	Name of organisation and site location. These are marked with an asterisk and carry no marks. If you are worried about confidentiality you may invent a name and location, but all other information must be factual	0
1.3	Brief description of the organisation	1
1.4	Number of workers and typical roles	1
1.5	Description of the area or process included in the risk assessment	2
1.6	Sources of information consulted (this part can be completed after the risk assessment)	3
1.7	How you identified the hazards	3
Section 2: Risk assessment (65 marks). Date of assessment is entered at the top. Identify 10 hazards from at least 5 different hazard categories
2.1	Hazard category	5
2.2	Hazard description	10
2.3	Who might be harmed	10
2.4	How they could be harmed	10
2.5	What you are already doing to control the risks, and what further actions you need to take (two columns, one mark pool)	20
2.6	Who needs to carry out the action	0
2.7	When the action is needed by	10
Section 3: Prioritise one hazard to manage (17 marks). Suggested length 350 to 450 words
3.1	The prioritised hazard (chosen from Section 2)	0
3.2, 3.3, 3.4	Legal reasons (2), moral reasons (2) and business or financial reasons (2) for prioritising it	6
3.5	General reasons for prioritising it	4
3.6	How the further actions would help reduce the associated risks	4
3.7	How you would check that the actions were effective	3
Section 4: Communicate, check and review (8 marks). Suggested length 100 to 200 words
4.1	How the significant findings would be communicated in your organisation	3
4.2	How you would check that the actions have been carried out	2
4.3	When you would review the risk assessment	1
4.4	Why that review period or date was chosen	2

Points that cost marks

Fewer than five different hazard categories (the 21 categories come from Elements 5 to 11).
A hazard description that does not say what makes the item or task hazardous. "Window cleaning" is a task; "worker seen climbing a ladder to clean windows" is a hazard description.
Naming a group of people without saying how they could be harmed.
Leaving a section or column blank. The template says every section must be filled in. If controls are already adequate, say how they will be monitored and reviewed.
An unrealistic time frame in 2.7, for example calling a major building project "immediate".
Introducing a new hazard or new actions in Section 3. The prioritised hazard and its actions must come from Section 2.
Not following the hierarchy of control when suggesting further actions: eliminate, substitute, engineering and reorganisation, administrative controls, then PPE.
Using photographs or drawings. The template does not allow them.

Practice template

Fill this in for any workplace you know, then use the self check below. Your text is saved only in this browser. It is practice material, so write the real assessment in the official template.

NEBOSH's template begins with a declaration that the work is your own. Fill in the real declaration only in the official template. All sections must be filled in.

Section 1: Background

Aim for 150 to 250 words across 1.1 to 1.5. 0 words so far.

1.1 Name of organisation (no marks; you may invent one) 1.2 Site location (no marks; you may invent one) 1.3 Brief description of the organisation (1 mark) 1.4 Number of workers and typical roles (1 mark) 1.5 Description of the area or process included in the risk assessment (2 marks)

How the risk assessment was carried out. Aim for 100 to 200 words across 1.6 and 1.7. You can complete this after the assessment. 0 words so far.

1.6 Sources of information consulted (3 marks) 1.7 How you identified the hazards (3 marks)

Section 2: Risk assessment

Date of assessment

Identify 10 hazards from at least 5 different hazard categories.

Section 3: Prioritise 1 hazard to manage from the risk assessment

Suggested length 350 to 450 words. 0 words so far.

3.1 Prioritised hazard to manage (it must come from Section 2)

3.2 Legal reasons (2 marks, one per line) 3.3 Moral reasons (2 marks, one per line) 3.4 Business or financial reasons (2 marks, one per line) 3.5 General reasons (4 marks, one per line) 3.6 How the further actions would help reduce the associated risks (4 marks, one per line) 3.7 How you would check that the actions were effective (3 marks, one per line)

Section 4: Communicate, check and review

Suggested length 100 to 200 words. 0 words so far.

4.1 How the significant findings would be communicated within your organisation (3 marks, one per line) 4.2 How you would check that the actions have been carried out (2 marks, one per line) 4.3 When you would review the risk assessment (1 mark) 4.4 Why that review period or date was chosen (2 marks, one per line)

Example risk assessment: a small print shop

This is an invented example to show the level of detail and the way the sections fit together. It is not an official sample and it is not a model for the exact wording your own workplace needs.

Section 1: Background

1.3 Organisation: A print shop that produces posters, business cards and booklets for local customers. The shop opens Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm, with one shift.

1.2 Site location (invented): A town in the north of the country

1.4 Workers: 12 workers: 2 managers, 3 front office staff, 4 machine operators, 2 finishing staff and 1 cleaner.

1.5 Area assessed: The whole shop: a front office and customer counter, a digital printing room, a finishing area with a guillotine, laminator and folding machines, a storeroom for paper and chemicals, and a small yard where deliveries arrive.

1.6 Sources of information: The shop's safety policy and equipment manuals, safety data sheets for the cleaning solvents, the accident book for the last two years, a walk around inspection with the shop manager and finishing supervisor, and short conversations with six workers.

1.7 How hazards were identified: I walked through every area during normal working hours with a notebook and a checklist built from the syllabus hazard categories. I watched tasks being done, noted what workers said about problems, compared what I saw with the equipment manuals, and checked the accident book to see where harm had already occurred.

Section 2: Risk assessment (10 hazards)

1. Machinery

2.2 Hazard: Machine operator seen feeding paper into the guillotine with the light curtain taped over so that it would not stop the blade
2.3 Who might be harmed: Machine operator
2.4 How they could be harmed: Hand and finger amputation or deep cuts from the blade; other workers nearby struck by flying trimmed paper
2.5 Already doing: Two-hand control fitted to the guillotine. Operators trained when they joined. Manual states that guards must not be bypassed.
2.5 Further action: Remove the tape and fit a tamper-resistant guard. Test the light curtain every day and record it. Give refresher training and a written rule that bypassing a guard is a disciplinary matter.
2.6 Who and 2.7 when: Finishing supervisor, Immediate

2. Hazardous substances

2.2 Hazard: Cleaning solvent used on press rollers in a small room with the door closed
2.3 Who might be harmed: Machine operators and the cleaner
2.4 How they could be harmed: Headaches, dizziness and breathing problems from fumes; dermatitis from skin contact
2.5 Already doing: Safety data sheet kept in the storeroom. Solvent kept in labelled containers. Gloves available.
2.5 Further action: Change to a less hazardous water-based cleaner where the supplier confirms it works. Add local extraction or work with the door open. Train workers in the SDS and arrange skin checks.
2.6 Who and 2.7 when: Shop manager, Medium term

3. Manual handling

2.2 Hazard: Workers lifting 25 kg boxes of paper from floor level to a high shelf in the storeroom
2.3 Who might be harmed: Storeroom staff and finishing workers
2.4 How they could be harmed: Back injury and muscle strain from heavy and awkward lifting
2.5 Already doing: Sack truck available. Staff told how to lift.
2.5 Further action: Buy a pallet truck, store heavy boxes at waist height and light items on higher shelves, and limit box weights to 15 kg with the supplier.
2.6 Who and 2.7 when: Shop manager, Medium term

4. Slips and trips

2.2 Hazard: Power cables from two digital printers running across a main walkway
2.3 Who might be harmed: All workers and visitors
2.4 How they could be harmed: Fractures and bruises from tripping and falling
2.5 Already doing: Warning tape stuck over the cables.
2.5 Further action: Move the printers or fit permanent cable ducting along the wall. Check the area at the end of each day.
2.6 Who and 2.7 when: Facilities contractor, Immediate

5. Fire

2.2 Hazard: Cardboard boxes of paper stored in front of the rear fire exit
2.3 Who might be harmed: All workers and customers
2.4 How they could be harmed: Smoke inhalation, burns and crush injuries if people cannot leave quickly
2.5 Already doing: Smoke alarms tested monthly. Two extinguishers in the finishing area.
2.5 Further action: Clear the exit today, mark the floor in front of it, and add a weekly exit check to the supervisor's list. Run a fire drill with a roll call.
2.6 Who and 2.7 when: Shop manager, Immediate

6. Electricity

2.2 Hazard: Laminator with a cracked plug top and frayed cable
2.3 Who might be harmed: Finishing staff
2.4 How they could be harmed: Electric shock or burns, and fire from overheating
2.5 Already doing: Workers told to report faults.
2.5 Further action: Remove the laminator from use and tag it. Have a competent electrician repair it and check other portable equipment. Start a regular inspection and test programme with records.
2.6 Who and 2.7 when: Electrician, Immediate

7. Noise

2.2 Hazard: Folding and cutting machines running most of the day in the finishing area
2.3 Who might be harmed: Finishing staff and operators
2.4 How they could be harmed: Gradual hearing loss and ringing in the ears
2.5 Already doing: Ear defenders in a box near the entrance. Some workers do not wear them.
2.5 Further action: Carry out a noise assessment. Add damping and an enclosure, mark the area, make ear protection compulsory and offer hearing checks.
2.6 Who and 2.7 when: Competent noise assessor, Long term

8. Work-related upper limb disorders

2.2 Hazard: Front office staff working on laptops at a low counter for long periods without breaks
2.3 Who might be harmed: Front office staff
2.4 How they could be harmed: Neck, shoulder and wrist pain and tendon problems
2.5 Already doing: Staff may take breaks when the shop is quiet.
2.5 Further action: Provide screens, keyboards and adjustable chairs. Add a workstation assessment and teach short break routines.
2.6 Who and 2.7 when: Shop manager, Medium term

9. Working at height

2.2 Hazard: Worker standing on a chair to reach paper stock stored on the top shelf
2.3 Who might be harmed: Storeroom staff
2.4 How they could be harmed: Falls causing head injuries and fractures
2.5 Already doing: None. This is common practice in the storeroom.
2.5 Further action: Store regularly used items below shoulder height. Provide safe platform steps and ban the use of chairs for reaching. Train workers in the safe use of access equipment.
2.6 Who and 2.7 when: Shop manager, Immediate

10. Mental ill-health

2.2 Hazard: Workers handling tight customer deadlines and working extra hours at the end of each month
2.3 Who might be harmed: Machine operators and front office staff
2.4 How they could be harmed: Work-related stress, anxiety and fatigue
2.5 Already doing: An open door policy with the manager.
2.5 Further action: Plan work to spread deadlines, agree a limit on overtime, ask workers about workload in regular short meetings, and give information about support services.
2.6 Who and 2.7 when: Shop manager, Medium term

Section 3: Prioritised hazard

3.1 Hazard: Machine operator feeding paper into the guillotine with the light curtain taped over so it would not stop the blade

3.2 Legal reasons

The employer's duty under ILO Convention C155 Article 16 to make sure machinery and processes under its control are safe.
The employer's duty under national machinery and workplace safety law to guard dangerous parts, and ISO 12100 principles for safeguarding machines.

3.3 Moral reasons

An amputation would change the operator's life and their family's for ever.
Workers have the right to a safe and healthy working environment, which includes machines that cannot easily be made unsafe.

3.4 Business or financial reasons

A serious injury would bring compensation claims, lost production while the machine is stopped and the cost of replacing a trained operator.
The cost of tamper-resistant guarding and training is small compared with those losses.

3.5 General reasons

The likelihood of harm is high because the guard is already being bypassed every working day.
The severity of the harm is the highest in the shop: amputation.
Existing controls rely on the operator's behaviour, which is not reliable.
Fixing the guard is simple and quick, so it can be done immediately.

3.6 How the further actions reduce the risk

Removing the tape and fitting a tamper-resistant guard stops the blade when the area is entered.
Daily testing shows early if the guard has been defeated.
Refresher training and a clear rule explain why guards must never be bypassed.
Together these change the control from relying on people to a technical control.

3.7 How the actions will be checked

The supervisor tests the light curtain each day and signs a record.
Monthly inspections check for signs of tampering and speak to the operators.
Any near miss or tampering event is investigated.

Section 4: Communicate, check, review

4.1 Communication

The shop manager will go through the findings in a team meeting and give each worker a short summary sheet.
A summary of the actions will be posted on the staff noticeboard and sent by email to the supervisors.
Contractors and the electrician will be given the actions that relate to their work.

4.2 Checking that actions are done

The actions will be put on the agenda of the weekly management meeting until they are closed.
The shop manager will inspect each completed action and record the date.

4.3 Review: In six months, or sooner if there is a change to equipment, layout or work processes.

4.4 Reasons for the review period

Most actions are immediate or medium term, so six months allows time to see whether they work.
Machinery and layout changes mean the assessment must be reviewed whenever they happen.