Over the past three weeks of training I had got to know my fellow classmates quite well, so it was nice to see them all again when I turned up at Santia House for Week 4 of the course.
Our tutor this week was a familiar face; our Week 1 tutor Peter Edwards. I really liked his style of teaching and was looking forward to the next five days of learning.
We ended Week 3 on B6; physical agents 1 – noise and vibration so we started Week 4 with element B7. The morning began with a look at different types of ionising and non-ionising radiation.
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Peter talked about the sources of radiation, both in the workplace and naturally occurring, and the effects and control measures. This was supported by an example exam question and some workbook exercises. I was fascinated by the science behind radioactive materials but it wasn’t nice thinking about the long term effects this can have on the human body.
On Tuesday we focused heavily on element B8 which centred on psychosocial agents. We had already covered human psychology and behaviour in Week 2, which I found really interesting so I was keen to look at this topic in more depth. Peter explained the physical, psychological and organisational effects of work-related stress, and how to identify stress risk factors. I know my team at work are often under a lot of pressure, and I couldn’t wait to go back to my job and implement some of the principles Peter had discussed.
Element E9 covered musculoskeletal risks and controls. As a runner I know how important it is to look after your body and muscles but it was interesting to learn more about human musculoskeletal system including bones, tendons, ligaments, nerves and muscles from an occupational health point of view.
We began element B10 on Wednesday afternoon, looking at temperature and the thermal environment. For extreme thermal environments there are a lot of factors to consider when ensuring the risks of working in these locations are minimised.
The next day we continued with element B10. The main focus of the morning was workplace lighting and how good lighting can reduce workplace accidents. Peter talked about instrumentation, units and measurement of light, assessment of lighting levels and standards. In the afternoon we began the final Unit B element, B11, where we covered categories of occupational health hazards.
On the final day of Week 4 Peter started by discussing bio-psychosocial aspects of health at work and the concept of monitoring health. My favourite part of the day was learning about sickness absence, including ways to record, measure and analyse sickness absence.
Key things I learnt
During Week 4 I learnt a lot about occupational health. There are so many factors to consider and every workplace has different requirements based on various employee job roles. I was keen to complete the background reading to find out even more about this subject area.
Homework
We had completed all the content for Unit B so the homework was to try the practice questions and start our revision.
Unit B summary
I really enjoyed Week 3 with Krys taking the classes. She was a personable character and I felt I could relate to her. Peter was fantastic again, as he had been on Week 1 of the course, which seemed like so long ago.
I felt a lot more confident during Unit B because I knew what was expected of me. As I knew my classmates a bit better I felt more relaxed and didn’t mind speaking up in discussions or asking questions.
Check back for the next instalment of Jo’s journey through the NEBOSH National Diploma.
