Assess hazards before designing or making
Identify hazards, estimate risk, select controls and follow supervised workshop practice and incident procedures.
This lesson is original StudyForA learning support aligned to Cambridge International AS & A Level Design & Technology 9705. It is not Cambridge material or an official mark scheme. Practical activity must follow the learner's centre procedures and trained supervision.
Before you begin
- Read the product brief and identify its intended user and context.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
What should a student do if the machine guard is missing?
What you will learn
- 9705 T6 risk assessment
- 9705 T6 safe practice
- 9705 T6 incidents
Risk assessment is a decision process
A hazard is something that could cause harm; risk considers the likelihood and severity of that harm. Identify who could be affected, the task, material, tool and environment, then choose controls and check that they work.
Controls should reduce exposure at its source where possible; personal protective equipment (PPE) is only one part. Follow school procedures, relevant machine guards, suitable PPE, tidy work areas, correct tools, manual-handling precautions and material-specific training.
Supervision and stopping are part of safe work
Tie back long hair, secure loose clothing and keep sleeves clear where required. Welding and hot-metal processes require specific protection and trained supervision. Toxic, corrosive or otherwise hazardous materials need the correct training and handling rules.
Stop work if an unexpected hazard appears. Report incidents and near misses promptly using the centre's procedure, make the area safe only if trained, and obtain first aid or emergency support. A lesson can explain risk reasoning, but cannot authorise unsupervised use of real machinery.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
Which principle best supports this lesson: assess hazards before designing or making?
Worked example
A student plans to drill a small metal strip. Give three checks before work begins.
Show the worked solution
- Confirm the material, drill, bit and clamping method with the teacher.
- Identify sharp swarf, rotating parts and eye hazards; select required guards and PPE.
- Check training, supervision and a safe way to handle the workpiece and waste.
Answer The student should follow the centre's risk assessment, secure the metal, use the authorised machine and bit, keep hands away from rotating parts, wear specified eye protection and work under trained supervision. The exact process depends on equipment and local rules.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
A proposed acrylic bending task produces fumes and hot surfaces. What belongs in the pre-task risk assessment?
Give me a hint
Include material information, ventilation, temperature, burns, supervision and stop conditions.
Compare my reasoning
- Check the material safety information and authorised process.
- Identify exposure and burn hazards and the people affected.
- Use centre-approved ventilation, equipment, PPE and trained supervision; define when to stop.
Confirm the acrylic type and safety guidance, suitable ventilation, heat source controls, burn protection, workpiece handling, fire risks and trained supervision. Do not invent a ventilation level or start the task without the centre's authorised setup and risk assessment.
Look for these in your work
- Identifies more than one hazard
- Uses authoritative local controls
- Requires training and supervision
A cable is trailing across a workshop walkway. Describe a safe response and how to prevent a repeat.
Give me a hint
Control immediate access, report the hazard and remove the cause through authorised action.
Compare my reasoning
- Warn nearby people and prevent access if safe to do so.
- Tell the supervisor and follow local procedures to isolate or reroute the cable.
- Review equipment layout and include cable management in the next setup check.
Alert others and report it immediately; do not move equipment or touch damaged cables unless trained and authorised. The supervisor should make the area safe. A layout check and secured cable route can reduce recurrence.
Look for these in your work
- Protects people immediately
- Uses authorised help
- Adds a preventive control
A learner sustains a minor cut while sanding. What should happen next?
Give me a hint
Stop the task and follow the centre's incident and first-aid process.
Compare my reasoning
- Stop work and alert the supervisor.
- Follow local first-aid and reporting procedures; seek further help if needed.
- Review the cause and update controls before resuming.
Stop and notify the trained supervisor, who should follow the centre's first-aid and incident procedure. Record and investigate the cause, check the tool and workspace, and only resume when an authorised person confirms safe controls. This explanation is not a substitute for emergency guidance.
Look for these in your work
- Stops the activity
- Escalates to trained support
- Reviews prevention before resuming
Common mistakes
- Treating PPE as the only control
- Starting an unfamiliar machine without training
- Continuing after a guard or safe setup is missing
What can you explain now?
What should a student do if the machine guard is missing?
Compare with the explanation
Stop and tell the supervisor before operating it
A missing guard is an uncontrolled hazard; do not use the equipment until an authorised person resolves it.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Distinguish hazard from risk, then list the steps from identifying a hazard to checking a control.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.