How to Write OSH10100 Assignment 2: Workplace Preface, SMS, Hazards and Key Risk
Short answer: to write OSH10100 Assignment 2 well, describe your own workplace in a two-page preface, define a safety management system and draw your site’s version, link each duty-holder to the 2005 Act, give a brief table of up to five hazards, then spend most of your 1,500 words on one key risk and how you would improve its control. Reference Irish and international sources in Harvard.
That is the whole assignment in one paragraph. The hard part is the balance. Students on the UCD Certificate in Safety and Health at Work usually know their workplace inside out, but they are not sure how much to write about it, what “graphic” means, or how deep the key risk section should go. This guide walks through each part in the order the marker reads it.
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What the OSH10100 Assignment 2 brief actually asks for
The brief sets four learning objectives: describe your workplace, show how its safety management system works, consider one key risk, and use publicly available resources. The word count is 1,500 plus or minus 250, and the preface sits outside it.
| Section | Learning objective | Suggested words |
|---|---|---|
| Workplace preface | LO1 | Outside count (max 2 pages) |
| Introduction | All | 100 |
| Safety management system: definition, graphic, components | LO2 | 400 |
| Legal duties of duty-holders | Legal criterion | 250 |
| Up to five principal hazards | Hazard and risk criterion | 200 |
| Key risk and improved management | LO3 | 450 |
| Conclusion | All | 100 |
| References and appendix of OSH websites | LO4, referencing | Check with your module whether these count |
These splits are a planning guide, not UCD’s figures. Adjust them to suit your workplace.
Step 1: Write a preface another safety professional can picture
The rubric’s top band for LO1 mentions demographics, organisation structure and facility information. So write like you are briefing an inspector who has never visited.
What to include
- Sector, activity and a one-line site description
- Size and layout: buildings, floors, key zones
- Workforce: headcount, shifts, age mix, agency staff, contractors, language needs
- A small organisation chart showing where safety sits
- Who represents workers: safety representative, safety committee
Leave out company names and anything confidential. A description such as “a 200-bed private nursing home in the Midlands” is enough.
If you are short on time, our essay writing service can help you plan and structure your work.
Step 2: Define and draw the safety management system
Start with a definition from a reliable source. HSG65 describes managing health and safety through Plan, Do, Check, Act (HSE, 2013). The ILO-OSH 2001 guidelines set out policy, organising, planning and implementation, evaluation and action for improvement (ILO, 2001). ISO 45001:2018 gives the formal requirements (ISO, 2018). In Ireland, the safety statement required under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 is the written heart of the system.
Which framework should your graphic use?
| Framework | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| HSG65 Plan–Do–Check–Act | Most workplaces; easy to draw as a cycle | It is GB guidance – link it to Irish law |
| ILO-OSH 2001 | Showing worker participation clearly | More boxes, harder to explain in 400 words |
| ISO 45001 | Certified sites (pharma, manufacturing) | Do not copy clause lists; check you cite the current edition |
| HSA safety statement structure | Small firms with no formal SMS | Explain how it forms a system, not just a document |
Then draw your system. Put real components into the boxes: your risk assessments, your induction, your inspection checklist, your incident log. Under the graphic, take each component and say who manages it and how. If something is weak, say so and say how it should be managed. The brief allows “how you think they should be managed”, and honest critique tends to score better than a perfect-sounding description.
Step 3: Apply the law to the people in your system
This is a separate marking criterion, so give it its own heading. Students often list sections of the Act and stop. Instead, take each duty-holder in your workplace and connect them to a duty.
- Employer: general duties (s.8), risk assessment (s.19) and safety statement (s.20)
- Employees: duties under s.13, including agency staff
- Safety representative and consultation: ss.25–26
- Directors and managers: personal liability (s.80)
- Others on site: s.12 duties to non-employees and the General Application Regulations 2007
One or two sentences per duty-holder on what it means in practice is enough. Mentioning that the Act gives effect to the EU Framework Directive 89/391/EEC shows the international link the LO4 top band asks for.
Unsure which legal duties apply to your workplace? Meet our assignment experts and ask for a guided outline.
Step 4: Hazards first, then one key risk
Get hazard and risk right
The rubric names this distinction more than once. The HSA defines a hazard as anything with the potential to cause injury or ill health, and risk as the chance that someone will be harmed by the hazard (HSA, 2016). Write your hazards as things or activities, and your key risk as an outcome involving a person.
The five-hazard overview
The brief suggests one physical, one chemical, one biological, one ergonomic and one process hazard. A table with hazard, category, who is exposed and where takes about 150 words and looks professional. Do not risk-rate all five – save that effort.
The key risk section
- State the risk clearly: who could be harmed, how and how badly.
- Explain why it is the most challenging: frequency, severity, workforce factors.
- Describe current controls honestly.
- Propose improvements ranked by the hierarchy of controls: eliminate, substitute, engineer, administer, PPE.
- Say who owns each action and how you would check it worked.
Our OSH10100 Assignment 2 sample (for reference only) shows this applied to forklift–pedestrian risk in a warehouse.
Step 5: Conclusion, references and the appendix
Conclude on your findings: the state of your SMS, the key risk and what should change first. Avoid general statements about why safety matters.
For LO4, mix Irish sources (HSA guidance, the Irish Statute Book) with international ones (EU-OSHA, ILO, HSE). The brief also asks for an appendix listing the most useful OSH websites with a short description of each. It is an easy section to forget at midnight. For Harvard formatting, see our Harvard referencing guide for Dublin students.
Mark-maximising checklist
- Numbered headings that follow the brief’s order
- Preface within two pages, with demographics and an organisation chart
- SMS defined with a citation
- Your own graphic, explained component by component
- Every duty-holder linked to a specific legal duty
- Hazard and risk used correctly every time
- One key risk analysed in depth with ranked improvements
- Irish and international sources, all in Harvard
- Appendix of reliable OSH websites
- Saved as a Word file named as the brief instructs
Common mistakes we see
Most students taking this certificate are managers, supervisors or safety representatives fitting study around work. That pressure leads to predictable slips: generic text copied from the safety statement, a downloaded PDCA image with no explanation, too many words on five hazards and too few on the key risk, and a missing appendix. None of these reflects a lack of knowledge. They come from not knowing what depth the marker wants, which is exactly what a clear plan fixes.
If you want a second pair of eyes, our team provides structured guidance and model answers. You can also see what other Irish students say on our reviews page.
Related samples
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Frequently asked questions
Does the workplace preface count towards the OSH10100 word count?
No. The brief says the preface is not included in the word count, but it should be no longer than two pages. Use it to give demographics, structure and facility details, so the main body can focus on the SMS, legal duties, hazards and key risk.
What if my workplace has no formal safety management system?
The brief allows you to describe how components should be managed. Build your graphic from what exists, such as the safety statement, risk assessments and training, and explain the gaps and how you would fill them using HSG65 or ISO 45001 as a benchmark.
Can I write about a workplace I do not currently work in?
Yes. The first learning objective allows your own workplace or one you are familiar with. Choose a place you know well enough to describe its people, layout and controls in detail.
How many hazards should I include?
Up to five. The brief suggests one physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic and process hazard as an example. Keep the overview brief and then choose one of them for the in-depth key risk section.
What is the difference between a hazard and a risk in this assignment?
A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm, such as a forklift or a cleaning chemical. A risk is the chance that someone is harmed by it, together with how serious that harm could be. Markers check that you keep the two terms separate.
Which referencing style does OSH10100 use?
Harvard. The rubric’s top band asks for professional citing and referencing in the Harvard system, both in the text and in the reference list. Cite legislation, HSA guidance and international sources consistently.
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About the expert
This guide was prepared and reviewed by the Ireland Assignment Help academic team.
References
Health and Safety Authority (2016) Guide to Risk Assessments and Safety Statements. Dublin: HSA. Available at: https://hsa.ie/eng/Publications_and_Forms/Publications/Safety_and_Health_Management/Guide_to_Risk_Assessments_and_Safety_Statements.pdf (Accessed: 20 October 2026).
Health and Safety Executive (2013) Managing for Health and Safety (HSG65). 3rd edn. Sudbury: HSE Books.
International Labour Office (2001) Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems, ILO-OSH 2001. Geneva: ILO.
International Organization for Standardization (2018) ISO 45001:2018 Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements with guidance for use. Geneva: ISO.
Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (No. 10 of 2005). Dublin: Stationery Office. Available at: https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2005/act/10/enacted/en/html (Accessed: 20 October 2026).
