Physical Agents

Coursework 1 2011/12

Introduction
There is increasing concern about the effect of different physical agents on the health or safety of workers exposed to them. Most countries or states around the world have legislation and enforcement provision dealing with at least some of the physical agents covered in this course

The Task
Compare and contrast the legislation and enforcement provision dealing with occupational exposure to hand-arm vibration in your own country or state with the approach taken in either the United States or the European Union. .

The Task
If your own country or state does not have legislation in this area, compare and contrast the approach taken within the European Union to that of the United States of America.

The Task
An essay of no more than 2000 words.

Compare and Contrast

Compare Look for similarities and differences between; perhaps reach a conclusion about which is preferable Contrast Set in opposition in order to bring out differences

What Needs to be Done First?

Read and evaluate the current literature this means you need to do a literature search on the subject You must develop an in-depth understanding of your local legislation and a good working knowledge of how legislation is applied in the comparator country

What Do You Need to Include?

A brief overview of the range of relevant legislation in both areas. A discussion of any gaps identified in legislation coverage in relevant areas A discussion of both the approach taken to enforcement and the effectiveness of enforcement

What Do You Need to Include?

A consideration of the prescriptive and goal setting approaches and how these are applied in both your own country and the comparator country. A considered discussion of the effectiveness of the legislation in both countries

What Not to Include!

Only a simple description of the local legislation. Legislation that is not relevant to the control of hand-arm vibration within the workplace. Your personal opinion your arguments must be based upon evidence

Where to Start?
A comprehensive literature search on the subject. Sources
Scientific papers Books Articles The internet

Dealing With the Information

What are the papers, publications, articles, etc telling us? Does the information suggest areas of success and / or failure? Is there any evidence that one approach might be more successful?

Writing the Essay

Introduction The middle bit Conclusions Referencing

The Start
Introduction Keep it brief it is only an introduction to the subject. (approx 150 words) This could include a very brief overview of the relevant local legislation.

The Middle Bit

Are there gaps in legislation? Is enforcement effective? What are the problems? Does one approach seem to be more effective than another?

The Middle Bit

Use the information found in the literature to build your argument for example. Based on a study of the user acceptability of guidance on hand-arm vibration in the workplace. Bloggs (2001) found that SMEs needed more detailed guidance.

The End
Conclusions (approx 300 words) Summarise your findings Make any recommendations that you feel are appropriate this must be only on the basis of your findings.

Referencing
The essay must be correctly referenced using the Harvard system of referencing.

What will the Tutor Look for when Marking?

A wide range of the relevant current literature reviewed. A demonstrated understanding of the legislation. Logical arguments based upon the scientific evidence. Dont just describe the legislation.

Sources of Information
A range of sources are given on Moodle as a starting point.

General
Ensure that you:
Cite all references correctly Write in the third person (e.g. It was thought) not the first person (e.g. I thought) Structure your essay.

Marking
50% of course mark Based upon
Content Critical evaluation Structure and presentation Referencing

Submission
All coursework must be submitted via Turnitin on the Moodle course. Your work will be marked on-line and you will be able to access your feedback on-line. Work not submitted through the correct route will not be marked.

Submission Date
6 weeks after coursework set date.