The regulatory area. Questions test whether you know which framework applies to a given situation and what your own responsibility is under it — including when something must be reported and to whom.
What health & safety covers in the Knowledge Test
- COSHH and the safe handling of hazardous substances
- RIDDOR and what is reportable
- Sharps safety, safe transfer and injury procedure
- Consent: valid, informed and who can give it
- Confidentiality, records and GDPR
- Incident reporting and near misses
Where candidates lose marks
Not recognising a near miss as reportable. No injury does not mean no report.
Assuming consent once given covers everything that follows.
Treating a spill or exposure as something to deal with later.
Which regulation covers what
Most marks in this area come from matching a situation to the right framework. The names are similar enough that candidates who have only skimmed them lose easy questions.
| Framework | Covers |
|---|---|
| COSHH | Hazardous substances: assessment, control, storage, spills |
| RIDDOR | Reporting specified injuries, occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences |
| HTM 01-05 | Decontamination in primary care dental practices |
| IR(ME)R | Justification and duty holders for medical radiation exposure |
| UK GDPR | Personal data: lawful basis, security, patients' rights |
| GDC Standards | Professional conduct and duties of a registrant |
What RIDDOR covers
The HSE lists the reportable categories as specified injuries to workers, reportable occupational diseases, exposure to carcinogens, mutagens and biological agents, and dangerous occurrences. In a dental setting the most likely trigger is a sharps injury involving skin penetration. Check the current HSE timescales rather than relying on memory — they are set out on the RIDDOR pages and do change.
Near misses
An event that could have caused injury but did not is still a near miss and still gets recorded. A scalpel dropped that injures nobody is the classic exam example, and 'no harm done' is never the right answer.
Sharps safety
Safe transfer means a controlled technique — a neutral zone or an agreed hand signal — rather than speed. Sharps go into a sharps container at the point of use, never into clinical waste bags. After a sharps injury the sequence is to encourage bleeding, wash under running water without scrubbing, cover, report and seek occupational health advice.
Worked examples
Real questions from our bank, with the reasoning. No sign-in needed.
A scalpel is knocked to the floor during a procedure but injures nobody. How should this be treated?
- ANo action — nobody was hurt
- BA near miss, to be recordedCorrect
- CReported only if it happens again
- DRecorded in the patient's notes only
Why: An event that could have caused injury but did not is a near miss, and recording it is how the underlying risk gets addressed.
Both free mocks draw from this topic in the same proportion as the real paper — 65 questions in 90 minutes, with an explanation for every answer and a per-topic breakdown at the end.
Start a free mock examHealth & safety questions, answered
What is reportable under RIDDOR?
The HSE lists specified injuries to workers, reportable occupational diseases, exposure to carcinogens, mutagens and biological agents, and dangerous occurrences. In dental practice a sharps injury that penetrates the skin is the most common trigger.
Is a near miss reportable?
It should be recorded through your practice's incident procedure even where nobody was hurt. Near misses are how a practice identifies a risk before it causes harm, so 'no injury, no report' is the wrong instinct.
What does COSHH cover in a dental practice?
Hazardous substances — disinfectants, developer and fixer, mercury and amalgam, and cleaning chemicals. It requires assessment of the risk, control measures, safe storage, and a procedure for spills.
What should you do after a sharps injury?
Encourage bleeding, wash under running water without scrubbing, cover the wound, report it immediately and seek occupational health advice. It is also likely to be RIDDOR reportable.
Does GDPR apply to dental records?
Yes. Patient records are personal data and include health data, which carries additional protection. Records must be kept secure, accurate and only accessible to those who need them.
The other nine topics
Independent study material, not affiliated with or endorsed by NEBDN. Always check the official NEBDN website for the current syllabus. NEBDN does not publish a pass mark for the Knowledge Test.