AARC Workplace Safety and OSHA Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, what must an automotive recycling employer do if a worker is cut by a sharp object contaminated with unknown bodily fluids from a salvage vehicle?
- Provide post-exposure evaluation and follow-up at no cost to the worker (Correct answer)
- File a report only if the worker develops symptoms within 72 hours
- Send the worker home and document the incident after 30 days
- Administer first aid and return the worker to duty immediately
Correct answer: Provide post-exposure evaluation and follow-up at no cost to the worker
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030 requires employers to provide a confidential post-exposure medical evaluation and follow-up at no charge whenever a worker has a potential bloodborne pathogen exposure.
Question 2: A recycling yard plans to use a propane-powered forklift indoors. Under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178, what primary hazard must be addressed?
- Carbon monoxide buildup from combustion exhaust (Correct answer)
- Electric shock from battery connections
- UV radiation from the propane flame
- Noise from the propane regulator valve
Correct answer: Carbon monoxide buildup from combustion exhaust
Propane-powered forklifts produce carbon monoxide, which can accumulate to dangerous levels in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces.
Question 3: What is the OSHA-mandated minimum guardrail height for open-sided floors and platforms 4 feet or more above the adjacent floor in general industry?
- 42 inches (Correct answer)
- 36 inches
- 48 inches
- 30 inches
Correct answer: 42 inches
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.29 requires standard guardrail systems to be 42 inches (plus or minus 3 inches) in height for general industry applications.
Question 4: When crushing vehicles that may contain sodium azide (from airbag systems), what is the primary hazard that workers must be warned about?
- Release of toxic hydrazoic acid gas when heated or compressed (Correct answer)
- Electrical discharge from residual capacitor charge
- Radioactive contamination from sensor components
- Mercury vapor from speed sensors
Correct answer: Release of toxic hydrazoic acid gas when heated or compressed
Sodium azide can decompose under heat or pressure to release toxic hydrazoic acid gas, making proper depowering before crushing essential.
Question 5: OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) standard applies to automotive recycling facilities that store what quantity of flammable liquids on site?
- 10,000 pounds or more of a listed highly hazardous chemical (Correct answer)
- Any amount exceeding 1 gallon of a flammable liquid
- 500 gallons or more of gasoline
- 50 drums of used oil
Correct answer: 10,000 pounds or more of a listed highly hazardous chemical
OSHA PSM (29 CFR 1910.119) applies when a facility has a threshold quantity (typically 10,000 lbs) of a listed highly hazardous chemical at any one time.
Question 6: According to OSHA standards, how often must fire extinguishers be inspected at an automotive recycling facility?
- Visually at least monthly and professionally annually (Correct answer)
- Only when there is a suspected problem
- Every 6 months by a licensed professional only
- Once every 3 years per OSHA regulations
Correct answer: Visually at least monthly and professionally annually
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157 requires portable fire extinguishers to be visually inspected monthly and subjected to an annual maintenance check by a qualified person.
Question 7: What OSHA requirement applies when workers at a recycling facility must enter a storm drain or underground vault to retrieve a vehicle part?
- Permit-required confined space entry procedures (29 CFR 1910.146) (Correct answer)
- Standard fall protection procedures only
- General housekeeping standards under 1910.22
- Excavation safety rules under 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P
Correct answer: Permit-required confined space entry procedures (29 CFR 1910.146)
Enclosed spaces like drains and vaults that have limited entry/exit and may contain hazardous atmospheres are permit-required confined spaces under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146.
AARC Workplace Safety and OSHA Standards 3
Under OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, what must an automotive recycling employer do if a worker is cut by a sharp object contaminated with unknown bodily fluids from a salvage vehicle?