AEP Safety and Compliance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The OSHA 300A Annual Summary must be posted in a visible workplace location for which period each year?
- February 1 through April 30 (Correct answer)
- January 1 through March 31
- March 1 through June 30
- January 1 through December 31
Correct answer: February 1 through April 30
OSHA requires the 300A summary to be posted from February 1 through April 30 of the year following the recorded incidents.
Question 2: Which federal agency publishes the Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) that are legally enforceable under OSHA regulations?
- OSHA publishes Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) (Correct answer)
- NIOSH publishes Recommended Exposure Limits (RELs)
- ACGIH publishes Threshold Limit Values (TLVs)
- EPA publishes Acceptable Exposure Limits (AELs)
Correct answer: OSHA publishes Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs)
Only OSHA's Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) carry legal enforcement authority under federal law.
Question 3: In ergonomics program compliance, a 'leading indicator' is best described as:
- A proactive measure such as number of workstation assessments completed (Correct answer)
- A count of OSHA recordable MSD injuries in the previous year
- Workers' compensation costs for musculoskeletal claims
- Days away from work due to repetitive strain injuries
Correct answer: A proactive measure such as number of workstation assessments completed
Leading indicators are proactive metrics (e.g., assessments conducted, training completions) that predict future risk rather than measure past harm.
Question 4: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an employer's obligation to provide ergonomic accommodations is triggered when:
- An employee with a disability requests a reasonable accommodation (Correct answer)
- Any employee reports discomfort at their workstation
- OSHA mandates a workstation redesign
- The employer voluntarily establishes an ergonomics program
Correct answer: An employee with a disability requests a reasonable accommodation
ADA requires reasonable accommodations when a qualified employee with a disability requests one, not automatically for all discomfort reports.
Question 5: Which element is NOT typically included in a written ergonomics program as recommended by OSHA guidelines?
- A list of approved workers' compensation insurance providers (Correct answer)
- Management commitment and employee involvement
- Hazard identification and assessment procedures
- Medical management and return-to-work policies
Correct answer: A list of approved workers' compensation insurance providers
Workers' compensation insurance provider lists are a financial/HR matter, not a standard component of an ergonomics program.
Question 6: An ergonomist notes that a task has a Lifting Index (LI) of 3.0. According to NIOSH guidance, this indicates:
- A significant risk; redesign is strongly recommended (Correct answer)
- An acceptable risk requiring no further action
- A moderate risk where administrative controls alone suffice
- A trivial risk below the action limit
Correct answer: A significant risk; redesign is strongly recommended
An LI above 1.0 signals elevated risk, and an LI of 3.0 represents significant risk requiring engineering redesign.
Question 7: Which OSHA standard specifically addresses hand-arm vibration exposure limits in the general industry?
- There is no specific federal OSHA standard for hand-arm vibration; NIOSH RELs are used as guidance (Correct answer)
- 29 CFR 1910.900
- 29 CFR 1910.135
- 29 CFR 1910.217
Correct answer: There is no specific federal OSHA standard for hand-arm vibration; NIOSH RELs are used as guidance
The US has no specific federal OSHA standard for hand-arm vibration; practitioners rely on NIOSH RELs and ACGIH TLVs as non-mandatory guidance.
AEP Safety and Compliance 3
The OSHA 300A Annual Summary must be posted in a visible workplace location for which period each year?