aPHR Workplace Safety 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which organization sets the permissible exposure limits (PELs) that are legally enforceable workplace chemical exposure standards in the United States?
- NIOSH
- ACGIH
- OSHA (Correct answer)
- EPA
Correct answer: OSHA
OSHA sets and enforces Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs), which are the legal maximum concentrations of airborne contaminants workers may be exposed to.
Question 2: An OSHA violation characterized by substantial probability of death or serious physical harm, where the employer knew or should have known of the hazard, is classified as:
- Other-than-serious violation
- Serious violation (Correct answer)
- Willful violation
- Repeat violation
Correct answer: Serious violation
A serious violation exists when the hazard could cause death or serious harm and the employer knew or should have known about it, carrying a maximum penalty of $16,131 per violation.
Question 3: Which program requires chemical process facilities to develop written safety plans, conduct process hazard analyses, and establish emergency response procedures for highly hazardous chemicals?
- Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom)
- Process Safety Management (PSM) Standard (Correct answer)
- Emergency Action Plan standard
- Risk Management Program (RMP)
Correct answer: Process Safety Management (PSM) Standard
OSHA's Process Safety Management standard (29 CFR 1910.119) applies to facilities with threshold quantities of highly hazardous chemicals and requires comprehensive written safety programs.
Question 4: Under OSHA's Emergency Action Plan standard (29 CFR 1910.38), which of the following is NOT a required element of the plan?
- Procedures for reporting fires and other emergencies
- Procedures for emergency evacuation
- A detailed list of all hazardous chemicals on site (Correct answer)
- Names or job titles of personnel who can be contacted for more information
Correct answer: A detailed list of all hazardous chemicals on site
A detailed chemical inventory is required under HazCom/SDS requirements, not the Emergency Action Plan standard, which focuses on evacuation and emergency response procedures.
Question 5: Which metric is calculated by multiplying the number of OSHA recordable incidents by 200,000 and dividing by total hours worked?
- Severity Rate
- Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) (Correct answer)
- DART Rate
- Lost Time Incident Rate
Correct answer: Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR)
TRIR = (Number of recordable incidents × 200,000) ÷ Total hours worked; the 200,000 represents 100 full-time employees working 40 hours/week for 50 weeks.
Question 6: A company's safety committee wants to conduct a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA). What is the FIRST step in this process?
- Select the PPE required for the job
- Identify the hazards associated with each job step
- Select the job to be analyzed (Correct answer)
- Develop hazard controls for each step
Correct answer: Select the job to be analyzed
The first step in a Job Hazard Analysis is selecting which job to analyze, typically prioritizing jobs with high injury rates, new tasks, or jobs with identified hazard potential.
Question 7: Which OSHA standard requires employers with 10 or more employees in high-hazard industries to electronically submit their OSHA 300A data annually?
- OSHA's Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses rule (Correct answer)
- OSHA's Recordkeeping rule (29 CFR 1904)
- OSHA's Injury and Illness Prevention Programs rule
- OSHA's Anti-Retaliation Provisions rule
Correct answer: OSHA's Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses rule
OSHA's Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses rule requires establishments in high-hazard industries with 10+ employees to submit 300A summary data electronically via OSHA's ITA portal.
aPHR Workplace Safety 5
Which organization sets the permissible exposure limits (PELs) that are legally enforceable workplace chemical exposure standards in the United States?