ASP Hazardous Materials & Chemical Safety 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) standard (29 CFR 1910.119) is triggered when a covered highly hazardous chemical is present at or above its:
- Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)
- IDLH value
- Threshold Quantity (TQ) (Correct answer)
- Reportable Quantity (RQ)
Correct answer: Threshold Quantity (TQ)
PSM requirements apply when listed highly hazardous chemicals are present in a process at or above the specific threshold quantities defined in Appendix A.
Question 2: A flammable liquid with a flash point below 73°F (23°C) and a boiling point at or below 95°F (35°C) falls into which GHS/OSHA category?
- Combustible liquid
- Flammable liquid Category 1 (Correct answer)
- Flammable liquid Category 2
- Flammable gas
Correct answer: Flammable liquid Category 1
Category 1 flammable liquids have the lowest flash points and boiling points, making them the most volatile and highest-priority hazard class.
Question 3: SARA Title III (EPCRA) Section 302 requires facilities to notify the State Emergency Response Commission when they hold Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHS) above their:
- Reportable Quantity (RQ)
- Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)
- Threshold Planning Quantity (TPQ) (Correct answer)
- Action Level (AL)
Correct answer: Threshold Planning Quantity (TPQ)
The Threshold Planning Quantity triggers emergency planning notification under EPCRA Section 302 so local planners know hazardous facilities are present.
Question 4: HazCom 2012 aligned the U.S. Hazard Communication Standard with GHS primarily by replacing:
- NFPA 704 diamonds
- HMIS labels
- DOT shipping placards
- Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) with standardized SDSs (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) with standardized SDSs
HazCom 2012 replaced the variable-format MSDS with a standardized 16-section SDS and adopted GHS label elements.
Question 5: CERCLA (Superfund) liability for cleanup costs is legally characterized as:
- Negligence-based and limited to current owners
- Strict, joint, and several (Correct answer)
- Capped at $1 million per responsible party
- Limited to generators who actively disposed of waste
Correct answer: Strict, joint, and several
CERCLA imposes strict liability (no need to prove fault) that is joint and several, meaning any one potentially responsible party (PRP) can be held for the entire cleanup cost.
Question 6: Which type of ventilation control captures chemical contaminants at their point of generation before they disperse into the work area?
- Dilution ventilation
- General exhaust ventilation
- Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) (Correct answer)
- Makeup air supply system
Correct answer: Local exhaust ventilation (LEV)
Local exhaust ventilation removes contaminants at the source through hoods, enclosures, or capture devices, making it more effective than dilution methods.
Question 7: The Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) concentration represents the level at which exposure could:
- Cause minor irritation after an 8-hour shift
- Trigger mandatory medical monitoring after one exposure
- Require use of supplied-air respirators
- Cause irreversible harm or impair escape within 30 minutes (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Cause irreversible harm or impair escape within 30 minutes
IDLH is the maximum airborne concentration from which a worker could escape in 30 minutes without irreversible health effects or escape impairment.
ASP Hazardous Materials & Chemical Safety 2
OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) standard (29 CFR 1910.119) is triggered when a covered highly hazardous chemical is present at or above its: