BSIE Industrial Safety & Occupational Health 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of a Safety Data Sheet (SDS)?
- To record workplace injury statistics
- To provide detailed information on chemical hazards, safe handling, and emergency response (Correct answer)
- To list approved PPE suppliers
- To document equipment maintenance schedules
Correct answer: To provide detailed information on chemical hazards, safe handling, and emergency response
An SDS (formerly MSDS) is a standardized document providing workers and emergency responders with information on chemical properties, hazards, safe handling, and first aid.
Question 2: In accident causation, what does the 'domino theory' proposed by H.W. Heinrich suggest?
- Accidents are caused by a single root cause
- A sequence of five factors (ancestry → fault → unsafe act/condition → accident → injury) causes workplace injuries (Correct answer)
- Multiple simultaneous failures always cause accidents
- Only management decisions lead to accidents
Correct answer: A sequence of five factors (ancestry → fault → unsafe act/condition → accident → injury) causes workplace injuries
Heinrich's domino theory models injury as the final domino in a chain: social environment, fault of person, unsafe act or condition, accident, and injury.
Question 3: What does the term 'incidence rate' mean in occupational health metrics?
- Total number of injuries in a year
- Number of injury/illness cases per 100 full-time employees per year (Correct answer)
- Percentage of employees who file workers' compensation claims
- Frequency of near-miss reports per shift
Correct answer: Number of injury/illness cases per 100 full-time employees per year
OSHA's incidence rate = (number of cases × 200,000) / total hours worked, normalizing data to 100 full-time equivalent workers for comparison.
Question 4: What is 'confined space' entry hazard and what makes a space 'permit-required'?
- Any space smaller than 4 ft × 4 ft
- A space large enough to enter but not designed for continuous occupancy, containing atmospheric, engulfment, or entrapment hazards (Correct answer)
- Any underground area accessed by ladder
- A space requiring management approval for use
Correct answer: A space large enough to enter but not designed for continuous occupancy, containing atmospheric, engulfment, or entrapment hazards
A permit-required confined space has one or more serious hazards (hazardous atmosphere, engulfment risk, converging walls, or other recognized hazards) requiring a written entry permit.
Question 5: What is the purpose of a 'toolbox talk' in a safety program?
- A weekly review of tool inventory
- A brief, informal safety meeting held at the job site to discuss current hazards and safe work practices (Correct answer)
- A formal OSHA safety training session
- An equipment inspection checklist meeting
Correct answer: A brief, informal safety meeting held at the job site to discuss current hazards and safe work practices
Toolbox talks are short, focused safety discussions held before work shifts to reinforce safe practices, address current hazards, and maintain safety awareness.
Question 6: When should fall protection be required according to OSHA general industry standards?
- At any height above ground
- At heights of 4 feet or more above a lower level in general industry (Correct answer)
- Only when working on scaffolding
- At heights exceeding 10 feet
Correct answer: At heights of 4 feet or more above a lower level in general industry
OSHA's general industry standard (29 CFR 1910.28) requires fall protection at 4 feet above a lower level; construction uses a 6-foot threshold.
BSIE Industrial Safety & Occupational Health 2
What is the purpose of a Safety Data Sheet (SDS)?