Risk Management & Mitigation Flashcards

During a combustion safety assessment, a draft measurement of -2 Pa at the flue collar of a Category I furnace indicates:

Answer: Possible spillage or backdrafting condition

Positive or near-zero pressure at a naturally drafted flue collar suggests combustion gases may be spilling into the living space.

What is the PRIMARY purpose of a pressure diagnostic (blower door) in a risk assessment context?

Answer: Quantifying air leakage that may carry pollutants, moisture, or increase combustion risk

Blower door testing identifies the building's air leakage rate, which informs risks from pollutant transport, moisture movement, and combustion air supply.

Which term describes the process of eliminating a risk entirely by choosing not to engage in the activity that creates it?

Answer: Risk avoidance

Risk avoidance removes exposure entirely, such as declining to add a certain product that would introduce hazardous conditions.

A building analyst finds asbestos-containing floor tiles in a 1965 home prior to air sealing the basement. The appropriate action is:

Answer: Document the finding, inform the client, and defer work pending licensed abatement if tiles will be disturbed

Suspected ACM must be reported and properly abated by a licensed contractor before any work that could disturb the material.

When assessing risk from unvented combustion appliances in a tight home, which pollutant is of GREATEST concern for immediate occupant safety?

Answer: Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, and binds to hemoglobin, making it the most acutely lethal combustion byproduct.

The concept of 'worst-case scenario' in building performance testing is designed to:

Answer: Create the maximum negative pressure in the combustion zone to reveal draft and backdraft risks

Worst-case testing simultaneously activates all exhaust fans to create the most negative pressure the combustion zone can experience.

Prioritizing improvements using a cost-effectiveness ratio (SIR > 1.0) helps manage which type of project risk?

Answer: Financial risk of investing more than the measure's energy savings value

A Savings-to-Investment Ratio above 1.0 confirms that projected energy savings exceed the cost, reducing the risk of a poor financial return.