CAT Safety and Compliance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under OSHA's lockout/tagout (LOTO) standard, when must an alarm technician re-verify that energy is isolated before working on a panel?
- Only during initial installation
- After any interruption or shift change that breaks continuous control of the lockout device (Correct answer)
- Once per week regardless of activity
- Only when the supervisor is on-site
Correct answer: After any interruption or shift change that breaks continuous control of the lockout device
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147 requires energy re-verification whenever continuous personal control of the lockout device is broken.
Question 2: Which NFPA standard primarily governs the installation of fire alarm systems in the United States?
- NFPA 25
- NFPA 72 (Correct answer)
- NFPA 70
- NFPA 101
Correct answer: NFPA 72
NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, is the primary standard for fire alarm system installation.
Question 3: A technician is installing wiring in a commercial building and must run alarm cable through the same conduit as 480 V power wiring. This is:
- Permitted if the alarm cable is rated for 600 V
- Permitted if a metallic separator is used
- Prohibited by NEC Article 760 (Correct answer)
- Permitted only in residential occupancies
Correct answer: Prohibited by NEC Article 760
NEC Article 760 prohibits fire alarm circuit conductors from being run in the same conduit as power conductors unless specific exceptions apply.
Question 4: What does the term 'listed' mean when applied to alarm equipment?
- The equipment is registered with the state licensing board
- The equipment is included in a recognized testing laboratory's published list of compliant products (Correct answer)
- The equipment has been installed for at least one year without incident
- The equipment is approved by the local fire marshal only
Correct answer: The equipment is included in a recognized testing laboratory's published list of compliant products
'Listed' means a product has been evaluated and certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory (NRTL) such as UL.
Question 5: When performing a fire alarm inspection, a technician discovers that a pull station is painted over. The correct action is to:
- Document it and leave it since paint is non-conductive
- Replace or restore the pull station to manufacturer specifications and report the deficiency (Correct answer)
- Repaint it with a contrasting color
- Test it by pulling and consider it compliant if it activates
Correct answer: Replace or restore the pull station to manufacturer specifications and report the deficiency
A painted pull station is a deficiency because paint can prevent proper operation; it must be restored or replaced per NFPA 72.
Question 6: A Class A initiating device circuit (IDC) differs from Class B primarily in that Class A:
- Uses wireless devices only
- Provides a supervised return path so a single open fault does not disable the entire circuit (Correct answer)
- Requires twice the number of conductors per device
- Is only used in commercial occupancies
Correct answer: Provides a supervised return path so a single open fault does not disable the entire circuit
Class A circuits use a return path (loop) so that a single open will not prevent all devices from reporting; Class B will lose devices beyond the fault.
Question 7: What is the minimum battery standby time required by NFPA 72 for a fire alarm system in a non-supervising station configuration?
- 4 hours
- 12 hours
- 24 hours (Correct answer)
- 72 hours
Correct answer: 24 hours
NFPA 72 requires a minimum of 24 hours of standby power followed by 5 minutes of alarm for most non-supervising-station fire alarm systems.
CAT Safety and Compliance 2
Under OSHA's lockout/tagout (LOTO) standard, when must an alarm technician re-verify that energy is isolated before working on a panel?