CEM CEM Emergency Response & Environmental Incidents 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under OSHA's HAZWOPER standard (29 CFR 1910.120), first responders at the 'operations level' are trained to:
- Take offensive action to stop a hazardous material release
- Respond defensively to contain a release without stopping it (Correct answer)
- Command and coordinate the entire emergency response
- Perform decontamination of all responders and victims
Correct answer: Respond defensively to contain a release without stopping it
Operations level responders are trained to respond defensively by containing a release from a safe distance rather than taking offensive action to stop or plug the source.
Question 2: The National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command System (ICS) uses a span of control that typically ranges from:
- 2 to 4 personnel per supervisor
- 3 to 7 personnel per supervisor (Correct answer)
- 8 to 12 personnel per supervisor
- 10 to 20 personnel per supervisor
Correct answer: 3 to 7 personnel per supervisor
ICS recommends a span of control of 3 to 7 personnel per supervisor, with 5 considered optimal, to maintain effective communication and oversight during incidents.
Question 3: CERCLA's National Contingency Plan (NCP) establishes the framework for responding to releases of hazardous substances and sets requirements for:
- Annual employee environmental training programs
- Cleanup standards, response actions, and responsible party liability (Correct answer)
- Permit applications for new industrial facilities
- Voluntary environmental audit programs
Correct answer: Cleanup standards, response actions, and responsible party liability
The NCP establishes procedures and standards for responding to hazardous substance releases under CERCLA, including how cleanups are conducted and how costs are allocated to responsible parties.
Question 4: An Emergency Response Plan (ERP) required under OSHA HAZWOPER must be reviewed and updated:
- Every five years or after a significant incident
- Whenever it becomes outdated or at least annually, and after exercises or real incidents reveal deficiencies (Correct answer)
- Only when new chemicals are introduced to the facility
- At the discretion of facility management with no regulatory timeline
Correct answer: Whenever it becomes outdated or at least annually, and after exercises or real incidents reveal deficiencies
HAZWOPER requires emergency response plans to be kept current by updating them whenever conditions change and reviewing them at least annually or after exercises or actual emergencies reveal gaps.
Question 5: The Unified Command structure in ICS is used when:
- A single agency has full jurisdiction and authority over an incident
- Multiple agencies or jurisdictions share authority and responsibility for an incident (Correct answer)
- The incident has been formally transferred to federal control
- Only two responders are present at the scene
Correct answer: Multiple agencies or jurisdictions share authority and responsibility for an incident
Unified Command allows multiple agencies with overlapping jurisdiction or shared responsibility to manage an incident jointly while maintaining a single set of objectives and an integrated incident action plan.
Question 6: Which federal agency administers the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990 and its requirements for Facility Response Plans for onshore facilities?
- EPA for facilities that could harm inland waters; USCG for marine transportation-related facilities (Correct answer)
- Only OSHA, because oil spills are workplace safety incidents
- Only FEMA, because oil spills are national disasters
- Solely the Department of Transportation
Correct answer: EPA for facilities that could harm inland waters; USCG for marine transportation-related facilities
OPA 1990 splits oversight between EPA (non-transportation onshore facilities and deepwater ports affecting inland waters) and the US Coast Guard (marine transportation-related facilities).
CEM CEM Emergency Response & Environmental Incidents 1
Under OSHA's HAZWOPER standard (29 CFR 1910.120), first responders at the 'operations level' are trained to: