CHMM Planning for Hazardous Materials 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which document is the primary source used to determine isolation distances and protective action distances during a hazardous materials highway or rail incident?
- NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
- Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) (Correct answer)
- CAMEO/ALOHA software output
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 Appendix A
Correct answer: Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG)
The ERG, published by PHMSA, DOT Canada, and Mexico's SCT, provides first responders with initial isolation and protective action distances for hazmat incidents.
Question 2: In OSHA's PSM standard (29 CFR 1910.119), the Management of Change (MOC) procedure is required when:
- Any maintenance activity is performed on covered process equipment
- Changes are made to technology, equipment, procedures, or facilities involving covered processes (except like-for-like replacements) (Correct answer)
- The facility hires new employees who will work in covered process areas
- Annual inspections identify deficiencies in process equipment
Correct answer: Changes are made to technology, equipment, procedures, or facilities involving covered processes (except like-for-like replacements)
MOC requires formal review and authorization before any change — except replacement-in-kind — to ensure process safety is not compromised.
Question 3: A community's emergency response plan should include a notification chain that contacts which entities when a reportable hazardous materials release occurs?
- Only the local fire department and police
- The LEPC, State Emergency Response Commission, National Response Center, and local responders as appropriate (Correct answer)
- Only the EPA and OSHA field offices
- Only the facility's corporate environmental health and safety office
Correct answer: The LEPC, State Emergency Response Commission, National Response Center, and local responders as appropriate
Regulatory requirements under EPCRA and CERCLA mandate notification of the NRC, SERC, and LEPC in addition to local emergency responders for reportable releases.
Question 4: Which planning tool uses atmospheric dispersion modeling to predict the concentration and movement of airborne chemical releases?
- CAMEO/ALOHA (Correct answer)
- Tier II Submit software
- RMP*Comp
- E-Plan
Correct answer: CAMEO/ALOHA
ALOHA (Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres), part of the CAMEO suite, models the dispersion of airborne chemical releases to estimate affected areas.
Question 5: Under EPA's Risk Management Program (RMP), a Program 3 process is subject to the most stringent requirements, which include:
- Only an emergency response program and five-year accident history
- Prevention program including PHA, MOC, pre-startup safety review, and mechanical integrity checks (Correct answer)
- Hazard review and emergency response program only
- Tier II reporting and community notification exercises
Correct answer: Prevention program including PHA, MOC, pre-startup safety review, and mechanical integrity checks
Program 3 applies PSM-equivalent prevention requirements including PHA, MOC, mechanical integrity, and pre-startup safety reviews for the highest-risk processes.
Question 6: A facility's emergency response plan must be coordinated with which external organization to ensure compatibility with community-level response plans?
- The state department of transportation
- The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) (Correct answer)
- The facility's workers' compensation insurance carrier
- The nearest hospital's hazmat medical team
Correct answer: The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)
EPCRA requires facility emergency plans to be coordinated with the LEPC so that on-site plans integrate seamlessly with community emergency response plans.
Question 7: Which hazard analysis technique uses a systematic 'what if' questioning approach structured around guide words like NO, MORE, LESS, and REVERSE?
- Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
- Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP) (Correct answer)
- Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PrHA)
Correct answer: Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP)
HAZOP uses standardized guide words applied to process parameters to systematically identify deviations from design intent that could create hazards.
CHMM Planning for Hazardous Materials 4
Which document is the primary source used to determine isolation distances and protective action distances during a hazardous materials highway or rail incident?