CITB SPECIALISTS Study Guide 2026

Practical vibration reduction includes selecting tools with lower vibration ratings, limiting daily tool use time, rotating tasks to spread exposure between workers, and maintaining tools in good condition (blunt tools vibrate more than sharp ones).

Excavating near existing foundations can remove the lateral support to the soil beneath them, potentially causing subsidence or structural failure. A structural assessment must determine the safe angle of influence, and temporary works (underpinning, sheet piling) may be required to maintain the building's stability.

LPG cylinders are highly flammable and pressurised. In fire conditions, a cylinder can undergo BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion), releasing a massive fireball. Cylinders must be stored outside in secured upright cages, away from ignition sources.

A stand-by person must be stationed outside the confined space throughout entry operations. They monitor the entrant, maintain communication, and raise the alarm and initiate rescue procedures if the entrant is in difficulty, without entering themselves unless trained.

Heating lead-based solder releases lead fumes which are toxic when inhaled. Local exhaust ventilation and appropriate respiratory protective equipment (RPE) are required to control lead fume exposure under COSHH regulations.

COSHH follows the same hierarchy as general risk control: eliminate the substance, substitute with something less hazardous, enclose the process, use local exhaust ventilation (LEV) to capture contaminants at source, improve general ventilation, then RPE as a last resort.