Safety Principles Flashcards

What is the maximum safe load capacity guideline for a two-person manual lift without mechanical assistance?

Answer: 50 lbs per person

NIOSH guidelines recommend that no worker lift more than 50 lbs without mechanical assistance; heavier loads require team lifts or equipment.

Which ergonomic principle helps reduce lower back injury risk when lifting boxes from the floor?

Answer: Squat down, keep the load close, and lift with legs

Squatting, keeping the load close to the body, and using leg muscles instead of the back significantly reduces lumbar strain during lifting.

In a warehouse, what does a yellow floor marking typically indicate?

Answer: Aisle or traffic lane boundary

Yellow floor markings are the OSHA-recommended color for defining aisles, traffic lanes, and work cell boundaries to separate pedestrian and vehicle paths.

Which condition makes a forklift load UNSAFE to transport?

Answer: Load extends beyond the front of the forks

A load that extends beyond the fork tips shifts the center of gravity forward, increasing tip-over risk and reducing stability.

What is the primary purpose of a Job Safety Analysis (JSA)?

Answer: Identify and control hazards for each step of a job task

A JSA breaks a job into individual steps, identifies potential hazards at each step, and recommends controls to eliminate or reduce those hazards.

When stacking pallets in racking, which safety rule must always be followed?

Answer: Never exceed the rack's posted load capacity

Rack load capacities are engineered limits; exceeding them can cause catastrophic collapse injuring workers and destroying inventory.

What does the 'hierarchy of controls' prioritize as the MOST effective way to reduce workplace hazards?

Answer: Elimination of the hazard

NIOSH's hierarchy of controls ranks elimination — physically removing the hazard — as the most effective method because it removes risk entirely rather than managing it.