COHN Health and Safety Programs 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When calculating the OSHA incidence rate, the denominator of 200,000 represents:
- The number of employees in the company
- 100 full-time employees working 40 hours per week for 50 weeks (Correct answer)
- The annual hours worked per single employee
- The national average hours worked per industry
Correct answer: 100 full-time employees working 40 hours per week for 50 weeks
200,000 represents the base of 100 full-time equivalent employees (100 × 40 hrs × 50 weeks), allowing injury rates to be compared across organizations of different sizes.
Question 2: Which element distinguishes a comprehensive health and safety program from a simple safety training initiative?
- A comprehensive program only covers physical hazards
- It integrates hazard identification, controls, training, monitoring, and continuous improvement (Correct answer)
- Training initiatives include written policies, comprehensive programs do not
- Comprehensive programs are only required for high-hazard industries
Correct answer: It integrates hazard identification, controls, training, monitoring, and continuous improvement
A comprehensive program is a systematic, ongoing framework encompassing hazard analysis, controls, training, medical surveillance, and evaluation—not a one-time event.
Question 3: An occupational health nurse wants to evaluate whether a new ergonomics intervention reduced injury risk. The MOST objective measure would be:
- Employee satisfaction survey results
- Pre- and post-intervention musculoskeletal disorder incidence rates (Correct answer)
- Manager perception of employee morale
- Number of ergonomic education sessions conducted
Correct answer: Pre- and post-intervention musculoskeletal disorder incidence rates
Comparing MSD incidence rates before and after the intervention provides objective, outcome-based evidence of the ergonomics program's impact.
Question 4: Which type of workplace health promotion program component addresses tobacco cessation, weight management, and stress reduction?
- Environmental surveillance
- Individual health behavior change programs (Correct answer)
- Hazard communication training
- Industrial hygiene monitoring
Correct answer: Individual health behavior change programs
Individual health behavior change programs target personal lifestyle risk factors such as tobacco use, obesity, and stress that affect long-term worker health.
Question 5: A lockout/tagout (LOTO) program falls under which OSHA standard?
- 29 CFR 1910.147 (Correct answer)
- 29 CFR 1910.132
- 29 CFR 1910.1200
- 29 CFR 1910.95
Correct answer: 29 CFR 1910.147
29 CFR 1910.147 (Control of Hazardous Energy) governs lockout/tagout procedures to protect workers from unexpected energization of equipment.
Question 6: Health and safety program goals should be written using the SMART criteria. 'M' in SMART stands for:
- Motivating
- Measurable (Correct answer)
- Meaningful
- Manageable
Correct answer: Measurable
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound; 'Measurable' ensures progress can be quantified and tracked.
Question 7: Under OSHA's multi-employer worksite policy, which employer is responsible for creating and controlling the overall safety program on a construction site?
- The subcontractor with the most workers
- The controlling/general contractor (Correct answer)
- The host employer's insurance carrier
- The union safety steward
Correct answer: The controlling/general contractor
The controlling employer (typically the general contractor) bears responsibility for establishing and enforcing site-wide safety conditions under OSHA's multi-employer citation policy.
COHN Health and Safety Programs 5
When calculating the OSHA incidence rate, the denominator of 200,000 represents: