COSS Essentials of Safety Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which management function involves setting safety goals, objectives, and strategies for an organization?
- Controlling
- Organizing
- Planning (Correct answer)
- Directing
Correct answer: Planning
Planning is the management function that establishes safety goals, objectives, and the strategies needed to achieve them.
Question 2: A safety manager conducts a job hazard analysis (JHA). What is the PRIMARY purpose of this tool?
- Documenting past incidents for legal compliance
- Identifying hazards associated with each step of a job task (Correct answer)
- Calculating workers' compensation costs
- Scheduling employee safety training sessions
Correct answer: Identifying hazards associated with each step of a job task
A JHA systematically breaks a job into steps to identify hazards at each step and determine appropriate controls.
Question 3: Which concept describes the residual risk remaining after all feasible controls have been applied?
- Acceptable risk
- Inherent risk
- Residual risk (Correct answer)
- Transferred risk
Correct answer: Residual risk
Residual risk is the risk that remains after control measures have been implemented and cannot be completely eliminated.
Question 4: Under OSHA's General Duty Clause, employers are required to provide a workplace free from:
- All risks, regardless of feasibility
- Recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm (Correct answer)
- Any condition employees report as unsafe
- Hazards covered only by specific OSHA standards
Correct answer: Recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm
The General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)) requires employers to address recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious harm even when no specific standard applies.
Question 5: What is the PRIMARY advantage of using a safety management system (SMS) over a compliance-only approach?
- It eliminates the need for OSHA inspections
- It reduces insurance premiums automatically
- It provides a proactive, systematic framework for continuous improvement (Correct answer)
- It transfers liability to employees
Correct answer: It provides a proactive, systematic framework for continuous improvement
An SMS offers a proactive, integrated framework that drives continuous improvement rather than simply reacting to regulatory requirements.
Question 6: Which type of safety inspection is unannounced and conducted without prior notice to workers?
- Planned inspection
- Unplanned (surprise) inspection (Correct answer)
- Compliance audit
- Walk-through survey
Correct answer: Unplanned (surprise) inspection
Unplanned or surprise inspections are conducted without advance notice to observe normal working conditions and behaviors.
Question 7: A safety professional is applying the 'management by exception' principle. This means they focus attention primarily on:
- All workplace activities equally
- Situations that deviate significantly from expected standards (Correct answer)
- Only recordable injuries and illnesses
- New employees during orientation
Correct answer: Situations that deviate significantly from expected standards
Management by exception directs managerial attention to significant deviations from established standards rather than routine operations.
COSS Essentials of Safety Management 2
Which management function involves setting safety goals, objectives, and strategies for an organization?