COSS Safety Audits and Inspections 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which metric is most useful for evaluating the EFFECTIVENESS of a corrective action program following safety audits?
- Total number of audits conducted per year
- Percentage of corrective actions closed on time and verified effective (Correct answer)
- Number of audit checklist items reviewed
- Hours spent conducting facility walkthroughs
Correct answer: Percentage of corrective actions closed on time and verified effective
Timely closure and verified effectiveness of corrective actions measures whether the audit program actually eliminates hazards, not just how much auditing activity occurs.
Question 2: During a behavioral safety inspection, an observer records that 80% of workers in the welding area are wearing proper eye protection. What should this observation drive?
- Disciplinary action against the 20% not wearing protection and closure of the area
- Analysis of why 20% are non-compliant and targeted intervention to improve the rate (Correct answer)
- Celebration of the 80% compliance rate as exceeding the industry benchmark
- Revision of the standard to allow welding without eye protection in some conditions
Correct answer: Analysis of why 20% are non-compliant and targeted intervention to improve the rate
Behavioral observation data should identify barriers to compliance — such as availability, fit, or training gaps — so root causes can be addressed and the rate improved toward 100%.
Question 3: Which of the following is the correct sequence for a formal safety audit cycle?
- Conduct audit → Plan audit → Report findings → Verify corrective actions
- Plan audit → Conduct audit → Report findings → Verify corrective actions (Correct answer)
- Report findings → Plan audit → Conduct audit → Verify corrective actions
- Plan audit → Report findings → Conduct audit → Verify corrective actions
Correct answer: Plan audit → Conduct audit → Report findings → Verify corrective actions
The correct sequence is: plan (define scope, criteria, team) → conduct (collect evidence) → report (document findings) → verify (confirm corrections are implemented and effective).
Question 4: A construction site safety inspection reveals a trench is 6 feet deep with no shoring or sloping. Under OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P, this is:
- A minor violation because no injury has occurred yet
- An acceptable condition if the soil is Type A
- A serious violation requiring immediate worker removal until controls are in place (Correct answer)
- Permissible if workers enter for less than 30 minutes
Correct answer: A serious violation requiring immediate worker removal until controls are in place
OSHA 1926.652 requires protective systems (shoring, sloping, or shielding) in excavations 5 feet or deeper; absence of protection in a 6-foot trench is a serious violation requiring immediate abatement.
Question 5: What role does 'management review' play in a safety management system audit cycle?
- It replaces the need for field inspections by supervisors
- It provides top management oversight of audit results to drive continual improvement of the safety system (Correct answer)
- It is used only when a regulatory agency requests a formal response
- It focuses exclusively on financial impacts of safety failures
Correct answer: It provides top management oversight of audit results to drive continual improvement of the safety system
Management review uses audit data, incident trends, and performance metrics to ensure leadership is actively driving improvement and allocating necessary resources.
Question 6: An auditor discovers that injury and illness records (OSHA 300 logs) are not being maintained at the establishment as required. This finding most directly violates:
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.132 (PPE)
- OSHA 29 CFR 1904 (Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses) (Correct answer)
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38 (Emergency Action Plans)
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147 (Control of Hazardous Energy)
Correct answer: OSHA 29 CFR 1904 (Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses)
29 CFR 1904 governs OSHA recordkeeping requirements; failure to maintain the OSHA 300 log at the establishment is a direct violation of this regulation.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of a LEADING indicator that a safety audit program might track?
- Number of lost-time injuries in the past year
- Percentage of scheduled safety inspections completed on time (Correct answer)
- Workers' compensation costs per employee
- Number of OSHA citations received
Correct answer: Percentage of scheduled safety inspections completed on time
Leading indicators measure proactive safety activities (like completing inspections on schedule) that predict future performance, as opposed to lagging indicators that count past failures.
COSS Safety Audits and Inspections 5
Which metric is most useful for evaluating the EFFECTIVENESS of a corrective action program following safety audits?