CPE Safety & Environmental Compliance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) standard, which threshold quantity of flammable liquids triggers PSM coverage?
- 1,000 lb
- 5,000 lb
- 10,000 lb (Correct answer)
- 25,000 lb
Correct answer: 10,000 lb
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119 sets 10,000 lb as the threshold quantity for flammable liquids with a flashpoint below 73°F.
Question 2: Which EPA program requires facilities to develop Risk Management Plans (RMPs) for accidental chemical releases?
- RCRA Subtitle C
- Clean Air Act Section 112(r) (Correct answer)
- EPCRA Section 302
- TSCA Section 8
Correct answer: Clean Air Act Section 112(r)
Clean Air Act Section 112(r) established the RMP rule requiring facilities handling regulated substances above threshold quantities to file plans with EPA.
Question 3: A plant engineer notices that a solvent storage tank has a secondary containment dike that holds only 80% of the tank's capacity. Which standard is most likely violated?
- OSHA 1910.106 requiring 110% containment
- NFPA 30 requiring 100% containment
- EPA SPCC requiring 110% containment (Correct answer)
- DOT 49 CFR requiring 90% containment
Correct answer: EPA SPCC requiring 110% containment
EPA's Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule requires secondary containment to hold at least 110% of the largest tank's capacity.
Question 4: Which document defines the Hierarchy of Controls for hazard mitigation, listed from most to least effective?
- ANSI Z10 occupational health and safety management standard (Correct answer)
- OSHA 29 CFR 1904 recordkeeping rule
- EPA 40 CFR Part 68 RMP rule
- NFPA 1 fire code
Correct answer: ANSI Z10 occupational health and safety management standard
ANSI/ASSP Z10 codifies the hierarchy: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE.
Question 5: When a plant generates hazardous waste and ships it offsite, which document must accompany the shipment?
- Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
- Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest (Correct answer)
- Bill of Lading only
- EPA Form 8700-12
Correct answer: Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest
RCRA requires a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest to track hazardous waste from cradle to disposal.
Question 6: A permit-required confined space entry is underway when the atmospheric monitor alarms for oxygen-deficient conditions. What is the correct immediate action?
- Increase ventilation and continue entry
- Have the entrant don a supplied-air respirator and proceed
- Abort the entry and evacuate the entrant immediately (Correct answer)
- Notify the supervisor before taking action
Correct answer: Abort the entry and evacuate the entrant immediately
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146 requires immediate evacuation when a prohibited condition such as oxygen deficiency is detected during entry.
Question 7: Under the Clean Water Act NPDES permit program, what must a facility do if a discharge exceeds a permit effluent limit?
- File a variance request within 90 days
- Report the exceedance to the permitting authority per permit conditions (Correct answer)
- Immediately cease all plant operations
- Submit a new permit application
Correct answer: Report the exceedance to the permitting authority per permit conditions
NPDES permits include self-monitoring and reporting requirements; exceedances must be reported to the state or EPA permitting authority within the timeframe specified in the permit.
CPE Safety & Environmental Compliance 2
Under OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) standard, which threshold quantity of flammable liquids triggers PSM coverage?