CRST Workplace Hazard Identification and Control 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'residual risk' in the context of workplace hazard management?
- The risk eliminated entirely by engineering controls
- The risk that remains after all feasible controls have been implemented (Correct answer)
- The initial risk identified before any analysis is conducted
- The risk that has been formally transferred to a third-party contractor
Correct answer: The risk that remains after all feasible controls have been implemented
Residual risk is the level of risk that persists even after all reasonably practicable control measures have been applied to a workplace hazard.
Question 2: Which administrative control would be most appropriate for reducing worker chemical exposure levels?
- Installing local exhaust ventilation near the chemical source
- Substituting the toxic chemical with a less hazardous alternative
- Implementing job rotation schedules to limit individual exposure duration (Correct answer)
- Providing respirators rated for the specific chemical hazard
Correct answer: Implementing job rotation schedules to limit individual exposure duration
Job rotation is an administrative control that reduces each worker's exposure time by distributing the hazard exposure across multiple workers through schedule changes.
Question 3: What is the key distinction between a 'hazard' and a 'risk' in safety management?
- A hazard is always more serious in consequence than a risk
- A hazard is a potential source of harm; a risk combines the likelihood and severity of harm occurring (Correct answer)
- A risk applies only to chemical exposures while a hazard applies to physical dangers only
- There is no practical difference between the two terms in Canadian OHS practice
Correct answer: A hazard is a potential source of harm; a risk combines the likelihood and severity of harm occurring
A hazard is the source, situation, or act with potential for harm, while risk quantifies that potential by combining the likelihood of harm occurring with its potential severity.
Question 4: What is a 'near miss' in the context of workplace safety management?
- An incident that results in minor, first-aid-level injuries only
- An unplanned event that did not result in injury but had the potential to cause harm (Correct answer)
- A safety inspection that identifies no hazards in the workplace
- A type of administrative control used to limit worker exposure
Correct answer: An unplanned event that did not result in injury but had the potential to cause harm
A near miss is an unplanned event that could have resulted in injury, illness, or property damage but did not, providing a valuable opportunity to identify and correct hazards before an incident occurs.
Question 5: In Canadian workplaces, what does 'WHMIS' stand for?
- Workplace Health Management and Inspection Standards
- Worker Hazard Mitigation and Injury System
- Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (Correct answer)
- Workplace Health Monitoring and Incident Statistics
Correct answer: Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) is Canada's national hazard communication standard that provides information about controlled products and hazardous materials used in workplaces.
Question 6: Which sequence correctly represents the hierarchy of hazard controls from most to least effective?
- PPE → Engineering controls → Administrative controls → Substitution → Elimination
- Elimination → Substitution → Engineering controls → Administrative controls → PPE (Correct answer)
- Administrative controls → PPE → Engineering controls → Substitution → Elimination
- Engineering controls → Elimination → PPE → Administrative controls → Substitution
Correct answer: Elimination → Substitution → Engineering controls → Administrative controls → PPE
The hierarchy proceeds from elimination (most effective, removes the hazard) through substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, to PPE (least effective, requires the worker to manage residual hazard).
Question 7: Under WHMIS 2015, which document provides workers with standardized hazard information and safe handling instructions for chemical products?
- Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
- Safety Data Sheet (SDS) (Correct answer)
- Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) label
- Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) placard
Correct answer: Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
Under WHMIS 2015 (aligned with GHS), Safety Data Sheets (SDS) provide 16 standardized sections of information about chemical hazards, safe handling, storage, and emergency response measures.
CRST Workplace Hazard Identification and Control 2
What is 'residual risk' in the context of workplace hazard management?