CSCS Accident Reporting and Prevention 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How long must employers retain OSHA 300 Logs, 300A Summaries, and 301 Incident Reports?
- 5 years (Correct answer)
- 1 year
- 3 years
- 10 years
Correct answer: 5 years
OSHA requires employers to retain injury and illness records for 5 years following the end of the calendar year the records cover.
Question 2: A construction foreman witnesses an unsafe act but does not intervene because production is behind schedule. This is known as what type of factor in accident causation?
- Management or organizational failure (Correct answer)
- Worker negligence only
- An unforeseeable act of nature
- Equipment malfunction
Correct answer: Management or organizational failure
Failing to intervene due to production pressure reflects a management or organizational failure that contributes to accident causation.
Question 3: What does the 'Heinrich Triangle' (accident triangle) illustrate about workplace safety?
- For every major injury, there are many more minor injuries and near misses beneath it (Correct answer)
- Most accidents are caused by three main factors
- Major injuries occur three times as often as minor ones
- Only the top one percent of hazards cause serious injuries
Correct answer: For every major injury, there are many more minor injuries and near misses beneath it
Heinrich's Triangle shows that serious injuries sit atop a large base of minor injuries and near misses, indicating that addressing smaller incidents prevents major ones.
Question 4: Which of the following must a construction employer do when an OSHA inspector arrives on site?
- Allow the inspector access and cooperate with the inspection (Correct answer)
- Refuse entry until a company lawyer is present
- Immediately shut down all work until the inspection is complete
- Notify all workers to stop work and leave the site
Correct answer: Allow the inspector access and cooperate with the inspection
Employers must allow OSHA compliance officers access to the site and records, and cooperate with the inspection process.
Question 5: After a serious accident on a construction site, the area should be:
- Preserved and secured until investigated by the appropriate authority (Correct answer)
- Cleaned up immediately to restore work operations
- Photographed only by the site manager and then cleared
- Reopened once injured workers have received first aid
Correct answer: Preserved and secured until investigated by the appropriate authority
Preserving the accident scene protects evidence needed for a thorough investigation and may be required by law.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes 'root cause analysis' in accident investigation?
- A systematic process to identify the underlying causes of an incident, not just the immediate trigger (Correct answer)
- Blaming the worker whose actions directly caused the accident
- Documenting property damage costs for insurance claims
- Determining how quickly work can safely resume after an incident
Correct answer: A systematic process to identify the underlying causes of an incident, not just the immediate trigger
Root cause analysis digs beyond the immediate event to find the deeper systemic or organizational factors that allowed the accident to happen.
Question 7: A construction site has experienced three hand lacerations in one month from the same piece of equipment. What is the most appropriate corrective action?
- Conduct a hazard analysis of the equipment and implement engineering controls or guarding (Correct answer)
- Retrain workers on using the equipment safely and monitor compliance
- Require all workers to wear thicker gloves when using the equipment
- Post a warning sign on the equipment and continue operations
Correct answer: Conduct a hazard analysis of the equipment and implement engineering controls or guarding
Recurring injuries from the same source indicate a systemic hazard that requires an engineering solution, which is higher on the hierarchy of controls than PPE or training.
CSCS Accident Reporting and Prevention 5
How long must employers retain OSHA 300 Logs, 300A Summaries, and 301 Incident Reports?