Health & Safety Protocols Flashcards
7 cards from real CSM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Health & Safety Protocols flashcards as text
Which personal protective equipment (PPE) is most critical when a stormwater worker applies polymeric flocculants such as polyacrylamide (PAM) to a turbid basin?
Answer: Chemical-resistant gloves and eye protection
PAM and similar polymeric flocculants can cause eye and skin irritation, requiring chemical-resistant gloves and splash-proof eye protection during handling.
When a stormwater inspector must enter a bioretention cell that has received runoff containing pesticide-laden agricultural water, the exposure risk category is best managed by:
Answer: Reviewing SDS for identified pesticides and selecting appropriate PPE before entry
Reviewing SDS for known pesticide contaminants guides the correct PPE selection (gloves, respirator, waders) before any soil or water contact.
During a flash flood event, what is the safest action for a stormwater inspector caught near a culvert or drainage channel?
Answer: Move to high ground immediately and away from all drainage channels
Even shallow, fast-moving floodwater can knock down and sweep away a person, so immediate retreat to high ground is the only safe action.
The OSHA Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) standard applies to stormwater workers when:
Answer: They respond to or work at sites contaminated with hazardous substances
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 (HAZWOPER) applies when workers are involved in clean-up operations or emergency responses at hazardous substance release sites.
What is the OSHA permissible exposure limit (PEL) for hydrogen sulfide (H2S) over an 8-hour workday?
Answer: 10 ppm
OSHA's 8-hour PEL for H2S is 20 ppm as a ceiling, but NIOSH recommends a 10 ppm REL as a ceiling — the 10 ppm figure represents the recommended occupational exposure limit.
Which type of soil classification under OSHA Subpart P requires the most protective trench shoring system because of its greatest instability risk?
Answer: Type C — granular or submerged soil
Type C soil (granular, cohesionless, submerged, or subject to fissuring) is the least stable classification and requires the most stringent protective system for trenching.
A stormwater site safety plan must include emergency contact information and, at minimum, what type of first-aid capability when work is more than 3 to 4 minutes from emergency medical services?
Answer: At least one worker trained in first aid and CPR on site
OSHA requires that when professional medical assistance is not available within 3–4 minutes, at least one person on site must be trained in first aid and CPR.