CSP Certified Safety Professional (CSP) 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which risk assessment matrix element is calculated by multiplying severity by probability to prioritize hazard control?
- Exposure frequency
- Risk score (Correct answer)
- Loss ratio
- Criticality index
Correct answer: Risk score
A risk score (also called risk priority number) is calculated by multiplying severity by probability, allowing safety professionals to rank and prioritize hazards.
Question 2: Under DOT regulations, which placard must be displayed on a highway vehicle transporting more than 1,001 lbs of a flammable liquid?
- COMBUSTIBLE placard
- FLAMMABLE placard (Correct answer)
- OXIDIZER placard
- DANGEROUS placard
Correct answer: FLAMMABLE placard
DOT requires FLAMMABLE placards (UN class 3) on vehicles carrying more than 1,001 lbs of flammable liquids in non-bulk packaging.
Question 3: The NIOSH lifting equation produces a Recommended Weight Limit (RWL). A Lifting Index (LI) greater than what value indicates a job with significant risk of low back injury?
- 0.5
- 1.0 (Correct answer)
- 2.0
- 3.0
Correct answer: 1.0
An LI greater than 1.0 indicates the task demand exceeds recommended limits, placing workers at increased risk for low back disorders.
Question 4: Which confined space condition makes it a 'permit-required' confined space under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146?
- The space has limited means of entry or exit
- The space is not designed for continuous employee occupancy
- The space contains a recognized serious safety or health hazard (Correct answer)
- The space requires special tools to enter
Correct answer: The space contains a recognized serious safety or health hazard
A confined space becomes permit-required when it contains or has the potential to contain a serious safety or health hazard such as a hazardous atmosphere, engulfment material, or converging walls.
Question 5: In industrial hygiene, which term describes the ratio of a chemical's odor threshold to its permissible exposure limit (PEL)?
- Threshold limit value ratio
- Odor safety factor (Correct answer)
- Warning properties index
- Biological exposure index
Correct answer: Odor safety factor
The odor safety factor (OSF) compares the odor threshold to the PEL; an OSF greater than 1 indicates adequate warning properties before dangerous concentrations are reached.
Question 6: Which leading indicator of safety performance would a safety professional track to proactively identify deteriorating safety culture?
- Lost-time injury rate
- Workers' compensation costs
- Number of near-miss reports submitted (Correct answer)
- Number of OSHA recordable incidents
Correct answer: Number of near-miss reports submitted
Near-miss reporting rates are a leading indicator because they reflect hazard awareness and reporting culture before injuries occur.
Question 7: During a root cause analysis using the '5 Whys' technique, what is the primary goal?
- Assign blame to the responsible party
- Identify the deepest systemic cause of an incident (Correct answer)
- Quantify the probability of recurrence
- Document regulatory violations that occurred
Correct answer: Identify the deepest systemic cause of an incident
The 5 Whys technique iteratively asks 'why' to move past symptoms and direct causes to uncover the underlying systemic root cause of an incident.
CSP Certified Safety Professional (CSP) 4
Which risk assessment matrix element is calculated by multiplying severity by probability to prioritize hazard control?