CST Standards, Ethics & Safety Practices 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A survey crew must work in the travel lane of a two-lane highway. Which federal document sets the standards for the temporary traffic control setup they must use?
- OSHA 1926 Subpart P
- The ALTA/NSPS Minimum Standard Detail Requirements
- The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) (Correct answer)
- The FGDC Geospatial Positioning Accuracy Standards
Correct answer: The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
Part 6 of the MUTCD covers temporary traffic control for work zones, including survey operations.
Question 2: Under ANSI/ISEA 107, which minimum class of high-visibility garment is generally required for workers exposed to traffic faster than 25 mph?
- Class 1
- Class E
- Type O
- Class 2 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Class 2
Workers near traffic moving faster than 25 mph need at least a Class 2 garment, and Class 3 is recommended for higher-risk conditions.
Question 3: Before driving a long steel rebar monument into the ground, a crew should first do what?
- Call 811 to have underground utilities located (Correct answer)
- Notify the county recorder
- Get a signed easement from the adjoining owner
- Calibrate the total station
Correct answer: Call 811 to have underground utilities located
Calling 811 before you dig or drive anything into the ground helps you avoid striking buried utilities.
Question 4: A landowner tells a survey technician that a client has hired a different surveyor and asks to see the technician's employer's field notes for that client's parcel. What is the most appropriate response?
- Hand over the notes, since they're public records
- Refer the request to the party chief or employer, because field notes belong to the firm and the client (Correct answer)
- Email a copy of the notes to the new surveyor directly
- Destroy the notes to protect client confidentiality
Correct answer: Refer the request to the party chief or employer, because field notes belong to the firm and the client
Field notes are the firm's work product and may be confidential, so a technician should send release requests to the employer.
Question 5: During a heat wave, a crew member becomes confused, stops sweating, and has hot, dry skin. What is the correct first response?
- Have them drink an energy drink and keep working
- Let them rest in the truck with the windows up
- Call 911 and start cooling them right away, since these are signs of heat stroke (Correct answer)
- Give them salt tablets and resume work in an hour
Correct answer: Call 911 and start cooling them right away, since these are signs of heat stroke
Confusion with hot, dry skin points to heat stroke, a medical emergency that needs EMS and rapid cooling.
Question 6: In a work zone, what is the purpose of the 'advance warning area' in a temporary traffic control zone?
- It's where the survey crew parks its equipment
- It's the buffer space between the taper and the workers
- It's where traffic returns to normal lanes
- It tells drivers what lies ahead (Correct answer)
Correct answer: It tells drivers what lies ahead
Under the MUTCD, the advance warning area alerts drivers to the upcoming work zone before they reach it.
Question 7: A technician notices that the party chief has been recording measurements that were never actually observed. What does professional ethics require?
- Report the concern to the licensed surveyor in responsible charge (Correct answer)
- Ignore it, because the party chief is responsible
- Copy the practice to save time
- Post about it on social media
Correct answer: Report the concern to the licensed surveyor in responsible charge
Falsified data undermines public trust, so it should be reported through the proper chain to the responsible licensed surveyor.
CST Standards, Ethics & Safety Practices 2
A survey crew must work in the travel lane of a two-lane highway.
Which federal document sets the standards for the temporary traffic control setup they must use?