CTSP Safety Program Management 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: After a serious tree care incident, which action should be taken FIRST at the scene?
- Photograph the scene for litigation purposes
- Contact the company's public relations team
- Provide emergency medical care and secure the scene (Correct answer)
- Complete the OSHA 301 incident report
Correct answer: Provide emergency medical care and secure the scene
Providing emergency medical care to injured workers and securing the scene to prevent further injury are always the first priorities after an incident.
Question 2: What does a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) measure?
- The total cost of all workers' compensation claims per year
- The number of OSHA recordable incidents per 100 full-time workers (Correct answer)
- The percentage of workers who received safety training
- The ratio of near-misses to actual injuries
Correct answer: The number of OSHA recordable incidents per 100 full-time workers
TRIR = (Number of recordable incidents × 200,000) ÷ total hours worked, expressed per 100 full-time equivalent workers.
Question 3: Which of the following is OSHA's required timeline for reporting a work-related fatality?
- Within 8 hours of the incident (Correct answer)
- Within 24 hours of the incident
- Within 3 business days of the incident
- Within 7 calendar days of the incident
Correct answer: Within 8 hours of the incident
Employers must report work-related fatalities to OSHA within 8 hours of learning of the incident.
Question 4: When conducting a post-incident investigation, which method is most effective for identifying root causes?
- Interviewing only the injured worker
- Using a 5-Why analysis or fishbone diagram to trace causal chains (Correct answer)
- Reviewing only equipment maintenance logs
- Consulting insurance adjusters before interviewing witnesses
Correct answer: Using a 5-Why analysis or fishbone diagram to trace causal chains
Structured root-cause analysis tools like 5-Why or fishbone diagrams systematically trace contributing factors back to underlying systemic causes.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'hierarchy of controls' application in selecting fall protection for climbers?
- Always default to PPE first since it is fastest to implement
- Prefer elimination or engineering controls; use PPE only when higher-order controls are infeasible (Correct answer)
- Use administrative controls exclusively because they require no capital investment
- Apply whichever control is cheapest for the project budget
Correct answer: Prefer elimination or engineering controls; use PPE only when higher-order controls are infeasible
The hierarchy prioritizes elimination and engineering controls over PPE; in climbing, this might mean using an aerial lift instead of a climbing system when feasible.
Question 6: An employer wants to benchmark their tree care safety program against industry peers. Which resource provides the most relevant industry-specific incident rate data?
- Local chamber of commerce business reports
- BLS Industry Injury and Illness data for NAICS code 561730 (Landscaping Services) (Correct answer)
- ISA Best Management Practices guidelines only
- Company-internal five-year rolling averages
Correct answer: BLS Industry Injury and Illness data for NAICS code 561730 (Landscaping Services)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes annual injury and illness data by NAICS code, allowing companies to compare their TRIR against the landscape services industry benchmark.
Question 7: A safety manager is implementing a behavior-based safety (BBS) observation program. Which practice is essential for program success?
- Using observations primarily to discipline workers for unsafe acts
- Conducting anonymous observations without feedback to workers
- Providing immediate, constructive feedback and reinforcing safe behaviors (Correct answer)
- Limiting observations to supervisors and managers only
Correct answer: Providing immediate, constructive feedback and reinforcing safe behaviors
Effective BBS programs depend on timely, respectful feedback that reinforces safe behavior and corrects at-risk behaviors in a non-punitive manner.
CTSP Safety Program Management 5
After a serious tree care incident, which action should be taken FIRST at the scene?