Risk Management & Site Safety Flashcards
7 cards from real FPE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Risk Management & Site Safety flashcards as text
Which quantitative risk assessment method assigns numerical probabilities to each branch of a logic diagram to estimate the likelihood of an undesired top event?
Answer: Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)
Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) uses Boolean logic and numerical probabilities assigned to basic events to calculate the probability of a defined top event.
Under NFPA 1 (Fire Code), which of the following is the PRIMARY purpose of a Fire Safety Evaluation System (FSES)?
Answer: To provide an alternative compliance path for buildings that cannot meet prescriptive code requirements
An FSES provides a structured equivalency method allowing buildings to achieve an acceptable safety level through compensating features when full code compliance is impractical.
A deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) is most likely to occur in which scenario?
Answer: A flammable gas igniting in a long, congested pipe gallery or confined space
Congestion and confinement accelerate flame speed, enabling a deflagrating flame front to transition to a supersonic detonation wave.
In a Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA), what does the term 'Initiating Event Frequency (IEF)' represent?
Answer: The expected frequency at which the hazardous scenario is initiated before any safeguards act
IEF is the demand rate at which the hazardous scenario begins, before any independent protection layers reduce its probability.
Which document establishes the minimum requirements for Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) for most US workplaces under federal regulation?
Answer: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38 mandates the minimum elements of an Emergency Action Plan, including escape procedures, assembly points, and employee alarm systems.
In probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), what is the 'common cause failure' (CCF)?
Answer: A failure that occurs due to a single shared root cause, defeating multiple redundant systems simultaneously
CCF occurs when one root cause (e.g., a shared design flaw, environmental stress, or maintenance error) defeats two or more redundant protection layers at once.
A fire protection engineer conducting a Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) for a chemical plant identifies a scenario with a Risk Ranking of HIGH. What is the typical next step according to process safety management (PSM) principles?
Answer: Develop and implement interim safeguards and permanent risk reduction recommendations within a defined action item timeframe
PSM principles require that high-risk findings generate documented action items with responsible parties and completion dates, with interim controls applied promptly.