GCC Risk Management & Site Safety 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom), what document must be available to workers for every hazardous chemical on site?
- Job Safety Analysis (JSA)
- Safety Data Sheet (SDS) (Correct answer)
- Material Purchase Order
- Chemical Exposure Log
Correct answer: Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
OSHA's HazCom Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) requires Safety Data Sheets to be readily accessible to employees for all hazardous chemicals they may encounter.
Question 2: A contractor discovers an unmarked underground utility line while excavating. What is the correct immediate action?
- Continue work cautiously to assess the line
- Stop work and call 811 to re-verify utility locations (Correct answer)
- Cover the line and proceed with the project
- Notify only the project owner and resume excavation
Correct answer: Stop work and call 811 to re-verify utility locations
Work must stop immediately and 811 (the national call-before-you-dig number) should be contacted to verify and mark all utilities before continuing excavation.
Question 3: Which risk transfer mechanism specifically protects a general contractor when a subcontractor's employee is injured on site?
- Builder's risk insurance
- Additional insured endorsement on the subcontractor's GL policy (Correct answer)
- Contractor's professional liability policy
- Surety performance bond
Correct answer: Additional insured endorsement on the subcontractor's GL policy
Requiring subcontractors to name the GC as an additional insured on their general liability policy transfers liability for subcontractor-related injuries to the subcontractor's insurer.
Question 4: What is the minimum safe distance a worker must maintain from an unprotected excavation edge that is 8 feet deep?
- No minimum required if wearing a harness
- 2 feet (Correct answer)
- 6 feet
- OSHA does not specify; a competent person decides
Correct answer: 2 feet
OSHA 29 CFR 1926.651(j) requires spoil piles and equipment to be kept at least 2 feet from the edge of an excavation to prevent cave-ins.
Question 5: A Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) is MOST useful when performed:
- After an accident to document what went wrong
- Before a task begins so hazards can be controlled proactively (Correct answer)
- Only for tasks already cited by OSHA inspectors
- At the end of each workday as a recap
Correct answer: Before a task begins so hazards can be controlled proactively
A JHA identifies hazards and controls before work starts, making it a proactive risk management tool that prevents incidents rather than reacting to them.
Question 6: Under OSHA's lockout/tagout (LOTO) standard, energy isolation is required before:
- Routine operation of electrically powered tools
- Servicing or maintenance where unexpected energization could occur (Correct answer)
- Using extension cords rated under 15 amps
- Switching between subcontractors on the same circuit
Correct answer: Servicing or maintenance where unexpected energization could occur
29 CFR 1910.147 mandates LOTO procedures whenever workers perform servicing or maintenance on machinery where unexpected startup or release of energy could injure them.
Question 7: Which type of contract clause requires a subcontractor to defend and indemnify the general contractor for claims arising from the subcontractor's own negligence?
- Liquidated damages clause
- Limited indemnification clause
- Broad-form indemnification clause (Correct answer)
- No-damage-for-delay clause
Correct answer: Broad-form indemnification clause
A broad-form indemnification clause shifts liability to the subcontractor even when the GC may be partially at fault, though many states limit or prohibit such clauses.
GCC Risk Management & Site Safety 2
Under OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom), what document must be available to workers for every hazardous chemical on site?