General Contractor License Safety and OSHA Regulations 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under OSHA's electrical safety standards, what is the minimum safe approach distance for unqualified workers near overhead power lines energized at 50 kV or less?
- 3 feet
- 10 feet (Correct answer)
- 15 feet
- 25 feet
Correct answer: 10 feet
OSHA requires unqualified workers to maintain a minimum distance of 10 feet from overhead power lines energized at 50 kV or less.
Question 2: A worker suffers an amputation on a construction site. How quickly must the general contractor report this incident to OSHA?
- Within 8 hours
- Within 24 hours (Correct answer)
- Within 48 hours
- Within 72 hours
Correct answer: Within 24 hours
OSHA requires that any work-related amputation, inpatient hospitalization, or loss of an eye be reported within 24 hours.
Question 3: What is the purpose of a 'toolbox talk' (also called a safety meeting or tailgate meeting) on a construction site?
- To satisfy OSHA's written safety plan requirement
- To provide brief, focused safety training on specific hazards before work begins (Correct answer)
- To replace the site safety officer's daily inspection
- To document near-miss incidents for OSHA recordkeeping
Correct answer: To provide brief, focused safety training on specific hazards before work begins
Toolbox talks are short, informal training sessions conducted before work to address specific hazards workers will encounter that day.
Question 4: Under OSHA's noise standard, at what sound level (dBA) does a contractor first become required to implement a hearing conservation program?
- 80 dBA as an 8-hour TWA
- 85 dBA as an 8-hour TWA (Correct answer)
- 90 dBA as an 8-hour TWA
- 95 dBA as an 8-hour TWA
Correct answer: 85 dBA as an 8-hour TWA
OSHA's hearing conservation program requirements are triggered when noise exposure reaches or exceeds 85 dBA as an 8-hour time-weighted average.
Question 5: Which ladder type is rated for industrial use, has the highest load rating, and is required when a worker's weight plus tools exceeds 250 pounds?
- Type III (Light Duty, 200 lbs)
- Type II (Medium Duty, 225 lbs)
- Type I (Heavy Duty, 250 lbs)
- Type IA (Extra Heavy Duty, 300 lbs) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Type IA (Extra Heavy Duty, 300 lbs)
Type IA ladders are rated for 300 pounds and are required when combined worker and tool weight exceeds 250 pounds.
Question 6: What does OSHA's 'multi-employer worksite' policy mean for a general contractor who does not directly create a hazard?
- The GC has no OSHA liability if a subcontractor creates the hazard
- The GC may be cited if it had control over the hazardous condition (Correct answer)
- Only the subcontractor who created the hazard can be cited
- The GC is always the responsible party regardless of who created the hazard
Correct answer: The GC may be cited if it had control over the hazardous condition
Under OSHA's multi-employer policy, a general contractor can be cited as a 'controlling employer' if it had authority to correct a hazard, even if a subcontractor created it.
Question 7: When is a safety harness inspection required before use on a construction site?
- Monthly by a qualified person
- Before each use by the worker and annually by a competent person (Correct answer)
- Only after a fall arrest event
- Quarterly by the equipment manufacturer
Correct answer: Before each use by the worker and annually by a competent person
OSHA requires workers to inspect their personal fall arrest equipment before each use, and a competent person must conduct formal inspections at least annually.
General Contractor License Safety and OSHA Regulations 3
Under OSHA's electrical safety standards, what is the minimum safe approach distance for unqualified workers near overhead power lines energized at 50 kV or less?