General Contractor License Safety and OSHA Regulations 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A general contractor is working in a confined space that contains a toxic atmosphere. Which permit-required confined space entry element is being addressed by testing the air before entry?
- Attendant responsibilities
- Atmospheric testing and monitoring (Correct answer)
- Rescue service coordination
- Lockout/tagout procedures
Correct answer: Atmospheric testing and monitoring
Atmospheric testing and monitoring is a core permit-required confined space requirement that must be completed before and during entry to detect hazardous conditions.
Question 2: Under OSHA's lockout/tagout (LOTO) standard, what must occur before maintenance work begins on equipment with stored energy?
- The supervisor must verbally authorize the work
- All energy sources must be isolated and verified as zero-energy state (Correct answer)
- A tagout device alone is sufficient if the equipment has no lockout point
- Workers must wear double insulation PPE
Correct answer: All energy sources must be isolated and verified as zero-energy state
LOTO requires all energy sources to be isolated, locked, and verified to be in a zero-energy (de-energized) state before maintenance begins.
Question 3: OSHA's 300 Log must be kept on file for how long?
- 1 year
- 3 years
- 5 years (Correct answer)
- 10 years
Correct answer: 5 years
Employers must retain OSHA 300 Logs, 301 Incident Reports, and 300A Summary forms for 5 years following the end of the calendar year they cover.
Question 4: Which of the following construction activities requires workers to have documented respirator training and a medical evaluation before use under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134?
- Using a dust mask rated N95 for nuisance dust voluntarily
- Using a half-face air-purifying respirator for silica exposure control (Correct answer)
- Wearing a paper face covering during COVID protocols
- Using a welding shield for eye protection
Correct answer: Using a half-face air-purifying respirator for silica exposure control
When respirators are required for hazard control (such as silica), OSHA mandates medical evaluation, fit testing, and training before use.
Question 5: A subcontractor's employee tells the general contractor's supervisor that their employer has not provided required fall protection. What should the GC supervisor do?
- Refer the employee back to their own employer only
- Ignore it since the GC is not responsible for subcontractor employees
- Correct the hazard or stop work in that area as the controlling employer (Correct answer)
- Document the complaint and continue work until OSHA inspects
Correct answer: Correct the hazard or stop work in that area as the controlling employer
As the controlling employer, the GC has authority and responsibility to correct hazards or stop work when required safety measures are absent, regardless of which employer's workers are exposed.
Question 6: Under OSHA's struck-by hazard standards, what color must a hard hat be for a site safety officer to be easily identified on a construction site by convention?
- Yellow
- White
- Orange
- Green (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Green
While not mandated by OSHA, industry convention designates green hard hats for safety officers and inspectors to make them easily identifiable on site.
Question 7: What is the maximum allowable slope for a Type B soil excavation under OSHA's simplified sloping option?
- 1/2H:1V (63° from horizontal)
- 3/4H:1V (53° from horizontal)
- 1H:1V (45° from horizontal) (Correct answer)
- 1½H:1V (34° from horizontal)
Correct answer: 1H:1V (45° from horizontal)
For Type B soil, OSHA's simplified sloping option requires a maximum slope of 1H:1V (45 degrees from horizontal).
General Contractor License Safety and OSHA Regulations 4
A general contractor is working in a confined space that contains a toxic atmosphere.
Which permit-required confined space entry element is being addressed by testing the air before entry?