Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Flashcards

A workplace ergonomic assessment reveals that workers must repeatedly lift 40-lb boxes from floor level to shoulder height. Which intervention most directly addresses the root cause?

Answer: Installing a height-adjustable lift table to eliminate the floor-to-shoulder lift

An engineering control that eliminates the extreme range of motion directly removes the source of the musculoskeletal hazard, which is more effective than administrative or PPE solutions.

Under OSHA's respiratory protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134), before a tight-fitting respirator is issued, an employee must complete which mandatory step?

Answer: Fit testing

OSHA requires quantitative or qualitative fit testing to verify an adequate seal between the facepiece and the wearer's face before use in a hazardous atmosphere.

Which radiation type has the least penetrating power and can be stopped by a sheet of paper or dead skin cells?

Answer: Alpha particles

Alpha particles are large and positively charged, losing energy quickly; a sheet of paper or the outer dead layer of skin is sufficient shielding.

An occupational health nurse notices a cluster of carpal tunnel syndrome cases in the packing department. What is the most appropriate first step?

Answer: Conduct a systematic ergonomic workstation assessment of the affected department

Identifying the common risk factors through an ergonomic assessment allows targeted engineering or work-practice controls to be applied at the source.

What is the correct OSHA confined space classification for a space large enough to enter but not designed for continuous occupancy and that has a limited means of entry or exit?

Answer: Non-permit confined space

A space meeting the physical definition (large enough to enter, limited entry/exit, not for continuous occupancy) without any serious hazard is classified as a non-permit confined space.

Which industrial hygiene sampling strategy involves placing monitors in the breathing zone of individual workers throughout a full work shift?

Answer: Personal sampling

Personal sampling places collection media within 12 inches of the worker's nose and mouth to measure the concentration the individual actually inhales.

What measure is used to express the lethal dose of a toxic substance required to kill 50% of a test animal population in a study?

Answer: LD50

LD50 (lethal dose, 50%) is the single oral or dermal dose that kills half the animal test population and is used to compare acute toxicity between substances.