HSE Emergency Response Planning and Incident Investigation 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Section 304 requires facilities to report:
- Annual chemical inventory to the EPA
- Immediate release notifications to state and local authorities when a reportable quantity is exceeded (Correct answer)
- Worker injury statistics to OSHA
- Pollution prevention plans to the state environmental agency
Correct answer: Immediate release notifications to state and local authorities when a reportable quantity is exceeded
EPCRA Section 304 mandates immediate emergency notification to the LEPC and State Emergency Response Commission when a reportable quantity of an extremely hazardous substance is released.
Question 2: Which analysis method maps every possible way a system can fail and calculates probability of each failure mode?
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) (Correct answer)
- What-If Analysis
- Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA)
- Management Oversight Risk Tree (MORT)
Correct answer: Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
FMEA systematically identifies each potential failure mode of a system component and assesses its effects and probability.
Question 3: When an emergency response plan includes a 'shelter-in-place' option, the FIRST action employees should take is:
- Evacuate the building via the nearest exit
- Move to a designated interior room and seal gaps to reduce air infiltration (Correct answer)
- Call 911 and wait outside for emergency services
- Gather personal belongings before moving to the shelter area
Correct answer: Move to a designated interior room and seal gaps to reduce air infiltration
Shelter-in-place requires moving quickly to a sealed interior room to minimize exposure to outdoor airborne hazards.
Question 4: Which ICS position is responsible for developing the Incident Action Plan (IAP)?
- Operations Section Chief
- Logistics Section Chief
- Planning Section Chief (Correct answer)
- Finance/Administration Section Chief
Correct answer: Planning Section Chief
The Planning Section Chief is responsible for collecting, evaluating, and displaying incident information and preparing the IAP.
Question 5: A 'Corrective Action Register' following an incident investigation should include all of the following EXCEPT:
- Description of each recommended corrective action
- Assigned responsible person for each action
- Target completion date for each action
- The disciplinary action taken against the employee involved (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The disciplinary action taken against the employee involved
Corrective action registers track systemic remediation tasks; disciplinary records are HR documents kept separately and are not part of the safety corrective action system.
Question 6: During HAZMAT response, 'decontamination' at the 'warm zone' is intended to:
- Destroy all contaminated personal protective equipment
- Remove or neutralize contaminants from personnel and equipment before they leave the hazard area (Correct answer)
- Provide medical triage to contaminated victims
- Store recovered hazardous materials for disposal
Correct answer: Remove or neutralize contaminants from personnel and equipment before they leave the hazard area
The warm zone decontamination corridor removes or neutralizes contaminants from responders and victims before they transition to the cold (safe) zone.
Question 7: What is the key principle behind 'Swiss Cheese Model' as applied to incident causation?
- Every incident has a single root cause that, if fixed, prevents recurrence
- Accidents occur when holes in multiple defensive layers align simultaneously to allow a hazard to reach a target (Correct answer)
- Worker error is the primary cause of all industrial accidents
- Near-misses are unrelated to major incidents and should be analyzed separately
Correct answer: Accidents occur when holes in multiple defensive layers align simultaneously to allow a hazard to reach a target
James Reason's Swiss Cheese Model illustrates that incidents occur when gaps (holes) in multiple layers of defense align, allowing hazards to penetrate all barriers.
HSE Emergency Response Planning and Incident Investigation 5
The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Section 304 requires facilities to report: