ISC Process Safety Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under OSHA PSM, how soon after an incident or near-miss must an investigation be initiated?
- Within 24 hours
- Within 48 hours (Correct answer)
- Within 72 hours
- Within one week
Correct answer: Within 48 hours
Per 1910.119(m)(1), the employer shall initiate an investigation of each incident that resulted in, or could have resulted in, a catastrophic release as promptly as possible, but no later than 48 hours.
Question 2: The Management of Change (MOC) element of PSM applies to changes in which of the following?
- Personnel assignments only
- Equipment specifications only
- Process chemicals, technology, equipment, and procedures—except replacements in kind (Correct answer)
- Regulatory reporting requirements only
Correct answer: Process chemicals, technology, equipment, and procedures—except replacements in kind
MOC covers changes to process chemicals, technology, equipment, and procedures, but specifically excludes 'replacements in kind' that match existing specifications exactly.
Question 3: Under the Mechanical Integrity element of OSHA PSM, which of the following is NOT a required activity?
- Equipment inspections and testing
- Quality assurance for new equipment and parts
- Correcting deficiencies identified during inspection
- Employing only licensed professional engineers for maintenance (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Employing only licensed professional engineers for maintenance
PSM requires inspection, testing, quality assurance, and correcting deficiencies, but does not mandate that all maintenance be performed by licensed professional engineers.
Question 4: Which of the following is an accepted Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) methodology under OSHA PSM?
- Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
- Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP)
- What-If Analysis
- All of the above (Correct answer)
Correct answer: All of the above
OSHA PSM accepts multiple PHA methodologies including HAZOP, What-If Analysis, Checklist, What-If/Checklist, FMEA, Fault Tree Analysis, and other equivalent methods.
Question 5: The PSM standard applies to processes involving highly hazardous chemicals (HHCs) in quantities at or above the specified:
- Threshold Planning Quantities (TPQs)
- Threshold Limit Values (TLVs)
- Threshold Quantities (TQs) (Correct answer)
- Maximum Allowable Quantities (MAQs)
Correct answer: Threshold Quantities (TQs)
PSM triggers at Threshold Quantities (TQs) listed in Appendix A of 1910.119; processes below those quantities are not covered by the standard.
Question 6: Under the Contractors element of PSM, what must the host employer inform contractors of before they begin work?
- The company's insurance policy limits
- Known potential fire, explosion, or toxic release hazards related to the contractor's work (Correct answer)
- Proprietary chemical formulations used in the process
- The identity of all other contractors on site
Correct answer: Known potential fire, explosion, or toxic release hazards related to the contractor's work
Per 1910.119(h)(2)(ii), the employer must inform contract employers of known potential fire, explosion, or toxic release hazards related to the contractor's work and the process.
Question 7: Under PSM, a hot work permit is required for work involving:
- Work performed in confined spaces
- Ignition sources in or near a covered process (Correct answer)
- Use of respiratory protection
- High-temperature chemical sampling
Correct answer: Ignition sources in or near a covered process
1910.119(k) requires hot work permits for any hot work operations conducted on or near a covered process to control ignition sources near flammable or explosive materials.
ISC Process Safety Management 2
Under OSHA PSM, how soon after an incident or near-miss must an investigation be initiated?