PTS - Personal Track Safety COSS Roles and Responsibilities Questions and Answers

Question 1

A COSS is setting up a Safe System of Work (SSOW) before work commences. Which of the following is a mandatory action the COSS must complete with every member of the workgroup?

Accepted Answer

Ensure every individual has personally signed the safety briefing form to confirm their understanding.

Answer

The COSS is responsible for briefing the entire team on the SSOW. A critical part of this process is ensuring each individual confirms they have understood the briefing by signing the official record, typically the NR3181 or a similar form. This creates a formal record of the briefing being delivered and understood.

Question 2

A new team member arrives at a worksite midway through a shift. What is the COSS's primary responsibility towards this individual before they are allowed to proceed to the work area?

Accepted Answer

Provide them with a full safety briefing, including the SSOW, access points, and hazards, and ensure they understand it.

Answer

The COSS is responsible for the safety of every person in their group. Any individual joining the group, regardless of when they arrive, must receive a full and comprehensive safety briefing from the COSS before they can start any work or even enter the site of work.

Question 3

During a work task, visibility suddenly and severely deteriorates due to thick fog, making the lookout-based Safe System of Work (SSOW) potentially unsafe. What is the correct and immediate action for the COSS to take?

Accepted Answer

Stop all work immediately and move the group to a position of safety until the SSOW can be re-evaluated.

Answer

The COSS has the ultimate responsibility and authority to maintain safety. If conditions change and the current SSOW is no longer adequate (e.g., lookouts cannot see the required distance), the COSS must stop all work immediately. Work cannot resume until a safe system, appropriate for the new conditions, is established.

Question 4

Who holds the sole responsibility for implementing the Safe System of Work (SSOW) and serves as the single point of contact for safety for a workgroup on or near the line?

Accepted Answer

The Controller of Site Safety (COSS).

Answer

The Controller of Site Safety (COSS) is the designated competent person responsible for the safety of a workgroup. They implement the SSOW and are the single point of contact for all safety matters relating to that group, ensuring everyone is protected from train movements.

Question 5

A COSS must check the Sentinel card of every member of their workgroup. According to Sentinel scheme rules, when must this check be performed?

Accepted Answer

Every time an individual reports for duty with their workgroup for a shift.

Answer

Sentinel rules mandate that a competence and fitness-to-work check must be carried out by the COSS for every person, every time they join the workgroup for a shift. This ensures that everyone on site has the current and valid competencies required for the work.

PTS - Personal Track Safety Practice Test

PTS - Personal Track Safety Practice Test

PTS - Personal Track Safety COSS Roles and Responsibilities Questions and Answers