PTS PTS - Personal Track Safety Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A new employee states they are allergic to latex and cannot wear the standard latex gloves provided. What is the correct response?
- Require the employee to work without gloves since alternatives are not available
- Provide latex-free gloves that offer equivalent protection (Correct answer)
- Allow the employee to wrap their hands in cloth as a substitute
- Exempt the employee from hand protection requirements
Correct answer: Provide latex-free gloves that offer equivalent protection
Employers must provide latex-free gloves with equivalent protection for workers with latex allergies to comply with OSHA requirements and protect the worker.
Question 2: What is the minimum ANSI visibility class required for workers on or adjacent to an active railroad track during daytime?
- Class 1
- Class 2 (Correct answer)
- Class 3
- No minimum class is specified for daytime
Correct answer: Class 2
ANSI Class 2 is the minimum required for workers near active railroad tracks during daytime, providing sufficient background material and retroreflective tape.
Question 3: Who is responsible for ensuring that PPE fits each individual worker correctly?
- Only the manufacturer, through sizing charts
- The worker alone, since they know their own size
- The employer, who must provide properly fitting PPE and training (Correct answer)
- The union safety representative exclusively
Correct answer: The employer, who must provide properly fitting PPE and training
Under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.132, the employer is responsible for providing properly fitting PPE and training workers on its correct use.
Question 4: A track inspector working alone at night approaches a dark bridge deck. Which PPE consideration is most critical in this scenario?
- Switching to a lower-class vest because it is after hours
- Ensuring hi-vis clothing with retroreflective tape is worn and a headlamp is used (Correct answer)
- Wearing dark clothing to avoid distracting approaching train crews
- No additional PPE beyond daytime requirements is needed
Correct answer: Ensuring hi-vis clothing with retroreflective tape is worn and a headlamp is used
At night, retroreflective properties of hi-vis clothing become the primary visibility mechanism, and a headlamp improves the worker's own visibility of hazards.
Question 5: What action should a worker take if they are issued PPE that does not fit properly?
- Use it anyway and adapt their work technique to compensate
- Modify the PPE themselves to improve fit
- Report the issue to their supervisor and request properly fitting PPE before beginning work (Correct answer)
- Work the shift and report the issue afterward
Correct answer: Report the issue to their supervisor and request properly fitting PPE before beginning work
Ill-fitting PPE may not provide adequate protection; workers must report the issue and receive properly fitting equipment before starting work.
Question 6: During a PTS briefing, the foreman identifies a welding operation nearby. Which additional PPE should adjacent track workers consider?
- No change to standard PPE since they are not welding
- Shade-appropriate welding goggles or filtered safety glasses to protect from arc flash (Correct answer)
- Full SCBA due to welding fumes outdoors
- Double hi-vis vests to reflect welding light
Correct answer: Shade-appropriate welding goggles or filtered safety glasses to protect from arc flash
Arc flash from nearby welding can cause eye injury; adjacent workers should use appropriate filtered eye protection even if they are not performing the welding.
Question 7: A track foreman observes a worker who has removed their hard hat because the sun is hot. What is the correct immediate action?
- Allow it since heat stress is a greater hazard than falling objects in open track
- Note the infraction and address it in the next safety meeting
- Direct the worker to replace the hard hat immediately and explain the hazard (Correct answer)
- Issue a written warning and allow the worker to continue without the hat
Correct answer: Direct the worker to replace the hard hat immediately and explain the hazard
The foreman must immediately direct the worker to replace the hard hat; PPE must be worn continuously in designated areas and removing it creates an immediate hazard.
PTS PTS - Personal Track Safety Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 5
A new employee states they are allergic to latex and cannot wear the standard latex gloves provided.
What is the correct response?