SAF Hazard Identification & Assessment 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is a type of which analytical approach?
- Inductive, bottom-up analysis
- Deductive, top-down analysis (Correct answer)
- Qualitative checklist review
- Prospective ergonomic assessment
Correct answer: Deductive, top-down analysis
FTA is a deductive, top-down method that starts with an undesired event (top event) and works backward to identify root causes using logic gates.
Question 2: Which term describes the probability that exposure to a hazard will result in injury or illness?
- Hazard severity
- Risk likelihood (Correct answer)
- Residual risk
- Exposure limit
Correct answer: Risk likelihood
Risk likelihood (probability) quantifies how probable it is that a given hazard exposure will cause harm under defined conditions.
Question 3: OSHA's General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)) requires employers to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause what?
- Property damage
- Production delays
- Death or serious physical harm (Correct answer)
- Minor injuries only
Correct answer: Death or serious physical harm
The General Duty Clause requires employers to address recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees.
Question 4: When conducting a baseline hazard survey, which source of information is MOST useful for identifying chemical hazards?
- Employee attendance records
- Safety Data Sheets (SDS) (Correct answer)
- Production schedules
- Maintenance work orders
Correct answer: Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
Safety Data Sheets provide detailed chemical composition, health hazards, exposure limits, and handling precautions for hazardous substances.
Question 5: In a risk assessment, 'residual risk' refers to the risk that remains after:
- All hazards have been identified but before assessment
- Controls have been implemented (Correct answer)
- Workers are trained but before PPE is issued
- The incident has occurred and investigation is complete
Correct answer: Controls have been implemented
Residual risk is the level of risk that persists after all feasible controls have been applied, which must be managed or accepted.
Question 6: Which method involves workers systematically examining a checklist of potential hazards specific to their work area?
- HAZOP study
- Change analysis
- Safety inspection checklist (Correct answer)
- Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA)
Correct answer: Safety inspection checklist
Safety inspection checklists provide a structured list of known hazards that workers or safety personnel systematically verify during workplace walkthroughs.
Question 7: The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) standardizes which aspect of chemical hazard communication?
- Acceptable exposure limits (AELs)
- Incident investigation procedures
- Hazard classification and labeling (Correct answer)
- Personal protective equipment selection
Correct answer: Hazard classification and labeling
GHS standardizes criteria for classifying chemical hazards and the format of labels and SDSs to ensure consistent global communication.
SAF Hazard Identification & Assessment 3
A Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is a type of which analytical approach?