Risk Assessment and Mitigation Flashcards
7 cards from real SMSTS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Risk Assessment and Mitigation flashcards as text
A risk assessment for demolition work identifies a risk of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). What is the correct course of action before demolition begins?
Answer: Commission an asbestos survey and remove or encapsulate ACMs under a licensed contractor before demolition
CAR 2012 requires identification and management of ACMs before demolition; licensed removal is mandatory for higher-risk asbestos materials.
The 'five steps to risk assessment' approach recommended by the HSE begins with which step?
Answer: Identify the hazards
The first step in the HSE's five-step process is hazard identification, before considering who is at risk or evaluating control options.
A principal contractor receives a risk assessment from a subcontractor that the site manager considers inadequate. What is the correct action?
Answer: Return the assessment to the subcontractor and require it to be revised before work commences
The principal contractor must ensure subcontractors' risk assessments are suitable and sufficient before any work starts; inadequate assessments must be revised.
Why is worker consultation an important part of the risk assessment process?
Answer: Workers have first-hand knowledge of practical hazards that may not be apparent to management
Workers performing the tasks often identify hazards and practical solutions that managers or assessors overlook, improving the quality and completeness of risk assessments.
Which of the following is an example of a 'substitution' control measure in the risk assessment hierarchy?
Answer: Replacing a solvent-based adhesive with a water-based, low-VOC alternative
Substitution involves replacing a hazardous substance or process with a less hazardous one, which is the second level of the control hierarchy after elimination.
A site manager must ensure risk assessments are 'suitable and sufficient.' Which criteria BEST defines this standard?
Answer: The assessment correctly identifies significant risks and the measures needed to reduce them to ALARP
Suitable and sufficient means the assessment focuses on real, significant risks and provides practical controls that reduce risk to as low as reasonably practicable.
On a construction site, a task involves using a mobile elevated work platform (MEWP). A risk assessment has been completed but a technician notices that ground conditions have changed due to heavy rain. What should happen next?
Answer: Stop work, re-assess ground conditions, and update the risk assessment before resuming MEWP operations
Changed ground conditions directly affect MEWP stability and overturn risk; the risk assessment must be reviewed and controls updated before work resumes.