STSC Hazard Communication (HazCom) and Chemical Safety 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under OSHA 29 CFR 1926.59, when must employees receive HazCom training?
- Only after a chemical spill occurs
- At the time of initial assignment and whenever a new hazard is introduced (Correct answer)
- Every five years regardless of chemical changes
- Only when requested by the employee
Correct answer: At the time of initial assignment and whenever a new hazard is introduced
HazCom training is required before initial assignment to a work area with hazardous chemicals and whenever new chemical hazards are introduced.
Question 2: A construction crew begins using a new concrete admixture on site. The SDS lists an OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for one of its components. What does the PEL represent?
- The amount at which the chemical smells detectable
- The legal maximum airborne concentration allowed during an 8-hour workday (Correct answer)
- The concentration that immediately causes symptoms
- The level at which the chemical ignites
Correct answer: The legal maximum airborne concentration allowed during an 8-hour workday
A PEL is OSHA's legally enforceable airborne concentration limit averaged over an 8-hour work shift to protect worker health.
Question 3: Which section of the SDS provides first-aid instructions if a worker splashes a chemical in their eyes?
- Section 2 – Hazard Identification
- Section 4 – First-Aid Measures (Correct answer)
- Section 6 – Accidental Release Measures
- Section 11 – Toxicological Information
Correct answer: Section 4 – First-Aid Measures
Section 4 of the SDS details first-aid measures for each exposure route, including eye contact, ingestion, and inhalation.
Question 4: A hazardous chemical has the GHS signal word 'Warning' on its label. What does this indicate compared to a chemical labeled 'Danger'?
- Warning means the chemical is non-toxic
- Warning indicates a less severe hazard than Danger (Correct answer)
- Warning and Danger are interchangeable terms
- Warning means the chemical requires no PPE
Correct answer: Warning indicates a less severe hazard than Danger
'Warning' signals a less severe hazard category, while 'Danger' is reserved for the most severe hazard categories within a class.
Question 5: On a construction site, a worker needs to transfer a hazardous chemical into a smaller portable container for immediate use. Under HazCom, is a label required on the portable container?
- Yes, always — every container must be labeled
- No, if the worker who filled it will use it exclusively during that shift (Correct answer)
- No, containers under one gallon never need labels
- Yes, but only if the chemical is flammable
Correct answer: No, if the worker who filled it will use it exclusively during that shift
OSHA allows an exemption from labeling for portable containers filled by workers for their own immediate use during the same shift.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of the written Hazard Communication Program that employers must maintain?
- To document chemical purchase costs
- To describe how the employer will implement all elements of the HazCom standard (Correct answer)
- To replace the need for SDSs on site
- To list only flammable chemicals used on site
Correct answer: To describe how the employer will implement all elements of the HazCom standard
The written HazCom program explains how the employer implements labeling, SDS management, and employee training requirements.
Question 7: A construction supervisor receives an SDS written in a foreign language for a chemical purchased overseas. What must happen before the chemical can be used on a US job site?
- Workers can use it since chemicals work the same in any language
- An English-language SDS must be obtained or created before use (Correct answer)
- The supervisor must simply summarize the hazards verbally
- Use is permitted if the pictograms are visible
Correct answer: An English-language SDS must be obtained or created before use
OSHA requires SDSs to be in English (and any other language predominant in the workplace), so an English SDS must be available before use.
STSC Hazard Communication (HazCom) and Chemical Safety 5
Under OSHA 29 CFR 1926.59, when must employees receive HazCom training?