STSC Personal Protective Equipment in Construction 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under OSHA 29 CFR 1926.95, who is responsible for ensuring that required PPE is provided, used, and maintained?
- The employee
- The employer (Correct answer)
- The safety officer only
- The PPE manufacturer
Correct answer: The employer
OSHA 29 CFR 1926.95 places the responsibility for providing, enforcing, and maintaining PPE squarely on the employer.
Question 2: A worker is cutting concrete blocks, generating silica dust. Which respirator is the MINIMUM OSHA-acceptable protection for this task?
- N95 filtering facepiece
- N100 filtering facepiece
- Half-face air-purifying respirator with P100 filters (Correct answer)
- A disposable dust mask (not NIOSH-approved)
Correct answer: Half-face air-purifying respirator with P100 filters
OSHA's silica standard (1926.1153) requires at minimum a half-face APR with P100 (or equivalent) filters for most concrete-cutting tasks without engineering controls.
Question 3: What is the purpose of the ANSI/ISEA 107 standard as it applies to PPE on construction sites?
- It sets limits for noise exposure levels
- It establishes performance requirements for high-visibility safety apparel (Correct answer)
- It defines fall protection anchorage strength
- It specifies hard hat impact ratings
Correct answer: It establishes performance requirements for high-visibility safety apparel
ANSI/ISEA 107 establishes performance and design requirements for high-visibility safety apparel to ensure workers are visible to equipment operators and motorists.
Question 4: A safety supervisor notices a worker's safety harness webbing has a cut through roughly 40% of its width. The correct action is to:
- Tag and return the harness to service after the cut is confirmed not to affect load-bearing straps
- Remove the harness from service immediately and destroy or quarantine it (Correct answer)
- Wrap the cut with heavy-duty tape and continue use
- Reduce the working height to under 6 feet so the harness is not required
Correct answer: Remove the harness from service immediately and destroy or quarantine it
Any physical damage to harness webbing, including cuts, burns, or abrasions, requires immediate removal from service because compromised webbing cannot be repaired.
Question 5: Which ANSI class of hard hat offers protection from electrical contact up to 20,000 volts?
- Class G (General)
- Class E (Electrical) (Correct answer)
- Class C (Conductive)
- Class V (Voltage)
Correct answer: Class E (Electrical)
ANSI Class E (Electrical) hard hats are tested and rated to protect against electrical contact up to 20,000 volts.
Question 6: During a pre-use inspection of safety goggles, the lens shows deep scratches across the central viewing area. The supervisor should:
- Polish the lens with a soft cloth and return to service
- Allow use only for low-hazard tasks
- Remove the goggles from service and replace them (Correct answer)
- Document the damage and schedule replacement within 30 days
Correct answer: Remove the goggles from service and replace them
Deep lens scratches impair vision and can create stress fractures that compromise impact protection, requiring immediate replacement.
Question 7: OSHA requires hearing protection to be provided when noise exposures exceed what 8-hour TWA (time-weighted average)?
- 75 dBA
- 85 dBA (Correct answer)
- 90 dBA
- 100 dBA
Correct answer: 85 dBA
OSHA's hearing conservation standard (29 CFR 1926.52) requires hearing protection be made available when the 8-hour TWA reaches 85 dBA.
STSC Personal Protective Equipment in Construction 4
Under OSHA 29 CFR 1926.95, who is responsible for ensuring that required PPE is provided, used, and maintained?