STSC Safety Program Implementation 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which metric is MOST useful for evaluating the proactive effectiveness of a construction safety program?
- Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR)
- Lost Time Injury Frequency
- Number of safety inspections completed
- Number of near-miss reports filed (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Number of near-miss reports filed
Near-miss reporting is a leading (proactive) indicator that reveals hazards before injuries occur, making it more useful for program improvement than lagging indicators.
Question 2: When must employers notify OSHA of a work-related fatality under 29 CFR 1904?
- Within 8 hours (Correct answer)
- Within 24 hours
- Within 48 hours
- By the end of the business day
Correct answer: Within 8 hours
OSHA requires employers to report a work-related fatality within 8 hours of learning about it.
Question 3: A construction safety program's written emergency action plan must include which of the following?
- A list of all OSHA citations received in the past year
- Procedures for reporting fires and other emergencies (Correct answer)
- Monthly inspection records signed by a licensed engineer
- Copies of all worker's compensation claims
Correct answer: Procedures for reporting fires and other emergencies
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38 requires emergency action plans to include procedures for reporting emergencies such as fires.
Question 4: What is the role of management commitment in a construction safety program?
- It is optional if workers are experienced
- It sets the tone and allocates resources that make safety effective (Correct answer)
- It is limited to signing required OSHA forms
- It only matters during OSHA inspections
Correct answer: It sets the tone and allocates resources that make safety effective
Visible management commitment signals that safety is a core value and ensures the resources, authority, and accountability needed to implement the program effectively.
Question 5: During a safety program audit, an inspector finds that corrective actions from a previous audit were never completed. This MOST likely indicates:
- Workers are not reporting hazards accurately
- The program lacks an accountability or follow-up mechanism (Correct answer)
- OSHA standards are too difficult to comply with
- The site does not need those corrective actions
Correct answer: The program lacks an accountability or follow-up mechanism
Unresolved corrective actions indicate a breakdown in the program's accountability and follow-up system, not worker behavior or standard difficulty.
Question 6: Which approach BEST ensures that safety training is actually understood by construction workers?
- Distributing written safety manuals in English only
- Conducting verbal tests after each training session
- Using demonstrations, hands-on practice, and confirming comprehension (Correct answer)
- Posting safety rules on bulletin boards throughout the site
Correct answer: Using demonstrations, hands-on practice, and confirming comprehension
Demonstrations and hands-on practice with comprehension checks are most effective because they engage multiple learning modalities and confirm actual understanding.
Question 7: A supervisor is implementing a new fall protection program. Which action should be completed BEFORE workers begin using new fall arrest equipment?
- Order extra equipment in case of loss
- Train workers on the proper use, inspection, and limitations of the equipment (Correct answer)
- File the equipment purchase receipts with OSHA
- Wait 30 days to assess worker acceptance
Correct answer: Train workers on the proper use, inspection, and limitations of the equipment
OSHA requires that workers be trained on fall protection systems before use, including proper donning, inspection procedures, and system limitations.
STSC Safety Program Implementation 5
Which metric is MOST useful for evaluating the proactive effectiveness of a construction safety program?