WPR Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Who is responsible for ensuring that workers in a permitted work area are wearing the correct PPE?
- Only the safety department
- The WPR, in coordination with the permit issuer and site safety officer (Correct answer)
- Each worker independently with no oversight
- The client representative
Correct answer: The WPR, in coordination with the permit issuer and site safety officer
The WPR shares responsibility for PPE compliance within the permitted work zone, as part of their role in enforcing permit conditions.
Question 2: PPE requirements for a specific job should be determined by:
- Worker preference and comfort
- A hazard assessment that identifies the risks and the controls needed to mitigate them (Correct answer)
- The cost of available PPE
- What PPE is in stock
Correct answer: A hazard assessment that identifies the risks and the controls needed to mitigate them
Hazard assessments drive PPE selection; PPE chosen without hazard evaluation may be inappropriate and provide a false sense of protection.
Question 3: Before issuing PPE to workers on a permitted job, the WPR should verify:
- That the PPE matches the brand name on the permit
- That the PPE is appropriate for the identified hazards, in good condition, and properly sized for each worker (Correct answer)
- That PPE costs fit within the project budget
- That PPE was purchased in the current calendar year
Correct answer: That the PPE is appropriate for the identified hazards, in good condition, and properly sized for each worker
PPE that is damaged, improperly sized, or mismatched to the hazard provides inadequate protection and may create additional risk.
Question 4: In a confined space with an IDLH (Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health) atmosphere, workers must wear:
- A half-face respirator with P100 filters
- Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) or supplied-air respirator with escape bottle (Correct answer)
- A dust mask rated N95
- A full-face respirator with organic vapor cartridges
Correct answer: Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) or supplied-air respirator with escape bottle
IDLH conditions require SCBA or supplied-air respirators that provide completely independent air supplies not reliant on ambient air quality.
Question 5: What ANSI/ISEA standard governs high-visibility safety apparel used in US work sites?
- ANSI/ISEA 107 (Correct answer)
- ANSI Z87.1
- ANSI Z89.1
- ANSI/ISEA 138
Correct answer: ANSI/ISEA 107
ANSI/ISEA 107 specifies performance requirements for high-visibility safety apparel including vests, jackets, and coveralls.
Question 6: A worker's hard hat is cracked after being struck by a falling object. The WPR should:
- Allow the worker to continue if the crack is minor
- Remove the hard hat from service immediately and replace it with an undamaged one (Correct answer)
- Apply tape to the crack and continue work
- Check the hard hat again at end of shift
Correct answer: Remove the hard hat from service immediately and replace it with an undamaged one
Any impact to a hard hat can compromise its structural integrity; damaged hard hats must be immediately taken out of service.
WPR Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 1
Who is responsible for ensuring that workers in a permitted work area are wearing the correct PPE?