ASP Risk Assessment and Management 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A facility uses the Dow Fire and Explosion Index (F&EI) to evaluate process hazards. What does a higher F&EI value indicate?
- Lower material reactivity
- Greater potential for a catastrophic fire or explosion event (Correct answer)
- Reduced need for safety controls
- Lower inventory of flammable materials
Correct answer: Greater potential for a catastrophic fire or explosion event
The Dow F&EI assigns a numerical score where higher values indicate greater potential damage radius and severity from fire or explosion events.
Question 2: Which risk matrix component determines whether a risk is classified as 'high,' 'medium,' or 'low'?
- The number of exposed workers only
- The combination of likelihood and consequence ratings (Correct answer)
- Regulatory inspection frequency
- Insurance premium costs
Correct answer: The combination of likelihood and consequence ratings
A risk matrix combines the probability (likelihood) and severity (consequence) of a hazard to produce an overall risk level classification.
Question 3: During a job hazard analysis (JHA), a safety professional breaks a task into discrete steps. What is the PRIMARY reason for this approach?
- To comply with OSHA recordkeeping requirements
- To identify specific hazards associated with each step and develop targeted controls (Correct answer)
- To train new employees on job titles
- To calculate workers' compensation costs
Correct answer: To identify specific hazards associated with each step and develop targeted controls
Breaking tasks into steps allows the analyst to pinpoint exactly where and how hazards arise, enabling precise control measures for each step.
Question 4: What is 'residual risk' in the context of a risk assessment?
- The initial risk level before any controls are applied
- The risk that remains after all feasible controls have been implemented (Correct answer)
- The risk transferred to an insurance carrier
- The cumulative risk across all company facilities
Correct answer: The risk that remains after all feasible controls have been implemented
Residual risk is the risk level that persists even after control measures have been put in place, representing the unavoidable remainder.
Question 5: An employer uses the 'as low as reasonably practicable' (ALARP) principle. What does this require?
- Eliminating all risk regardless of cost
- Reducing risk until further reduction would be grossly disproportionate to the benefit gained (Correct answer)
- Accepting any risk that falls within regulatory limits
- Applying only administrative controls
Correct answer: Reducing risk until further reduction would be grossly disproportionate to the benefit gained
ALARP requires reducing risk to a level where the cost of further reduction is disproportionate to the safety benefit achieved.
Question 6: A fault tree analysis (FTA) uses which type of logic gates to trace the causes of a top event?
- NAND and NOR gates exclusively
- AND and OR gates (Correct answer)
- XOR and XNOR gates
- Conditional and inhibit gates only
Correct answer: AND and OR gates
FTA primarily uses AND gates (all inputs must occur) and OR gates (any input is sufficient) to map causal pathways to the undesired top event.
Question 7: When applying the hierarchy of controls, which option is considered MORE effective than substitution but LESS effective than elimination?
- Administrative controls
- Personal protective equipment
- Engineering controls
- There is no control ranked between elimination and substitution (Correct answer)
Correct answer: There is no control ranked between elimination and substitution
In the hierarchy of controls, elimination is the most effective, followed directly by substitution — there is no intermediate level between them.
ASP Risk Assessment and Management 4
A facility uses the Dow Fire and Explosion Index (F&EI) to evaluate process hazards.
What does a higher F&EI value indicate?