Certified Safety Professional Exam Environmental Safety and Regulatory Compliance 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal law in the U.S. requires facilities that store or release hazardous chemicals to report them to state and local emergency planning committees?
- RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act)
- CERCLA (Superfund)
- EPCRA (Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act) (Correct answer)
- TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act)
Correct answer: EPCRA (Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act)
EPCRA (SARA Title III) requires facilities to notify local emergency planning committees about hazardous chemical inventories and report accidental releases.
Question 2: What does a Tier II report under EPCRA Section 312 require facilities to disclose?
- Annual greenhouse gas emissions
- Inventory of hazardous chemicals stored on-site above threshold quantities (Correct answer)
- List of all workplace injuries and illnesses
- Environmental audit findings
Correct answer: Inventory of hazardous chemicals stored on-site above threshold quantities
Tier II reports require facilities to provide annual chemical inventory information (name, quantity, location, hazard type) to state/local agencies when threshold quantities are met.
Question 3: Under RCRA, what distinguishes a 'characteristic hazardous waste' from a 'listed hazardous waste'?
- Listed wastes are from specific industries; characteristic wastes exhibit ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity (Correct answer)
- Characteristic wastes are more strictly regulated than listed wastes
- Listed wastes require no special disposal; characteristic wastes do
- There is no regulatory difference between the two categories
Correct answer: Listed wastes are from specific industries; characteristic wastes exhibit ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity
Listed hazardous wastes are specifically named in EPA regulations, while characteristic hazardous wastes are identified by testing for four properties: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity.
Question 4: What is the purpose of a Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan under EPA regulations?
- To document hazardous waste generation rates
- To prevent oil discharges to navigable waters and establish response procedures (Correct answer)
- To train workers in emergency medical response
- To monitor groundwater contamination from underground storage tanks
Correct answer: To prevent oil discharges to navigable waters and establish response procedures
The SPCC rule (40 CFR Part 112) requires facilities storing oil above threshold quantities to develop plans preventing oil spills from reaching navigable waters.
Question 5: What is the regulatory significance of a substance being listed on the EPA's Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHS) list under EPCRA?
- It triggers mandatory evacuation of the surrounding community
- It requires facilities storing it above threshold planning quantities to notify local emergency planners (Correct answer)
- It bans the substance from industrial use
- It mandates federal facility inspection every 30 days
Correct answer: It requires facilities storing it above threshold planning quantities to notify local emergency planners
Facilities storing EHS above threshold planning quantities must notify their Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and participate in emergency planning activities.
Question 6: Which EPA regulation governs the cleanup of contaminated sites (Superfund sites) by requiring polluters to pay for remediation?
- RCRA
- EPCRA
- TSCA
- CERCLA (Correct answer)
Correct answer: CERCLA
CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) — the Superfund law — establishes liability for contaminated site cleanup and funds remediation when responsible parties cannot be identified.
Certified Safety Professional Exam Environmental Safety and Regulatory Compliance 1
Which federal law in the U.S. requires facilities that store or release hazardous chemicals to report them to state and local emergency planning committees?