CHST Safety Program Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to OSHA's Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs, what are the seven core elements of an effective Safety and Health Management System?
- Management Leadership; Worker Participation; Hazard Identification and Assessment; Hazard Prevention and Control; Education and Training; Program Evaluation and Improvement; Communication and Coordination for Multi-employer Worksites (Correct answer)
- Written safety policy; safety committee; PPE program; OSHA 300 Log; first aid kits; emergency plan; safety posters
- Safety officer appointment; safety manual; annual training; incident log; insurance coverage; PPE; supervisor inspections
- OSHA compliance audit; risk matrix; safety budget; recordkeeping; inspections; contractor management; performance reviews
Correct answer: Management Leadership; Worker Participation; Hazard Identification and Assessment; Hazard Prevention and Control; Education and Training; Program Evaluation and Improvement; Communication and Coordination for Multi-employer Worksites
OSHA's Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs identify seven core elements: Management Leadership, Worker Participation, Hazard Identification and Assessment, Hazard Prevention and Control, Education and Training, Program Evaluation and Improvement, and Communication and Coordination for multi-employer worksites.
OSHA's Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs (2016) describe seven core elements: (1) Management Leadership; (2) Worker Participation; (3) Hazard Identification and Assessment; (4) Hazard Prevention and Control using the hierarchy of controls; (5) Education and Training; (6) Program Evaluation and Improvement; (7) Communication and Coordination for Multi-employer Worksites. These elements are foundational to ANSI Z10, ISO 45001, and the BCSP CHST exam Body of Knowledge.
Question 2: What is a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA), and what is the correct sequence of steps for conducting one?
- A systematic tool to identify hazards for each job step; the sequence is: select the job, break the job into sequential steps, identify hazards for each step, and develop controls for each hazard (Correct answer)
- A JHA is the same as a risk assessment and begins with choosing PPE
- A JHA is only conducted after an incident has occurred
- A JHA identifies only fall hazards on construction sites
Correct answer: A systematic tool to identify hazards for each job step; the sequence is: select the job, break the job into sequential steps, identify hazards for each step, and develop controls for each hazard
A Job Hazard Analysis breaks a job into sequential steps, identifies hazards associated with each step, and determines appropriate controls to eliminate or reduce those hazards before work begins.
A Job Hazard Analysis (JHA), also called Job Safety Analysis (JSA) or Activity Hazard Analysis (AHA), is a proactive tool for identifying and controlling hazards before work begins. Steps: (1) Select the job to analyze — prioritize by injury frequency, severity, or new/changed tasks; (2) Break the job into sequential steps — typically 10 to 15 steps; (3) Identify hazards for each step using what-if analysis, historical data, and worker input; (4) Determine controls using the hierarchy of controls. Workers who perform the task should be involved — their knowledge of actual conditions is critical.
Question 3: In a multi-employer construction worksite, OSHA's multi-employer citation policy can hold which types of employers liable?
- The creating employer, the exposing employer, the correcting employer, and the controlling employer — each based on their specific role and responsibility (Correct answer)
- Only the general contractor, who bears all safety liability on site
- Only the subcontractor whose workers were exposed
- Liability rests solely with the worker who committed the unsafe act
Correct answer: The creating employer, the exposing employer, the correcting employer, and the controlling employer — each based on their specific role and responsibility
OSHA's multi-employer citation policy can hold creating, exposing, correcting, and controlling employers each responsible for hazards based on their specific obligations and knowledge on a shared construction site.
OSHA's Multi-Employer Citation Policy (CPL 02-00-124) establishes four employer roles: (1) Creating employer — created the hazard; (2) Exposing employer — whose workers are exposed; (3) Correcting employer — responsible for correcting the hazard; (4) Controlling employer — has general supervisory authority over the site. A general contractor acting as controlling employer can be cited even if only a subcontractor's workers were exposed, if the GC failed to exercise reasonable care in monitoring safety.
Question 4: Under OSHA 29 CFR 1926.21, what are the employer's obligations regarding construction safety training?
- Employers must instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and in the regulations applicable to their work environment (Correct answer)
- Training is only required when a worker receives a safety citation
- Employers must provide OSHA 10-hour training to all workers before site entry
- Training requirements only apply to workers with less than 1 year of experience
Correct answer: Employers must instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and in the regulations applicable to their work environment
OSHA 1926.21(b)(2) requires employers to instruct each worker to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions and understand the regulations applicable to their work environment, ensuring workers can protect themselves from specific hazards they face.
OSHA 1926.21(b)(2) states that employers shall instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and the regulations applicable to their work environment to control or eliminate any hazards or other exposure to illness or injury. This is a baseline training duty. In addition, OSHA has specific training requirements in numerous standards (fall protection, excavation, scaffolding, electrical, PPE, HazCom) that specify content, frequency, and competency requirements. The OSHA 10- and 30-hour outreach programs are voluntary awareness tools, not OSHA-required certifications.
Question 5: What does 'safety culture' refer to in construction safety program management?
- The shared values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors regarding safety in an organization — including how leadership's visible commitment influences worker behavior and incident rates (Correct answer)
- The number of safety posters displayed on the job site
- Whether workers have completed OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 training
- The organization's OSHA compliance record and number of citations
Correct answer: The shared values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors regarding safety in an organization — including how leadership's visible commitment influences worker behavior and incident rates
Safety culture refers to deep, shared organizational values and norms about safety — including management commitment, worker trust, and behavioral norms that collectively determine how safely people work even when no one is watching.
Safety culture reflects shared assumptions, values, and beliefs about the importance of safety and how risks should be managed. Key dimensions include: (1) Management commitment and leadership visibility — workers mirror what leaders do, not just what they say; (2) Trust and psychological safety — workers must feel safe reporting hazards without fear of retaliation; (3) Just culture — distinguishing between human error and reckless behavior; (4) Learning culture — using incidents and near misses to improve. Research shows strong safety culture is the best predictor of low injury rates.
Question 6: What is the purpose of a 'Behavior-Based Safety' (BBS) program, and what is its primary criticism from safety professionals?
- BBS focuses on observing and reinforcing safe worker behaviors; the primary criticism is that it focuses on individual worker behavior while potentially deflecting attention from systemic hazards and management failures (Correct answer)
- BBS programs are universally accepted as the single most effective safety intervention with no significant criticisms
- BBS programs only apply to manufacturing, not construction
- BBS programs are an OSHA-mandated element of safety management
Correct answer: BBS focuses on observing and reinforcing safe worker behaviors; the primary criticism is that it focuses on individual worker behavior while potentially deflecting attention from systemic hazards and management failures
BBS programs observe worker behavior and provide feedback to reinforce safe behaviors. Critics argue they focus disproportionately on worker behavior rather than addressing systemic and management-level root causes.
Behavior-Based Safety programs are designed to reduce injuries by increasing the frequency of safe behaviors through systematic observation, feedback, and positive reinforcement. Strengths include worker engagement and near-real-time hazard feedback. The primary criticism is that BBS programs may place blame on workers through 'unsafe acts' identification while overlooking management systems, equipment design, inadequate procedures, and other organizational factors. Modern safety management thinking emphasizes fixing systems rather than fixing people.
CHST Safety Program Management 2
According to OSHA's Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs, what are the seven core elements of an effective Safety and Health Management System?