F80 Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under OSHA's General Duty Clause, employers are required to:
- Provide free medical checkups for all employees annually
- Furnish a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious harm (Correct answer)
- Replace all equipment older than ten years
- Conduct daily safety inspections and file them with OSHA
Correct answer: Furnish a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious harm
Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, the General Duty Clause, requires employers to provide a workplace free from recognized serious hazards.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes a 'leading indicator' in workplace safety?
- Number of recordable injuries in the past year
- Frequency of safety training completed before incidents occur (Correct answer)
- Total workers' compensation costs paid out
- Number of lost workdays due to injury
Correct answer: Frequency of safety training completed before incidents occur
Leading indicators are proactive measures, such as training completion rates, that predict future safety performance rather than reporting past incidents.
Question 3: When conducting a facility walk-through for hazard identification, which approach is most effective?
- Review only areas that had injuries in the previous year
- Observe tasks during normal operations using a systematic checklist (Correct answer)
- Rely solely on employee complaints to identify problem areas
- Inspect the facility only during scheduled OSHA visits
Correct answer: Observe tasks during normal operations using a systematic checklist
A systematic walk-through during normal operations using a checklist captures actual conditions and behaviors that might be missed by other methods.
Question 4: Which type of hazard involves viruses, bacteria, or other biological agents that can cause illness?
- Chemical hazard
- Physical hazard
- Biological hazard (Correct answer)
- Ergonomic hazard
Correct answer: Biological hazard
Biological hazards include microorganisms and other living agents such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites that pose health risks.
Question 5: A 'fault tree analysis' (FTA) is best described as:
- A checklist for daily equipment inspections
- A top-down graphical method that traces the causes of an undesired event (Correct answer)
- A ranking system for worker performance reviews
- A log of near-miss incidents over a calendar year
Correct answer: A top-down graphical method that traces the causes of an undesired event
Fault tree analysis starts with an undesired event and works backward to identify root causes using a tree-shaped logical diagram.
Question 6: Which factor does NOT typically affect the severity rating in a risk assessment?
- Number of people exposed to the hazard
- Reversibility of the potential injury
- Color of the safety signs posted near the hazard (Correct answer)
- Body part or system affected by the hazard
Correct answer: Color of the safety signs posted near the hazard
Sign color is an administrative communication tool and does not directly affect the actual severity of potential harm from a hazard.
Question 7: In the context of process safety management (PSM), a Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) is required for:
- All general industry worksites regardless of materials
- Facilities that handle highly hazardous chemicals above threshold quantities (Correct answer)
- Any workplace that uses forklifts or powered industrial trucks
- Offices where workers use computers for more than four hours daily
Correct answer: Facilities that handle highly hazardous chemicals above threshold quantities
OSHA's PSM standard (29 CFR 1910.119) requires a PHA for facilities that hold highly hazardous chemicals at or above specified threshold quantities.
F80 Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment 3
Under OSHA's General Duty Clause, employers are required to: