NYC Problem Sensitivity and Judgment 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A city sanitation worker notices that a resident's recycling bin contains hazardous materials mixed with regular recyclables. What is the most appropriate immediate action?
- Empty the bin into the recycling truck to avoid delay
- Leave the bin uncollected and attach a notice explaining proper disposal (Correct answer)
- Remove the hazardous items by hand and collect the rest
- Report the violation to police immediately
Correct answer: Leave the bin uncollected and attach a notice explaining proper disposal
Leaving the bin with an explanatory notice educates the resident and prevents contamination of the recycling stream without exposing workers to hazardous materials.
Question 2: During a routine building inspection, an NYC inspector discovers a stairwell exit light that is non-functional. The building is occupied. The inspector should FIRST:
- Issue a formal violation and schedule a follow-up in 30 days
- Order immediate evacuation of all tenants
- Notify the building superintendent and require prompt correction before leaving (Correct answer)
- Document the issue and include it in the end-of-day report
Correct answer: Notify the building superintendent and require prompt correction before leaving
A non-functional exit light is a life-safety issue requiring immediate remediation; notifying the super on-site ensures the fastest resolution while the building remains occupied.
Question 3: A public library employee observes a patron who appears confused, is speaking to themselves, and has been sitting in the same spot for six hours. The most appropriate first step is to:
- Call 911 immediately to have the patron removed
- Approach calmly, ask if the patron needs assistance, and offer available resources (Correct answer)
- Ignore the situation since the patron is not causing a disturbance
- Ask other patrons to move away from the individual
Correct answer: Approach calmly, ask if the patron needs assistance, and offer available resources
A calm, compassionate check-in addresses potential mental health or medical needs while respecting the patron's dignity before escalating.
Question 4: A parks department employee finds graffiti on playground equipment that contains offensive language visible to children. The employee should:
- Photograph it, report it through the proper channel, and cover or remove it the same day if possible (Correct answer)
- Wait for the weekly maintenance crew to address it
- Post a sign warning parents about the content
- File a police report before taking any other action
Correct answer: Photograph it, report it through the proper channel, and cover or remove it the same day if possible
Documenting and promptly covering or removing offensive graffiti in a children's area protects public safety while following reporting protocols.
Question 5: A transit authority employee notices that a fellow employee is operating a vehicle while appearing drowsy — yawning repeatedly and drifting slightly in the lane. The best response is to:
- Wait to see if the behavior continues before saying anything
- Report the observation to a supervisor immediately so the driver can be relieved (Correct answer)
- Confront the driver loudly to wake them up
- Note the incident in a personal log for future reference
Correct answer: Report the observation to a supervisor immediately so the driver can be relieved
Drowsy vehicle operation is an immediate public safety risk that must be escalated to a supervisor so the driver can be safely relieved of duty.
Question 6: An NYC social services worker learns from a client's child that the family has no food at home and hasn't eaten since yesterday. The worker's MOST urgent action should be to:
- Schedule a home visit for next week to assess the situation
- Provide information about food pantries and connect the family to emergency food assistance the same day (Correct answer)
- Contact child protective services before doing anything else
- Document the statement and wait for the parent to request help
Correct answer: Provide information about food pantries and connect the family to emergency food assistance the same day
Immediate connection to emergency food resources addresses the urgent need while further assessment can follow; same-day action prevents ongoing harm.
Question 7: A city employee receives two conflicting instructions from two different supervisors about how to handle a sensitive personnel matter. The most appropriate action is to:
- Follow the instruction from whichever supervisor is senior in rank
- Do nothing until the matter resolves itself
- Inform both supervisors of the conflict and ask them to align on a single directive (Correct answer)
- Choose whichever instruction seems easier to implement
Correct answer: Inform both supervisors of the conflict and ask them to align on a single directive
Surfacing the conflicting instructions to both supervisors ensures a unified directive and protects the employee from acting improperly on ambiguous guidance.
NYC Problem Sensitivity and Judgment 2
A city sanitation worker notices that a resident's recycling bin contains hazardous materials mixed with regular recyclables.
What is the most appropriate immediate action?