Health Hazards in Construction — OSHA 30 practice questions

A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) under GHS contains how many standardized sections?

1. 8
2. 12
3. 16
4. 24

Answer: C — 16

Off-by-one trap. 16 sections.

A worker wants to know the health effects and first aid measures for a construction adhesive. Which resource provides this in a standardized format?

1. The purchase order and the delivery ticket that came with the shipment
2. The safety data sheet, which uses a sixteen-section format
3. The manufacturer's product brochure describing coverage and cure times
4. The bar code on the container, looked up in the supplier's online catalog

Answer: B — The safety data sheet, which uses a sixteen-section format

B) Correct — safety data sheets under the Hazard Communication Standard follow a uniform sixteen-section format, with hazard identification, first aid, and handling among them. A) Purchasing documents carry no hazard information. C) Marketing material is not a required or standardized hazard document. D) A bar code identifies a product, not its hazards.

A crew is dry-sanding old painted trim in a pre-1978 building. Which practice MOST reduces the risk of taking lead home to their families?

1. Wearing the same coveralls home each day and washing them separately
2. Eating lunch inside the work area, but washing hands thoroughly first
3. Vacuuming the dust off of the clothing with a shop vacuum before leaving work
4. Changing and washing before leaving, with no eating inside the work area

Answer: D — Changing and washing before leaving, with no eating inside the work area

D) Correct — hygiene practices, separate clean changing and eating areas, and leaving contaminated clothing at the site are the core protections against take-home lead exposure. A) Contaminated clothing worn home spreads lead into the vehicle and house. B) Eating in the work area allows ingestion of settled lead dust regardless of handwashing. C) A standard shop vacuum re-disperses fine lead dust rather than capturing it.

GHS classifies hazards as:

1. Physical, health, environmental
2. Mild, moderate, severe
3. Acute, chronic
4. Yes or no

Answer: A — Physical, health, environmental

Three categories: physical, health, environmental.

A new laborer starts during a heat wave. Which statement about acclimatization is MOST accurate?

1. New and returning workers should build their heat exposure up
2. Acclimatization is complete after one full shift of work in the heat
3. Only workers over the age of fifty need to go through acclimatization
4. Acclimatization is permanent once a worker has achieved it one season

Answer: A — New and returning workers should build their heat exposure up

A) Correct — a large share of heat fatalities occur in the first days on the job, so exposure and workload are built up progressively for new and returning workers. B) Physiological adaptation takes days of progressive exposure, not one shift. C) Age is a risk factor but acclimatization applies to everyone. D) Adaptation is lost after time away from heat, which is why returning workers re-acclimatize.

A contractor has tasks that generate silica. What does the written exposure control plan require?

1. A list of the respirator makes and models that are kept on the jobsite
2. The results of air monitoring, posted each day at the jobsite entrance
3. A copy of the medical file for each worker, kept in the site trailer
4. The tasks, controls, housekeeping, and access limits, run by a competent person

Answer: D — The tasks, controls, housekeeping, and access limits, run by a competent person

D) Correct — the plan describes the tasks, the engineering controls, work practices and respiratory protection for each, housekeeping, and how access to high-exposure areas is limited, and a competent person makes frequent inspections to implement it. A) A respirator list is a fragment of one element. B) Daily posting of monitoring is not the requirement, and many employers use the control methods table instead of monitoring. C) Medical records are confidential and are not the content of the plan.

A worker pours a solvent from its labeled drum into an unmarked spray bottle for use during his shift. What is required?

1. A label with the product identity and hazards, unless used within the shift
2. Nothing, because workplace secondary containers are exempt from labeling
3. A full printed copy of the safety data sheet attached to the spray bottle
4. The worker's initials and the date he filled the bottle from the drum

Answer: A — A label with the product identity and hazards, unless used within the shift

A) Correct — the workplace labeling requirement applies to secondary containers, with a narrow exception for a portable container used immediately and entirely by the person who filled it. B) This ignores the workplace labeling requirement altogether. C) The data sheet must be accessible in the workplace but is not attached to the container. D) Initials and a date convey no hazard information.

The OSHA PEL for occupational noise (8-hr TWA) is:

1. 80 dBA
2. 85 dBA
3. 90 dBA
4. 95 dBA

Answer: C — 90 dBA

Off-by-one trap. 90 dBA PEL.

GHS label pictograms total:

1. 5
2. 9
3. 12
4. 20

Answer: B — 9

A/C/D) Wrong. B) Correct — 9 pictograms.

The OSHA PEL for respirable crystalline silica in construction is:

1. 25 µg/m³ (8-hr TWA)
2. 50 µg/m³ (8-hr TWA)
3. 100 µg/m³ (8-hr TWA)
4. 250 µg/m³ (8-hr TWA)

Answer: B — 50 µg/m³ (8-hr TWA)

Off-by-one trap. 50 µg/m³ PEL, 25 µg/m³ action level.

Name the six required elements of a GHS-compliant shipped container label.

Product identifier • Signal word • Hazard statements • Pictograms • Precautionary statements • Supplier name, address, and phone number.

HazCom Standard (1910.1200)?

OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard. Aligned with GHS (Globally Harmonized System) in 2012. Aka 'Right to Know.'

What must a contractor do before renovating a pre-1978 residential building under the lead rules?

Presume lead-containing paint is present or test it, use lead-safe work practices with containment, and provide exposure assessment, training, hygiene facilities, and medical surveillance where the action level is exceeded.

Heat illness prevention?

Hydration (water q15 min), rest in shade, gradual acclimatization, buddy system, monitor for heat stroke (medical emergency).