CHST Exam Questions and Answers
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Accident/incident investigation - Answer-Although reactive it is another tool for
uncovering hazards and management system failures. The primary purpose of the
accident/incident investigation is to prevent future occurrences. Therefore, the results of
the investigation should be used to initiate corrective action.
Brain Storming - Answer-A free flowing group discussion by employees who perform a
task to identify hazards, risks and solutions.
Job Safety (Hazard) Analysis - Answer-A method that can be used to identify, analyze
and record the steps involved in performing a specific job; the existing or potential
safety and health hazards associated with each step; and the recommended
action(s)/procedure(s) that will eliminate or reduce these hazards and the risk of a
workplace injury or illness.
Trend Analysis - Answer-Worksite analysis is analysis of injury and illness trends over
time, so that patterns with common causes can be identified and prevented. Review
osha injury and illness forms is the most common form of pattern analysis, but other
records of hazards can be analyzed for patterns. Examples are inspection records and
employee hazard reporting records.
What if - Answer-For relatively uncomplicated processes, review the process from raw
materials to product. At each handling or processing step, "what if" questions are
formulated and answered , to evaluate the effects of component failures or procedural
errors on the process.
Checklist - Answer-For more complex processes, the "what if" study can be best
organized through the use of a "checklist" and assigning certain aspects of the process
to the comittee members having the greatest experience or skill in evaluating those
aspects. Operator practices and job knowledge are audited in the field, the suitability of
equipment and materials of construction is studied, and the chemistry of the process of
control systems are reviewed, and the operating and maintenance records are audited.
Generally, a checklist evaluation process precedes use of the operated safely for many
years and has been subjected to periodic and thorough safety inspections and audits.
What if/Checklist - Answer-Is a broadly based hazard assessment technique that
combines the creative thinking of a selected team of specialists with the methodical
focus of a prepared checklist. The result is a comprehensive hazard analysis that is
extremely useful in training operation personnel on the hazards of the particular
operation.
,Failure modes and effect analysis (FMEA) - Answer-System analysis technique that
identifies the manner in which failures occur and investigates their impact on one
another, as well as on other parts of the system.
Fault-tree analysis - Answer-System safety technique using deductive (general to
specific) analysis that starts with an undesired event and analyzes the way the
undesired event can occur. Uses Boolean algebra to simplify the fault-tree diagram to a
minimal cut set, which is the shortest, most direct path that allows an event to take
place.
Hazard and operability study - Answer-Study used to identify problems associated with
potential hazards and deviations in plant operations from the design specifications and
is carried out by multidisciplinary team following a structure that includes a series of
guide words.
Management oversight and risk tree (MORT) - Answer-Analytical system that develops
a logic tree to identify total system risks, both those inherent in physical equipment and
processes and those arising from operational/management inadequacies.
Preliminary hazard analysis - Answer-System safety technique that is the initial effort to
identify potentially hazardous components within a system during the design phase.
Systems Hazard Analysis (SHA) - Answer-Method that seeks to identify physical and
functional incompatibilities between adjacent, interconnected, and interacting elements.
System safety engineering report - Answer-Report that consists of a compliation of the
production phase inputs that identifies and documents the hazards of the final product
or system and provides definite conclusions about the safety integrity of the product and
the manner in which hazards have been controlled.
System safety program plan - Answer-Plan that identifies the task to be accomplished in
the total safety program for the evolution of the system and is considered the key to a
successful program.
Technique of human rate error prediction - Answer-System safety technique that
calculates the probability of human operating errors.
Equipment and machinery manufacturers - Answer-Owner and operator manuals
typically include (1) warnings of hazards that may be present during operation and
instructions, and (2) precautions for safely operating the equipment or machinery.
Chemical manufacturers - Answer-Are required to provide downstream users with
safety data sheets. These summarize information about health hazards, and provide
instructions on how to safely handle and use the chemical.
, Trade associations, insurance carriers, manufacturers and gov. agencies. - Answer-
Some trade associations and insurance carriers publish safety and health information.
Some manufacturers, and government agencies such as OSHA, the National institute
for occupational safety and health (NIOSH), issue safety and health warnings and
hazard alerts directed toward particular products, work practices, or hazards.
Employee safety and health complaints - Answer-Employees have first-hand familiarity
with the hazards at their workplace. Any prior or recent complaints about safety and
health conditions, whether formal or informal, point to potential safety and health
hazards.
Medical surveillance activities and employee exposure data. - Answer-These results
can alert employers to hazards posed by chemical, physical, and biological agents. Use
of aggregated results is important to maintain the confidentiality of employee medical
information.
Disaster preparedness scenarios - Answer-Conducting a "what-if" analysis of possible
natural and man made disasters can help identify hazards that have a low probability of
occurrence, but that may have disastrous consequences. Examples include explosions
that could be caused by flammable chemicals or combustible dust, hazards that may be
created by strong weather phenomena, or incidents related to a criminal or terrorist act.
Chemical Agents - Answer-Safety Data sheets (SDS) provide a good basis for
developing a list of toxic chemicals in the workplace. When many chemicals are
present, hazards of the following types of chemicals should be determined first:
chemicals that are (1) volatile (2) handled or stored in open containers; (3) used in
processes where employees are likely to be exposed through inhalation, ingestion, or
skin contact; or (4) flammable and stored or used in a manner that poses a fire or
explosion hazard.
Biological agents - Answer-These include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other living
organisms that can cause acute and chronic infections by entering the body either
directly or through breaks in the skin. Sources can include laboratory operations,
fermentation processes, or handling of raw food products. They also include exposure
to blood or other body fluids or to clients or patients with infections diseases.
Physical agents - Answer-These include excessive levels of ionizing and nonionizing
electromagnetic radiation, noise, vibration, illumination, and temperature.
Equipment operation - Answer-Ideally, each piece of equipment will be inspected to
ensure that all safeguards necessary to protect employees are in place and effective.
These include measures to ensure that employees avoid becoming caught in or struck
by equipment; burned on hot surfaces; shocked through contact with energized parts of
electric circuits. Important areas of focus for equipment inspection include equipment
guarding; the condition of moving parts, parts that support weight, and brakes; and
hazards that might arise during maintenance activities.
