Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP)

Correct: Bonding is the process of connecting two or more conductive objects together by means of a conductor, such as a wire, to ensure they are at the same electrical potential. This prevents a static spark from jumping between the containers. In the context of flammable liquid transfer, bonding (and subsequent grounding) is the primary engineering control to mitigate static-related fire hazards.

Incorrect: Increasing flow velocity is incorrect because higher velocities and turbulence actually increase the generation of static electricity through friction. Using non-conductive containers is dangerous because they can still accumulate surface charges that are difficult to dissipate or ground. While humidity can help dissipate static, relying on a specific 30 percent threshold is neither a primary engineering control nor a reliable safety standard for liquid transfer operations.

Takeaway: The primary method for preventing static discharge during flammable liquid transfer is establishing a conductive bond between vessels to equalize electrical potential and prevent spark formation.

Correct: Engineering controls, such as installing acoustic barriers and vibration-damping mounts, are prioritized in the hierarchy of controls because they address the hazard at its source, providing a more reliable and permanent solution than administrative or protective measures.

Correct: Under ISO 45001:2018 and the PDCA cycle, the ‘Check’ phase requires the organization to monitor and measure its OSH performance. Interpreting exposure data is not just about compliance; it involves analyzing trends against the organization’s own OSH objectives and performance criteria. This allows the safety practitioner to determine the effectiveness of the hierarchy of controls and identify where the system needs adjustment to achieve continual improvement.

Incorrect: Focusing only on binary pass/fail legal limits is a reactive approach that fails to identify emerging risks or support the proactive nature of a management system. Normalizing data across all departments is dangerous because it can mask specific high-risk environments (like data centers) by averaging them with low-risk office areas. Prioritizing data storage and encryption addresses data privacy (GDPR/PII) but fails the OSH requirement to use that data to protect worker health and safety.

Takeaway: Effective interpretation of exposure data requires comparing results against performance criteria to evaluate control effectiveness and drive the PDCA cycle.

Correct: Under ISO 45001:2018, organizations must establish, implement, and maintain a process to determine and have access to up-to-date legal requirements. The internal audit function’s primary role is to provide assurance that this process is functioning effectively, is evaluated periodically, and is properly integrated into the organization’s broader risk management and governance structures.

Incorrect: Conducting a one-time site inspection is a tactical compliance check but does not evaluate the systemic effectiveness of the management system’s legal framework. Updating the legal registry is a management function; if internal audit performs this, it compromises their independence and objectivity. Delegating monitoring entirely to external counsel without internal oversight fails to provide the board with internal assurance regarding the adequacy of the control environment.

Takeaway: An effective OSH management system requires a systematic, integrated process for identifying and evaluating legal compliance rather than ad-hoc inspections or static documentation.

Correct: According to ISO 45001 and the PDCA cycle, the ‘Plan’ phase requires identifying hazards and assessing risks before implementing controls. In industrial hygiene, you cannot effectively apply the hierarchy of controls without first understanding the toxicity, volatility, and actual exposure concentrations of the substance. A risk assessment provides the necessary data to determine if the headaches are related to the solvent and what level of control is required.

Incorrect: Providing respirators is a common mistake that jumps to the bottom of the hierarchy of controls without first assessing the risk or attempting higher-level controls like substitution or engineering. Updating the SDS library is a necessary administrative task for compliance but does not address the immediate health risk or the underlying management system failure. Initiating a management review for capital funding is premature before the risk has been quantified and the most effective control strategy has been identified through the assessment process.

Takeaway: The foundational step in any OSH management system when facing a new or unmanaged hazard is to conduct a formal risk assessment to inform the selection of controls via the hierarchy of controls.

Correct: Effective confined space training must be performance-based and role-specific. According to safety management principles and regulatory standards like OSHA 1910.146, training must ensure that all employees (entrants, attendants, and supervisors) acquire the understanding, knowledge, and skills necessary for the safe performance of their assigned duties. This includes recognizing specific hazards (like welding fumes in a confined space) and demonstrating proficiency in the use of specialized equipment, especially for non-entry rescue.

Incorrect: General safety outreach courses are insufficient because they lack the specific technical training required for permit-required confined space entry. Focusing solely on administrative permit issuance ignores the critical physical and atmospheric hazard controls and the necessity of role-specific competency. Treating all confined spaces as having identical hazard profiles is a dangerous oversimplification that fails to account for unique atmospheric, configuration, or task-based hazards (such as the introduction of welding hazards into a vessel).

Takeaway: Confined space training must be tailored to specific roles and hazards, ensuring that personnel are not just informed but are demonstrably proficient in their duties and emergency procedures.

Correct: Under ISO 45001:2018 Clause 5.4, the organization must establish processes for the consultation and participation of workers at all levels. This specifically includes providing the time, training, and resources necessary for participation, and ensuring that non-managerial workers are involved in hazard identification and the determination of controls. A critical component of this responsibility is the removal of barriers to participation, such as the threat of dismissal or disciplinary action (fear of reprisal).

Incorrect: Restricting participation to senior management ignores the requirement for non-managerial worker involvement and misses the practical insights gained from those performing the work. Providing reports only after implementation is a reactive approach that fails to meet the standard for proactive participation in the planning phase. Relying exclusively on external auditors excludes workers from the decision-making process, which is a fundamental right and a requirement for a functional OSH management system.

Takeaway: ISO 45001:2018 mandates that employers provide the resources and environment necessary for non-managerial workers to participate actively in hazard identification without fear of reprisal.

Correct: In the hierarchy of controls, local exhaust ventilation (LEV) is preferred over general dilution ventilation for highly toxic substances. The effectiveness of an LEV system is critically dependent on the proximity of the hood to the source of the contaminant. Because capture velocity decreases rapidly as distance from the source increases, placing the hood as close as possible ensures that contaminants are captured before they enter the worker’s breathing zone, while also optimizing the system’s energy efficiency.

Incorrect: Increasing general dilution ventilation is often inappropriate for highly toxic substances because it allows the contaminant to disperse throughout the entire work area before being removed, potentially exposing other workers. Natural cross-ventilation is unreliable and does not provide the consistent, measurable control required for hazardous chemical exposures. Filtering supply air addresses the quality of air entering the building but fails to control the specific hazards generated by the internal industrial process itself.

Takeaway: Local exhaust ventilation is most effective when the capture point is located immediately adjacent to the contaminant source to prevent dispersion into the general work environment.

Correct: According to ISO 45001:2018, organizations must ensure that workers are competent based on appropriate education, training, or experience. Simply delivering information (passive training) is insufficient; the organization must evaluate the effectiveness of the training. A competency-based assessment with practical demonstrations ensures that the worker has actually acquired the necessary skills to perform high-risk tasks like lockout/tagout safely.

Incorrect: Requiring a signed acknowledgement form is a documentation step but does not verify actual competence or the effectiveness of the training. Increasing the duration or theoretical detail of a passive video does not address the lack of interactive engagement or the need for performance verification. While peer-shadowing is a valuable supplemental tool, it does not replace the formal requirement for the organization to assess and document the competence of the individual against established safety standards.

Takeaway: Effective safety training must move beyond information delivery to include formal competency assessments that verify a worker’s ability to apply safety protocols in practice.