OSHA Hazard Communication Quiz — 29 CFR 1926.59 & 1910.1200 Practice Questions — Page 3 of 4
Free OSHA 30-Hour Construction hazard communication practice test with 40 realistic scenarios. GHS labels, Safety Data Sheets, written program, chemical inventory, silica, lead, asbestos, and multi-employer HazCom with 29 CFR 1926 Subpart D references. (Page 3 of 4)
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Q21/ 40
An employer has a written hazard communication program that was created 5 years ago. Since then, the company has added several new chemicals (epoxies, spray foam, acid etch), changed SDS providers, and hired 20 new employees. The program hasn't been updated. Is this compliant?
✅ Correct Answer: B
1926.59 references 1910.1200(e)(1): the written hazard communication program shall describe how the criteria for labels, SDSs, employee information and training, and the chemical hazard list will be met. 1910.1200(e)(4): the employer shall make the written program available upon request. If the program doesn't reflect current chemicals, current SDS locations (new provider), or current training content, it fails its purpose. The program must be a living document — updated whenever the chemical inventory, SDS management system, or workplace organization changes significantly.
Q22/ 40
A demolition contractor is removing old floor tiles (9×9 inch, manufactured in the 1960s). The tiles likely contain asbestos. The contractor's crew uses pry bars to pop up the tiles, breaking many into fragments in the process. No air monitoring, no respirators, no protective clothing. What asbestos work class is this, and what is required?
✅ Correct Answer: B
1926.1101(b) defines work classes. 1926.1101(f): Class II work includes removal of asbestos-containing flooring. 9×9 floor tiles manufactured before the 1980s are presumed asbestos-containing material (PACM) per 1926.1101(b). Breaking tiles releases asbestos fibers. Requirements for Class II: 1926.1101(g)(8): trained workers, competent person, HEPA vacuum, wet methods, and either negative exposure assessment or respirators per 1926.1101(h). Dry-breaking tiles creates airborne asbestos — a serious carcinogen (mesothelioma, lung cancer). The contractor's approach is dangerously inadequate.
Q23/ 40
A worker sees a container with a GHS label showing: a skull and crossbones pictogram, signal word 'DANGER', and hazard statement 'Fatal if inhaled.' The task requires using this chemical in an indoor room. The SDS Section 8 says 'Use only with adequate ventilation.' What does 'adequate ventilation' mean?
✅ Correct Answer: B
1910.1200(h)(2): training must cover protective measures. GHS06 (skull and crossbones) indicates acute toxicity — can be fatal from single exposure. 'Adequate ventilation' is a performance-based term: the employer must determine what's adequate through industrial hygiene assessment. For a 'fatal if inhaled' substance, this means: mechanical exhaust (not just open windows), capture at the source, dilution ventilation to maintain concentrations well below the OEL, and possibly continuous air monitoring. The employer must document the hazard assessment and control selection. Leaving it to worker interpretation ('open a window') for a potentially fatal chemical is grossly negligent.
Q24/ 40
An employee transfers a cleaning solvent from its original labeled container into an unlabeled spray bottle for convenience. The spray bottle is left on a workbench where other workers use it, thinking it's water. This is a violation of what GHS requirement?
✅ Correct Answer: B
1926.59 references 1910.1200(f)(8): the employer is not required to label portable containers into which hazardous chemicals are transferred from labeled containers, WHICH ARE INTENDED ONLY FOR THE IMMEDIATE USE OF THE EMPLOYEE WHO PERFORMS THE TRANSFER. The key phrase: 'immediate use' and 'the employee who performs the transfer.' When the spray bottle is set down and left for others, it is no longer in the possession of the transferor and the exemption expires. The container must be labeled with the full GHS label (product identifier, signal word, pictograms, hazard statements, precautionary statements). Additionally, an unlabeled spray bottle that workers mistake for water creates a poisoning risk.
Q25/ 40
A new worker from a non-English-speaking background is hired. The employer provides HazCom training in English using a PowerPoint presentation. The worker nods but clearly doesn't understand. The SDSs are in English. Two weeks later, the worker is burned by a concrete etching acid because they didn't understand the hazard. What went wrong?
✅ Correct Answer: B
1926.59 references 1910.1200(h)(1): 'The employer shall provide employees with effective information and training.' OSHA interpretation: 'effective' means the training must be understood by the employee. If a worker doesn't understand English, English-only training is not effective. The employer must: (1) provide training in the worker's primary language, (2) use methods appropriate for literacy level (visual demonstrations, translated materials), and (3) verify comprehension through oral questioning or demonstration, not just assume nodding = understanding. This is both a HazCom violation and a failure of the employer's duty to provide a safe workplace.
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Q26/ 40
A contractor is doing a residential renovation project involving sanding of lead-based paint (pre-1978 house). The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule applies. The contractor is not EPA-certified. Workers wear no PPE. What's the relationship between OSHA's lead standard and EPA's RRP rule?
✅ Correct Answer: B
EPA's RRP Rule (40 CFR Part 745) and OSHA's Lead in Construction Standard (1926.62) are independent regulations with different requirements. EPA focuses on environmental contamination and occupant protection; OSHA focuses on worker protection. The contractor needs: (1) EPA firm certification + certified renovator, (2) lead-safe work practices (plastic containment, HEPA vacuum, wet sanding), (3) OSHA exposure monitoring (1926.62(d)), (4) respiratory protection + PPE if above action level, (5) hygiene facilities and change areas (1926.62(i)), (6) worker training specific to lead hazards. Neither regulation's compliance substitutes for the other.
Q27/ 40
A worker reads an SDS for a product and sees Section 2 (Hazard Identification) lists: 'Carcinogenicity Category 1A.' The worker asks the supervisor 'what does Category 1A mean?' The supervisor says 'it just means it might cause cancer in rats.' Is this correct?
✅ Correct Answer: B
1910.1200(h)(2)(iii): training must include the details of the hazard communication program, including explanation of labels and SDSs. GHS carcinogen categories: Cat 1A = known human carcinogen (human evidence); Cat 1B = presumed human carcinogen (animal evidence); Cat 2 = suspected human carcinogen. The supervisor's dismissive statement misinforms the worker and undermines the HazCom program. The employer must train supervisors as well — they are the primary communicators of hazard information and must provide accurate information. Deliberately misleading workers about a Category 1A carcinogen is a serious training failure.
Q28/ 40
A construction company's written HazCom program includes a chemical inventory list that was copied from a template — it lists generic products like 'paint, solvents, adhesives' but does not list specific product names, manufacturers, or the corresponding SDS index. When a worker asks to see the SDS for a specific epoxy, the foreman can't find it. Is this program compliant?
✅ Correct Answer: B
1926.59 references 1910.1200(e)(1)(i): the written program shall include a list of the hazardous chemicals known to be present in the workplace. The list must be specific — product name, manufacturer, and the location/availability of the corresponding SDS. A generic list ('solvents') doesn't tell workers or medical personnel what specific chemical was involved in an exposure. The SDS for each specific product must be present and accessible. If the foreman can't find the SDS, the employer is not complying with 1910.1200(g)(8): SDSs must be readily accessible.
Q29/ 40
A crew applying spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation in an attic uses no respiratory protection. The SDS for Part A (isocyanate) lists: respiratory sensitizer, Category 1. The crew chief says 'we've done this for years with no problems.' Two days later, a worker develops wheezing and can't breathe — isocyanates have caused occupational asthma. Could this have been prevented with proper HazCom?
✅ Correct Answer: B
1926.59 references 1910.1200(h)(1): effective training. Isocyanates (MDI, TDI) are among the leading causes of occupational asthma. The GHS08 (health hazard) pictogram with 'Respiratory Sensitizer Category 1' means: the substance can cause specific respiratory hypersensitivity, and once sensitized, permanent asthma results. The employer's failure cascade: (1) no exposure assessment, (2) no ventilation (attics have limited natural ventilation), (3) no respiratory protection (NIOSH and manufacturers recommend supplied-air respirators for enclosed SPF application), (4) no skin protection, (5) the crew chief's anecdotal 'we've been fine' overrode the SDS — this is a failure of both HazCom training and management leadership.
Q30/ 40
A construction site uses a concrete curing compound that contains methylene chloride. The SDS arrived, but the container label has become illegible due to rain exposure. The foreman says workers 'know what's in it.' Can work continue?
✅ Correct Answer: B
1926.59 incorporates 29 CFR 1910.1200 by reference. 1910.1200(f)(1) requires that the chemical manufacturer, importer, or distributor ensure each container of hazardous chemicals leaving the workplace is labeled. 1910.1200(f)(5) requires that employers ensure labels are not removed or defaced. An illegible label is a defaced label — the employer must replace it immediately. Having the SDS does not substitute for the container label; both are required elements of the HazCom program. An illegible label violates both the letter and purpose of the standard.