How is the role of a first responder at the operations level best described?
- Offensive: approach the point of release to plug, patch or stop the leak
- Defensive: contain the release from a safe distance and limit its spread
- Advisory: provide specialist knowledge of the substance to the commander
- Passive: recognize the release and notify the authorities, then leave
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B. Defensive: contain the release from a safe distance and limit its spread
Operations-level responders act defensively to protect people, property and the environment without trying to stop the release at its source. Approaching the point of release to stop it is the technician's offensive role.
Reference: 29 CFR 1910.120(q)(6)(ii)
Below what oxygen concentration does OSHA consider an atmosphere oxygen deficient?
- 20.9%
- 18.0%
- 16.0%
- 19.5%
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D. 19.5%
An atmosphere with less than 19.5 percent oxygen by volume is oxygen deficient. Normal air is 20.9 percent, so that figure is the starting point, not the limit.
Reference: 29 CFR 1910.134(b); 29 CFR 1910.146(b)
What respiratory protection is part of a Level B ensemble?
- Full-facepiece air-purifying respirator with combination cartridges fitted
- Powered air-purifying respirator with a loose-fitting hood and HEPA filter
- Positive-pressure SCBA, or a positive-pressure airline unit with escape SCBA
- Half-mask air-purifying respirator, with an escape bottle carried on the belt
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C. Positive-pressure SCBA, or a positive-pressure airline unit with escape SCBA
Level B uses supplied breathing air, the same respiratory protection as Level A. Air-purifying respirators of any kind belong to Level C, which is what the wrong choices describe.
Reference: 29 CFR 1910.120 Appendix B
A surveyor visits a hazardous waste site only occasionally for a specific limited task and is unlikely to be exposed above permissible exposure limits. What initial training does the standard require?
- 40 hours of instruction and 3 days of supervised field experience
- 24 hours of instruction and 1 day of supervised field experience
- 8 hours of instruction and 1 day of supervised field experience
- 16 hours of instruction and 2 days of supervised field experience
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B. 24 hours of instruction and 1 day of supervised field experience
Workers on site only occasionally for a limited task, who are unlikely to be exposed over the limits, need 24 hours of instruction and one day of supervised field experience. The 40-hour and three-day requirement applies to general site workers with regular exposure potential.
Reference: 29 CFR 1910.120(e)(3)(ii)
What is the 'hotline' on a hazardous waste site?
- The telephone number for site emergencies
- The outer boundary of the support zone
- The outer boundary of the exclusion zone
- The route used by trucks hauling waste
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C. The outer boundary of the exclusion zone
The hotline marks the edge of the exclusion zone, separating it from the contamination reduction zone. Anyone crossing it must wear the required PPE. The boundary between the warm and cold zones is the contamination control line.
Reference: NIOSH/OSHA/USCG/EPA Guidance Manual for Hazardous Waste Site Activities, Ch. 9 (site control)