PPE Hazard Assessment and Selection questions for the CSP

Question 1

A plating shop supervisor plans to use air-purifying respirators with organic vapor cartridges for workers exposed to a solvent vapor. The cartridges have no NIOSH-certified end-of-service-life indicator that suits the shop's conditions. What must the employer do to make this selection compliant?

1. AApply a maximum use concentration to the vapor and keep the same cartridges without any change schedule
2. BSwitch to a filtering facepiece respirator, because it is certified for particulates
3. CLet each worker replace the cartridge whenever the worker decides it is time, as long as the worker has been fit tested
4. DImplement a cartridge change schedule based on objective information or data, and describe that information and its basis in the respirator program

Question 2

A fabrication shop lets its welders use their own face shields and gloves instead of company-issued items. During a walkthrough, the safety manager finds that one welder's personally purchased shield is cracked and another's gloves are soiled with grease and residue. The welders say they planned to replace the items 'when they got around to it' since they own them. What is the correct position under the PPE standard?

1. AResponsibility rests with the welders because they own the equipment, and the employer's duty is limited to providing training on inspection
2. BThe employer must assure the adequacy, maintenance, and sanitation of the equipment, so these items must be repaired, cleaned, or replaced before use continues
3. CThe employer's duty applies only to equipment it purchased, so the employer may allow the items to be used as long as the welders accept the risk in writing
4. DThe employer must replace the items only if an injury occurs, since the standard is triggered by harm rather than by the condition of the equipment

Question 3

During a walkthrough, a safety professional sees a grinding operator wearing a face shield with a crack running across one corner of the lens. The crack is outside the operator's direct line of sight. The supervisor says the replacement shields arrive tomorrow, the job is nearly done, and the operator can finish the shift by taping over the crack. What should the safety professional require?

1. AAllow the shield to be used for the rest of the shift because the crack is not in the line of sight, and replace it tomorrow
2. BRemove the cracked shield from use now and provide an undamaged, properly fitting replacement before grinding continues
3. CAllow use if the operator also wears a second face shield over the cracked one for the remainder of the shift
4. DAllow the taped shield only for the remaining low-intensity grinding, and document the temporary exception in the shift log