CHST question for October 19, 2026
The CHST question of the day for Monday, October 19, 2026, on HAZWOPER in construction. Pick an answer to see the explanation and its source.
CHST Domain 2: Emergency Preparedness, Incident Investigation, and Response
During excavation on a construction site, a backhoe ruptures a drum buried in fill, and a liquid of unknown composition begins to seep across the ground toward a storm drain. The employer's emergency response plan assigns a first responder at the operations level to the initial response. The responder has the training and PPE for that role only. Which action fits that role?
Show answer and source
Answer: A. Contain the seepage from a safe distance, keep it from spreading toward the drain, and prevent exposures
OSHA's Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response rule, 29 CFR 1926.65(q)(6)(ii), says operations-level responders act defensively. They contain a release from a safe distance, keep it from spreading, and prevent exposures, without trying to stop it. Patching the drum tries to stop the release up close. Advanced confinement at the point of release gives up the safe distance and goes beyond the basic control, containment and/or confinement operations the rule assigns to this level. Entering the excavation to classify the liquid gives up the safe distance.
On the job
During trenching for a utility line, a worker discovers a cracked container oozing unidentified liquid toward a culvert. The safety coordinator, trained at the operations level, stays well back, directs placement of absorbent socks and a berm in the liquid's path, and keeps crew members away. That limits spread and exposures from a safe distance without trying to stop the leak at its source.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer A comes from
29 CFR 1926.65(q)(6)(ii)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“They are trained to respond in a defensive fashion without actually trying to stop the release. Their function is to contain the release from a safe distance, keep it from spreading, and prevent exposures.”
Where it appears on the exam
CHST: CHST5 Domain 2, Emergency Preparedness, Incident Investigation, and Response
Practice: HAZWOPER in Construction
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