CHST question for October 20, 2026
The CHST question of the day for Tuesday, October 20, 2026, on hot work, welding and cutting. Pick an answer to see the explanation and its source.
CHST Domain 1: Hazard and Risk Identification and Control
A crew has been told to cut open a steel drum with a torch so it can be reused as a burn barrel. The drum previously held a flammable solvent, and no one has prepared it. Which of the following is an acceptable way to prepare the drum before any cutting is started?
Show answer and source
Answer: B. Fill the drum with water, or thoroughly clean it of the substance and then ventilate and test it
OSHA's fire prevention rule, 29 CFR 1926.352(i), requires a drum that held a flammable or toxic substance to be filled with water, or thoroughly cleaned, ventilated and tested, before cutting. Wiping the outside and sun-drying leaves residue inside. Rinsing with solvent adds flammable material. Closing the bungs traps vapors and conflicts with 1926.352(j), which requires a vent for built-up pressure.
On the job
A site safety supervisor on a construction project is asked to cut the top off a closed steel tank that once held a flammable cleaning agent so it can serve as a parts bin. Before approving any torch work, the engineer requires that the tank be filled with water, or else thoroughly cleaned of the residue, then ventilated and tested. Only after that preparation is the cutting allowed to proceed.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer B comes from
29 CFR 1926.352(i)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“Drums containers, or hollow structures which have contained toxic or flammable substances shall, before welding, cutting, or heating is undertaken on them, either be filled with water or thoroughly cleaned of such substances and ventilated and tested.”
Where it appears on the exam
CHST: CHST5 Domain 1, Hazard and Risk Identification and Control
Practice: Hot Work, Welding and Cutting
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