Florida General Contractor Exam — All Questions

A project has two chains that both must finish before final inspection. Path 1: demolition (3) → framing (5) → drywall (4) → paint (3). Path 2: demolition (3) → rough plumbing (2) → HVAC (4). How many days of float does the mechanical chain (Path 2) carry?

• a.9 days
• b.3 days
• c.6 days✓
• d.0 days

Path 1 totals 15 days and is critical; Path 2 totals 9 days. Float on the non-critical chain equals the difference between the paths: 15 − 9 = 6 days. The mechanical work can slip up to six days before it would delay the project.

In that same tenant build-out, the critical (finish) chain has zero float and the mechanical chain has 6 days of float. If BOTH the HVAC delivery and the drywall activity each slip 3 days (separately), what is the effect on the 15-day completion date?

• a.Both slips are additive, pushing completion to 21 days
• b.Neither slip changes the completion date, because both are within tolerance
• c.The HVAC slip pushes completion to 18 days; the drywall slip has no effect
• d.The drywall slip pushes completion to 18 days; the HVAC slip has no effect✓

Drywall is on the critical path with zero float, so its 3-day slip pushes completion to 18 days. HVAC sits on a chain with 6 days of float, so a 3-day slip is absorbed and completion does not move. Same delay, opposite result — the classic CPM question.

A Florida contractor is performing new-building construction fieldwork on a jobsite. Which OSHA standard is the primary rulebook governing that work?

• a.Chapter 489, Florida Statutes
• b.29 CFR Part 1926 — Construction standards✓
• c.29 CFR Part 1904 — Recordkeeping standards
• d.29 CFR Part 1910 — General industry standards

Construction, alteration, and repair fieldwork is governed by 29 CFR Part 1926. Part 1910 (general industry) can reach a contractor's shop or yard, and Part 1904 covers recordkeeping, but for construction on the jobsite, 1926 applies. Chapter 489 licenses the contractor; it does not govern jobsite safety.29 CFR Part 1926 (construction); Ch. 03 Part C

At 7:00 a.m. a worker on a Florida jobsite dies in a fall. Under OSHA rules, the employer must report the work-related fatality to OSHA within how long of learning of it?

• a.8 hours✓
• b.24 hours
• c.4 hours
• d.72 hours

A work-related fatality must be reported to OSHA within 8 hours. (An in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye has a 24-hour clock.) Swapping the 8-hour fatality clock for 24 hours is the trap the exam sets.OSHA severe-injury reporting rule (29 CFR 1904.39); Ch. 03 Part C

Of OSHA's three injury-and-illness recordkeeping forms, which one must be POSTED in a conspicuous workplace location from February 1 to April 30?

• a.Form 301 — the Injury and Illness Incident Report
• b.Form 300 — the Log
• c.Form 1904 — the Employer Notice
• d.Form 300A — the Annual Summary✓

Form 300A, the Annual Summary of the year's totals, is the one posted from February 1 to April 30 of the following year — and it must be posted even if there were zero recordable cases. Form 300 is the running log; Form 301 is the single-incident report.29 CFR Part 1904 (Forms 300/300A/301; 300A posting Feb 1–Apr 30); Ch. 03 Part C

Under OSHA's hierarchy of hazard controls, which type of control is the MOST effective, and where does personal protective equipment (PPE) rank?

• a.Engineering controls are most effective; elimination is the last resort
• b.PPE is most effective; elimination is the last resort
• c.Administrative controls are most effective; PPE ranks in the middle
• d.Elimination is most effective; PPE is the last line of defense✓

The hierarchy runs, most to least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, then PPE. Elimination (designing the hazard out) is most effective, and PPE is the last line of defense because it protects only if worn correctly every time.OSHA hierarchy of controls; Ch. 03 Part C

OSHA requires a 'competent person' to inspect certain trenching and scaffolding operations. Which pair of capabilities must that person have?

• a.A Florida professional engineer's license AND at least 10 years of documented field experience in the trade
• b.Completion of the OSHA 30-hour construction course AND annual recertification by the state
• c.The authority to hire and fire the crew AND a current first-aid and CPR card
• d.The ability to identify existing and predictable hazards AND the authority to take prompt corrective action✓

Under 29 CFR 1926.32(f), a competent person is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards and is authorized to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. Both elements are required — a worker who can spot the danger but cannot stop the work is not a competent person.29 CFR 1926.32(f); Ch. 03 Part C (competent person)

Federal OSHA requires a protective system for an excavation at what depth (in soil other than stable rock), and what does the Florida Trench Safety Act add for qualifying public work over that depth?

• a.4 feet; the Act waives the federal standard for public projects under $250,000
• b.10 feet; the Act requires a Florida-licensed engineer to seal and sign every trench plan
• c.5 feet; the Act requires a separate bid line item for the cost of trench-safety measures✓
• d.6 feet; the Act caps reimbursable trench-safety cost at 2% of the bid

OSHA (29 CFR 1926 Subpart P) requires a protective system for excavations 5 feet or deeper (unless in stable rock). The Florida Trench Safety Act adopts the federal standard as the state minimum and requires bidders on public contracts with excavation greater than 5 feet to include a separate line item for trench-safety cost.29 CFR 1926 Subpart P; ss. 553.60–553.64, F.S. (Florida Trench Safety Act); Ch. 03 Part C

A contractor uses a telehandler on remodels roughly 200 days a year and separately needs a specialty 60-foot boom lift for about two weeks on one job. Applying the primary lease-vs-buy factor, the best decision is to:

• a.Buy both machines, since ownership beats rental once a unit runs 30 days per year
• b.Rent both machines to preserve cash and avoid maintenance
• c.Rent the telehandler for the 200 days and buy the 60-foot boom lift
• d.Buy the telehandler (high, steady use) and rent the boom lift (low, one-time use)✓

Utilization is the dominant factor. High, steady use (the telehandler at ~200 days/year) favors purchasing, where per-hour ownership cost plus resale beats daily rental. Low, one-time, specialized use (a two-week boom lift) favors renting, avoiding stranded capital and maintenance/obsolescence risk.

An electrical contractor uses about 50 boxes of a wire connector per week, and the supplier's lead time is 2 weeks. To trigger a reorder before running out, plus a 30-box safety-stock buffer, the reorder point should be set at approximately:

• a.80 boxes
• b.130 boxes✓
• c.200 boxes
• d.50 boxes

Lead-time demand equals usage rate times lead time: 50 boxes/week × 2 weeks = 100 boxes. Adding the 30-box safety stock gives a reorder point of 130 boxes, high enough that the new order arrives before the shelf empties even in a busy week or a slightly late delivery.