CSLB C-53 Swimming Pool (Trade Exam) — All Questions
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57 questions
A permit is issued for a new pool at a private single-family home. Which statement about the drowning-prevention features is correct?
- a.An enclosure, with alternatives barred
- b.One feature, chosen by the owner
- c.At least two of seven listed features✓
- d.The seven features, installed together
The Act requires at least two of the seven listed features. One feature is too few, all seven is more than required, and an enclosure is only one of the options.Health and Safety Code §115922
Which is one of the seven drowning-prevention features?
- a.A lifeguard chair mounted on the pool deck
- b.A decorative fountain placed near the shallow end
- c.A swim lane rope stretched across the pool
- d.Removable mesh fencing and a self-latching gate✓
Removable mesh fencing meeting ASTM F2286 with a self-closing, self-latching, key-lockable gate is feature two. The fountain, chair and lane rope are not listed.Health and Safety Code §115922(a)(2)
A 66-inch fence has a 3-inch bottom gap, 3-inch openings and an outward-swinging gate with a latch at 62 inches. What fails the Act?
- a.The 3-inch gap under the fence✓
- b.The outward swing of the gate
- c.The overall height of the fence
- d.The 3-inch openings in the panels
The maximum clearance from the ground to the bottom of the enclosure is 2 inches, so 3 inches fails. A height of 60 inches or more, openings under 4 inches, an outward swing and a latch at 60 inches or higher pass.Health and Safety Code §115923
How high must a residential enclosure gate's self-latching device be placed?
- a.No lower than 48 inches above the ground
- b.No lower than 54 inches above the ground
- c.No lower than 60 inches above the ground✓
- d.No lower than 36 inches above the ground
The self-latching device on enclosure gates is placed no lower than 60 inches. The 54-inch figure is the door device release height, and lower values are within a child's reach.Health and Safety Code §115923(a)
How high must the release of a self-latching door device be, when it serves as an Act feature?
- a.No lower than 54 inches above the floor✓
- b.No lower than 36 inches above the floor
- c.No lower than 60 inches above the floor
- d.No lower than 72 inches above the floor
The release mechanism is placed no lower than 54 inches above the floor. The 60-inch value belongs to the enclosure gate latch.Health and Safety Code §115922(a)(5)
Which sphere must gaps in a residential enclosure not pass?
- a.One 12 inches in diameter
- b.One 1 inch in diameter
- c.One 8 inches in diameter
- d.One of 4 inches or more✓
Gaps or voids do not allow passage of a sphere equal to or greater than 4 inches in diameter. Smaller or larger sizes are not stated.Health and Safety Code §115923
What must an enclosure's outside surface be free of, to protect a young child?
- a.Signs posted by the pool contractor
- b.Plants growing along the base of the fence
- c.Paint that could chip in the weather
- d.Handholds and footholds for a child✓
The outside surface is free of protrusions, cavities or other characteristics that serve as handholds or footholds for a child below the age of five. Paint, plants and signs are not the concern.Health and Safety Code §115923
Which pair does the Act say does not satisfy the requirement?
- a.Exit alarm plus latch on one door✓
- b.Door and window exit alarms and a labeled cover
- c.A labeled cover and a self-latching door device
- d.An enclosure and a labeled safety cover
An exit alarm and a self-closing, self-latching device on the same door is a listed excluded combination. Door and window alarms with a cover, a cover with a latching door device, and an enclosure with a cover are each two distinct features.Health and Safety Code §115922(b)
A homeowner wants an alarm worn on a child's wrist counted as the pool alarm feature. What is the ruling?
- a.It counts as an exit alarm on the door
- b.It counts once it has a loud siren
- c.It counts if certified to ASTM F2208
- d.It does not count as a pool alarm✓
Alarms designed for individual use, including those attached to a child, are excluded from the pool alarm feature. A loud siren and F2208 certification do not change that, and a worn device is not an exit alarm.Health and Safety Code §115922(a)(6)
The Act does not apply to which setting?
- a.A new in-ground pool at a single-family home
- b.A remodeled spa at a single-family home
- c.A public pool or apartment complex✓
- d.A portable spa at a single-family home
The Act excludes public pools, apartment complexes and other residential settings that are not single-family homes, plus spas with locking safety covers. A new in-ground pool, a remodeled spa and a portable spa at a single-family home are all covered.Health and Safety Code §115925
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How many suction outlets per pump does a new residential pool need?
- a.One main drain with a heavy grate
- b.Three outlets set in a single sump
- c.Two balanced outlets, 3 feet apart✓
- d.Four outlets in a row 1 foot apart
New pools and spas need two balanced outlets at least 3 feet apart or alternatives such as skimmers or perimeter overflow. A single outlet is the entrapment hazard, and outlets in one sump or 1 foot apart can be blocked together.Health and Safety Code §115928
What does ANSI/APSP-16 govern?
- a.The size of deck tile around the pool
- b.Anti-entrapment drain grates✓
- c.Fence height around residential pools
- d.The color of safety cover fabric
The Act refers to ANSI/APSP-16 for anti-entrapment grates. The standard does not govern fences, cover color or tile.Health and Safety Code §115928
What is an unblockable suction outlet?
- a.One plumbed into a skimmer equalizer line
- b.One a body-blocking element cannot shadow✓
- c.One covered with a locked grate and a padlock
- d.One covered by a rug during pool use
Unblockable outlets have a perforated area that the standard's 18-by-23-inch blocking element cannot shadow, with low removal force. A locked grate, a rug and an equalizer line are not unblockable.2025 CBC §3162B
Federal law requires a public pool with one main drain that is not unblockable to have what?
- a.A fence of 5 feet around the deck
- b.A warning sign beside the drain
- c.A second skimmer at the shallow end
- d.A backup such as vacuum release✓
The federal law lists backup systems such as a safety vacuum release system, a suction-limiting vent, a gravity drainage system, an automatic pump shut-off or drain disablement. A fence, skimmer or sign is not a listed system.15 U.S.C. §8003
A public pool enclosure is built after 1994. What is its minimum effective height?
- a.4 feet
- b.3 feet
- c.6 feet
- d.5 feet✓
Public pool enclosures built on or after July 1, 1994 have a minimum effective perpendicular height of 5 feet. Four feet is the floor for older fences.2025 CBC §3119B
Which receptacles are GFCI protected under the county handout?
- a.Only those on the equipment pad
- b.Just those within 5 feet of the water
- c.Only those mounted on the house wall
- d.Those within 20 feet of the water✓
All receptacles within 20 feet of the inside walls must be GFCI protected. A house-wall rule, a pad-only rule and a 5-foot limit each leave deck receptacles inside the 20-foot zone unprotected.County of Sonoma CNI-044
What are public pool light fixtures required to have?
- a.Open terminals for easy relamping
- b.Encapsulated terminals and a GFCI✓
- c.Unprotected branch circuits for lighting
- d.A switch as the one requirement
All light fixtures in public pools have encapsulated terminals, and dry-niche and wet-niche fixtures over 15 volts are protected by a GFCI in the branch circuit. Open terminals and unprotected branch circuits are the hazards the rule prevents, and a switch alone is not the requirement.2025 CBC §3160B
What is the maximum water temperature in a public spa pool?
- a.98 degrees Fahrenheit
- b.115 degrees Fahrenheit
- c.125 degrees Fahrenheit
- d.104 degrees Fahrenheit✓
The allowable water temperature of a spa pool shall not exceed 104 degrees. Higher temperatures exceed the limit, and 98 is below the limit rather than the limit itself.2025 CBC §3138B.2
Which switch must sit next to a public spa?
- a.A labeled emergency shut-off✓
- b.A bell that rings for lifeguards
- c.A dimmer for the underwater light
- d.A timer that runs the jets
A clearly labeled emergency shut off switch for both the recirculation and the aeration or jet systems is installed adjacent to the spa. The dimmer, bell and jet timer do not shut down the spa.2025 CBC §3138B.5
Gas chlorine is heavier than air. Where does the code place the room's sensor?
- a.Within 6 inches of the floor✓
- b.In the corridor outside the room
- c.Within 6 feet of the ceiling
- d.At head height near the door
The sensor is located within 6 inches of the floor level and activates when concentrations exceed 0.5 ppm. A ceiling, head-height or corridor sensor would not detect the gas where it collects.2025 CBC §3135B.4
What sign goes on the outside of a gas chlorine feeder room door?
- a.WELCOME, with the pool's operating hours
- b.POOL RULES, with the capacity count
- c.PARKING NOTICE, with the facility address
- d.DANGER: GASEOUS OXIDIZER✓
The code requires a sign stating DANGER: GASEOUS OXIDIZER and the specific chemical name where gas chlorine feeders are used. A welcome sign, a pool rules sign and a parking notice are not hazard signs.2025 CBC §3120B.15
On which public pools is a NO DIVING sign required?
- a.Those with a maximum depth of 12 feet or more
- b.Only pools used for competitive diving
- c.None, since depth markers replace signs
- d.Those with a maximum depth of 6 feet or less✓
Signs state NO DIVING at pools with a maximum water depth of 6 feet or less. A depth of 12 feet or more is the opposite end, depth markers do not replace the sign, and the sign is not limited to competitive-diving pools.2025 CBC §3120B.3
What use warning must a public spa sign carry?
- a.Soak for at least three hours
- b.Do not use alone✓
- c.Spas are for adults
- d.Use alone for the best results
The spa warning includes "Do not use alone," along with cautions on physicians, children, alcohol and hyperthermia. Soaking for three hours, limiting spas to adults and using alone are not in the warning, and the last contradicts it.2025 CBC §3120B.7
Which employer program must be in writing?
- a.The break and coffee schedule posted
- b.The truck parking assignments list
- c.The injury prevention program✓
- d.The holiday shift roster for the year
The IIPP shall be in writing and include responsible person, compliance, communication, inspection, investigation, correction and training provisions. A break schedule, parking assignments and a holiday roster are not safety programs.Title 8 §3203(a)
When must IIPP training be given?
- a.When a supervisor requests it
- b.Once a year, on the first working day
- c.At setup, for new hires and hazards✓
- d.After a serious accident
Training is provided when the program is established, to new employees, to employees given new assignments and whenever new hazards are introduced. Training only on a supervisor's request, once a year or only after a serious accident leaves gaps the rule closes.Title 8 §3203(a)(7)
At what depth does a pool excavation require a protective system, unless in stable rock?
- a.20 feet or deeper
- b.5 feet or deeper✓
- c.1 foot or deeper
- d.3 feet or deeper
A hole 5 feet or deeper needs protection unless stable rock. At 3 feet only the examination exception is in play, and 20 feet is too deep a threshold.Title 8 §1541.1(a)
A spoil pile and a parked loader sit at an excavation edge. What is required?
- a.Cover them with a tarp
- b.Skip it, since the pile is low
- c.Keep them 25 feet from the edge
- d.Move them 2 feet back or restrain✓
Materials and equipment that could fall or roll in are kept at least 2 feet from the edge or held by retaining devices. A tarp does not restrain them, and 25 feet is the trench egress figure.Title 8 §1541(j)
A trench-type excavation is 5 feet deep. What egress must be available?
- a.Skip it, since the hole is shallow
- b.A single chair left at the bottom
- c.A rope tied off to a post
- d.A stairway, ladder or ramp nearby✓
Trench excavations 4 feet or deeper need a safe means of egress so that no more than 25 feet of lateral travel is needed. A rope, a chair and no egress are not safe means.Title 8 §1541(c)
Who classifies soil and inspects excavations daily?
- a.The nearest neighbor
- b.The materials supplier
- c.A one-time inspector
- d.A competent person✓
A competent person makes daily inspections and classifies soil. A neighbor, supplier or one-time inspector is not responsible.Title 8 §1541(k); §1541.1 App. A
Shade must be present when the temperature exceeds what?
- a.105 degrees Fahrenheit
- b.80 degrees Fahrenheit✓
- c.60 degrees Fahrenheit
- d.90 degrees Fahrenheit
Shade must be present when the temperature exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The figures 60 and 90 are not the threshold, and 105 is far above it.Title 8 §3395(d)(1)
At what temperature do high-heat procedures begin?
- a.70 degrees Fahrenheit
- b.80 degrees Fahrenheit
- c.110 degrees Fahrenheit
- d.95 degrees Fahrenheit✓
High-heat procedures apply when the temperature equals or exceeds 95 degrees. Eighty is the shade threshold, 70 is below any trigger, and 110 is above the point where the procedures already apply.Title 8 §3395(e)
How much water per employee per hour is provided at shift start when water is not plumbed?
- a.One quart✓
- b.Two quarts
- c.One gallon
- d.One ounce
Enough water for one quart per employee per hour for the entire shift is provided at the start. Two quarts and one gallon are more than the rule, and one ounce is far less.Title 8 §3395(c)
How many quarts does a four-person crew need for a 6-hour shift?
- a.4 quarts
- b.6 quarts
- c.24 quarts✓
- d.10 quarts
Four people × 6 hours × 1 quart = 24 quarts. The 4 and 6 figures use only one factor, and 10 adds them.Title 8 §3395(c)
What is the silica permissible exposure limit?
- a.5,000 micrograms per cubic meter, 8-hour average
- b.5 micrograms per cubic meter, 8-hour average
- c.500 micrograms per cubic meter, 8-hour average
- d.50 micrograms per cubic meter, 8-hour average✓
The PEL is 50 micrograms per cubic meter as an 8-hour TWA, and the action level is 25. The figures 500 and 5,000 are far above the PEL, and 5 is far below it.Title 8 §5204(c)
What is the silica action level?
- a.100 micrograms per cubic meter, 8-hour average
- b.50 micrograms per cubic meter, 8-hour average
- c.25 micrograms per cubic meter, 8-hour average✓
- d.2.5 micrograms per cubic meter, 8-hour average
The action level is 25 µg/m³ calculated as an 8-hour TWA. The PEL is 50.Title 8 §5204(b)
Which dust control is a wet method?
- a.Compressed air across the surface
- b.Dry sweeping with a stiff broom
- c.A leaf blower held at a low angle
- d.Water that minimizes visible dust✓
Wet methods apply water at flow rates sufficient to minimize visible dust. Dry sweeping, compressed air and blowers disperse dust.Title 8 §1532.3(c)(2)(B)
Above what height must a worker tying rebar in walls have fall protection?
- a.More than 1 foot above an adjacent surface
- b.More than 50 feet above an adjacent surface
- c.More than 20 feet above an adjacent surface
- d.More than 6 feet above an adjacent surface✓
Employees may not place or tie reinforcing steel in walls, piers, columns and similar assemblies more than 6 feet above an adjacent surface without personal fall protection or equivalent. The figure 1 foot is lower than the trigger, and 20 and 50 feet are much higher.Title 8 §1711
A fall arrest system must be rigged to limit free fall to what?
- a.No more than 6 feet✓
- b.At most 18 inches
- c.At most 20 feet
- d.At most 50 feet
Systems are rigged so an employee can neither free fall more than 6 feet nor contact a lower level. The figure 18 inches is tighter than the rule, and 20 and 50 feet allow far longer falls.Title 8 §1670
What clearance applies to boom equipment near a 20,000-volt line?
- a.3 feet
- b.1 foot
- c.10 feet✓
- d.20 feet
Table 2 sets 10 feet for lines from 600 to 50,000 volts. The figures 3 feet and 1 foot are too close, and 20 feet is more than the table gives for this voltage.Title 8 §2946 Table 2
A line's owner has not said it is de-energized. How must the line be treated?
- a.As energized✓
- b.As dead until proven live
- c.As insulated by its covering
- d.As the homeowner's concern
Any overhead conductor is considered energized until the owner verifies it is not and it is visibly grounded. Treating it as dead, as insulated by its covering or as the homeowner's concern all assume safety.Title 8 §2946(d)
What must be done before servicing equipment with stored energy?
- a.Give a verbal warning to the crew
- b.Lock out, tag out, relieve energy✓
- c.Post a sign on the machine
- d.Keep a flashlight on hand
The control of hazardous energy rule applies to servicing where unexpected start-up or stored energy could injure, requiring lockout and tagout. A verbal warning, a sign and a flashlight do not control the energy.Title 8 §3314
Where must an eyewash or drench facility be provided?
- a.In the office trailer on the site
- b.At the materials supplier's yard
- c.Where corrosive materials may splash✓
- d.Nowhere, because gloves are worn
Suitable facilities for drenching the body or flushing the eyes with clean water must be conspicuously and readily accessible where exposure to injurious or corrosive materials is possible. A supplier's yard and an office trailer are not where the exposure occurs, and gloves do not remove the requirement.Title 8 §1512(f)
What must employers provide about hazardous chemicals?
- a.Labels, data sheets and training✓
- b.Skip it, if the product is common
- c.A discount on the chemical order
- d.A rumor chain among the crew
The hazard communication standard requires employers to provide information about hazardous chemicals to employees through labels, safety data sheets and training. A common product is not exempt, and a discount or a rumor chain gives no information.Title 8 §5194
What written plan does the construction safety order require?
- a.A plan for emergency medical services✓
- b.A plan for paint colors on site
- c.A plan for the crew's lunch breaks
- d.A plan for holiday work hours
The employer must have a written plan to provide emergency medical services. Plans for paint colors, lunch breaks and holiday hours are not safety requirements.Title 8 §1512(i)
What must be guarded by temporary railings and toeboards or covers?
- a.The umbrella on the patio
- b.The sidewalk in front of the site
- c.Floor, roof and skylight openings✓
- d.The desk in the site office
Floor, roof and skylight openings are guarded by temporary railings and toeboards or by covers. A patio umbrella, a sidewalk and a site-office desk are not openings.Title 8 §1632(b)
What must happen before entering an excavation where a fuel leak is suspected?
- a.A match is struck to check
- b.The crew may enter without testing
- c.The lid of the sump is closed
- d.The atmosphere is tested first✓
Where a hazardous atmosphere could reasonably be expected, the atmosphere is tested before employees enter. Striking a match, entering untested and closing a lid are unsafe or irrelevant.Title 8 §1541(g)
What must an exit alarm on a home door to the pool do when the door opens?
- a.Send a message to the contractor
- b.A continuous alarm or verbal warning✓
- c.Lock the door behind the child
- d.Flash a light until the door is reset
The alarm sounds an audible continuous alarm or a repeating verbal warning, such as a notice that the door to the pool is open, when a door or window is opened or left ajar. A light, a message and a lock are not that feature.Health and Safety Code §115922(a)(4)
Which ASTM standard applies to removable mesh pool fencing used as an Act feature?
- a.ASTM F2387
- b.ASTM F2286✓
- c.ASTM F1346
- d.ASTM F2208
Removable mesh fencing meets ASTM F2286. F1346 is the safety cover standard, F2208 covers pool alarms, and F2387 covers a vacuum release system.Health and Safety Code §115922(a)(2)
Which ASTM standard applies to pool alarms placed in the water?
- a.ASTM F2286
- b.ASTM F2387
- c.ASTM F2208✓
- d.ASTM F1346
Pool alarms are independently certified to ASTM F2208. F2286 is mesh fencing, F1346 is safety covers, and F2387 is a vacuum release system.Health and Safety Code §115922(a)(6)
What else must a "no lifeguard" sign say on a public pool?
- a.Diving is permitted in the deep end
- b.Children need adult supervision✓
- c.Swim at your own risk after dark
- d.Pool hours end promptly at sunset
The sign states NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY and, in letters at least 1 inch high, that children should not use the pool without adult supervision. Permission to dive, a swim-at-your-own-risk line and closing hours are not required text.2025 CBC §3120B.4