4 questions

Health Hazards in Construction

Under the Hazard Communication Standard, what document provides detailed information about a chemical's hazards, handling, and first-aid measures?

  • a.The building permit
  • b.The employee's pay stub
  • c.The daily time card
  • d.The Safety Data Sheet (SDS)✓

The Safety Data Sheet (SDS) provides 16 standardized sections of information about a hazardous chemical, including its hazards, safe handling, storage, PPE, and emergency/first-aid measures. Employers must keep SDSs accessible to workers and train them on how to read them under the Hazard Communication (HazCom) Standard.

Health Hazards in Construction

Which construction activity is a common source of hazardous respirable crystalline silica dust?

  • a.Sweeping a clean office floor
  • b.Painting a wall with a roller
  • c.Installing carpet tiles
  • d.Cutting, grinding, or drilling concrete, brick, or stone✓

Cutting, grinding, drilling, or crushing concrete, brick, stone, and mortar releases respirable crystalline silica, which can cause silicosis, lung cancer, and other diseases. Controls include wet methods, vacuum dust collection, and respirators as required by OSHA's silica standard.

Health Hazards in Construction

Why is disturbing older building materials that may contain asbestos or lead a serious health concern?

  • a.They can release fibers or dust that cause long-term diseases when inhaled or ingested✓
  • b.They only affect the appearance of the finished work
  • c.They are harmless once the building is more than 20 years old
  • d.They make tools rust more quickly

Disturbing asbestos-containing materials can release fibers that cause lung diseases and cancer, and disturbing lead-based paint can release lead dust that harms the nervous system and other organs. Both require specific work practices, controls, and often trained/certified workers before disturbance.

Health Hazards in Construction

Under the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) used in HazCom, what is the purpose of pictograms on a chemical label?

  • a.To quickly communicate the type of hazard through a standardized symbol✓
  • b.To display the delivery date
  • c.To indicate the manufacturer's phone number
  • d.To show the price of the chemical

GHS pictograms are standardized symbols inside a red diamond that quickly convey hazard types, such as flame for flammables, skull and crossbones for acute toxicity, or a health-hazard symbol. Along with signal words, hazard statements, and precautionary statements, they help workers recognize dangers at a glance.

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