CSCS Health, Safety & Environment Test — All Questions

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, what is a worker's main legal duty?

• a.Take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and others affected by their work, and co-operate with their employer✓
• b.Provide their own personal protective equipment
• c.Carry out risk assessments for the whole site
• d.Report only injuries that need hospital treatment

The Act (section 7) requires every worker to take reasonable care for their own safety and that of others affected by their acts or omissions, and to co-operate with the employer. Providing PPE and carrying out site-wide risk assessments are employer duties.

You notice an unsafe condition on site that is not part of your own job. What should you do?

• a.Ignore it because it is not your responsibility
• b.Report it to your supervisor straight away and make the area safe if you can do so safely✓
• c.Wait until the next toolbox talk to mention it
• d.Fix it yourself even if you are not trained

Everyone has a duty to report hazards. Tell your supervisor immediately and, only if it is safe and within your competence, make the area safe. You should not attempt work you are not trained for.

What is the main purpose of a toolbox talk?

• a.To record who is on site that day
• b.To replace the site induction
• c.To give a short, focused briefing on the health and safety risks of a specific task✓
• d.To hand out wages

A toolbox talk is a short briefing that highlights the specific hazards and controls for a task or activity. It supplements, but does not replace, the site induction.

Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), who has health and safety duties?

• a.Only the principal contractor
• b.Only the client
• c.Only site managers
• d.Everyone involved in the project, including clients, designers, contractors and workers✓

CDM 2015 places duties on all dutyholders across a project. Workers must be consulted, follow site rules, report risks and co-operate with those managing the work.

Regular use of vibrating power tools over long periods can cause hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). An early warning sign is:

• a.Tingling or numbness and whitening (blanching) of the fingers✓
• b.Improved grip strength
• c.Loss of hearing
• d.Skin tanning

HAVS damages nerves, blood vessels and joints in the hands. Early signs include tingling, numbness and fingers going white, especially in the cold. Limiting trigger time and keeping hands warm reduce the risk.

Which welfare facilities must an employer normally provide on a construction site?

• a.Only a car park
• b.Toilets, washing facilities, drinking water and somewhere to rest and eat✓
• c.A gym and a canteen serving hot meals
• d.Nothing; workers arrange their own

Basic welfare includes clean toilets, hot and cold washing facilities, a supply of drinking water, and a heated area to rest, warm up and eat. These are legal requirements, not optional extras.

You are regularly exposed to high noise levels on site. What is the best way to protect your hearing?

• a.Get used to it over time
• b.Only wear ear protection at the end of the day
• c.Reduce the noise at source where possible and wear the hearing protection provided in designated zones✓
• d.Put cotton wool in your ears

Noise should first be reduced at source (quieter methods, enclosures). Where high noise remains, hearing protection must be worn in designated ear-protection zones. Noise-induced hearing loss is permanent and cannot be reversed.

Why is it important to keep your body hydrated and take breaks in hot weather while working?

• a.It is not important
• b.Only to avoid sunburn
• c.To look professional
• d.To prevent heat exhaustion, dehydration and loss of concentration that can lead to accidents✓

Dehydration and heat stress cause tiredness, dizziness and poor concentration, all of which increase the risk of mistakes and accidents. Drink water regularly and take breaks in the shade.

Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, what is the first thing you should try to do about work at height?

• a.Avoid working at height where it is reasonably practicable to do so✓
• b.Issue everyone with a harness
• c.Work as fast as possible
• d.Use a ladder for every task

The regulations set a hierarchy: first avoid work at height where possible; if not, prevent falls using guard rails or a safe platform; and only then minimise the distance and consequences of a fall.

Before you use a leaning ladder for a short task, you should check that it is:

• a.Painted a bright colour
• b.In good condition, on firm level ground, secured and at roughly a 75-degree (1 in 4) angle✓
• c.At least 20 years old
• d.Resting against a fragile surface

Ladders are for short-duration, light work. They must be undamaged, footed on firm level ground, secured (tied) where possible, and set at about a 1-in-4 (75-degree) angle to stay stable.

You have to work near a fragile roof containing rooflights. What is the safe approach?

• a.Walk carefully across the rooflights
• b.Jump across the fragile sections
• c.Use crawling boards or staging and treat all rooflights as fragile, never standing on them✓
• d.Run across quickly to reduce your weight on it

Falls through fragile roofs and rooflights are a major killer. Use crawling boards, staging or proper platforms, install covers or guard rails, and never stand or walk directly on a fragile surface.

When you are working in a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) and wearing a harness, where should the lanyard be clipped?

• a.To the guard rail
• b.To a colleague's harness
• c.Nowhere; the harness alone is enough
• d.To the designated anchor point inside the MEWP basket✓

In a MEWP the harness lanyard must be attached to the manufacturer's designated anchor point in the basket, not to the guard rail. This restrains you inside the basket if it tilts or jolts.

Which technique reduces the risk of injury when lifting a load by hand?

• a.Bend your knees, keep your back straight, hold the load close and avoid twisting✓
• b.Keep your legs straight and bend from the waist
• c.Twist your body as you lift to save time
• d.Hold the load as far from your body as possible

Good manual-handling technique keeps the back in its natural position: bend the knees, keep the load close to the body, and turn your feet rather than twisting the spine. Assess the load first and get help or a mechanical aid for heavy items.

Before lifting a heavy or awkward load, the safest first step is to:

• a.Lift quickly before anyone notices
• b.Assess the load and think about using a mechanical aid or getting help✓
• c.Carry it in one trip no matter how heavy
• d.Throw it to the next person

The first control for manual handling is to avoid or reduce the lift: assess the weight and size, use trolleys, hoists or team lifting, and break the load down where possible.

Under PUWER, work equipment provided for use on site must be:

• a.Brand new only
• b.The cheapest available
• c.Suitable for the job, properly maintained, and used only by people who are trained and authorised✓
• d.Shared without any checks

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations require equipment to be suitable, maintained in a safe condition, and used by trained, competent people, with guards and safety devices in place.

Who is allowed to change the disc on an abrasive wheel (angle grinder or bench grinder)?

• a.Anyone on site
• b.Only the youngest worker
• c.Any labourer with gloves
• d.Only a person who has been trained and is competent to do so✓

Abrasive wheels can shatter and cause serious injury. Only a trained, competent person may mount or change the wheel, and the correct guard must be fitted and eye protection worn.

Under COSHH, what should you do before you start using a hazardous substance?

• a.Check the COSHH assessment and safety data sheet, and use the control measures and RPE specified✓
• b.Open all the containers to see what they smell like
• c.Mix it with other chemicals to test it
• d.Nothing special is needed

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations require a COSHH assessment. Read it and the safety data sheet, use the stated controls (ventilation, extraction, RPE) and follow storage and disposal rules.

You are working in an older building and disturb material you think may contain asbestos. What should you do?

• a.Keep working but hold your breath
• b.Stop work immediately, do not disturb it further, leave the area and report it✓
• c.Sweep it up quickly with a brush
• d.Take a piece home to check it

Asbestos fibres cause fatal lung diseases and are most dangerous when disturbed and made airborne. Stop, avoid spreading the fibres, warn others, and report it so licensed specialists can assess it. Do not sweep or dry-brush it.

Cutting, grinding or drilling concrete, stone or brick creates dust that can cause serious lung disease. This dust is:

• a.Harmless once it settles
• b.Only a problem outdoors
• c.Respirable crystalline silica, which can cause silicosis and should be controlled with water suppression or on-tool extraction and RPE✓
• d.Good for your health

Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is released when cutting or grinding masonry and can cause silicosis and other lung diseases. Control it by cutting with water suppression or on-tool dust extraction and by wearing suitable respiratory protection.

Prolonged skin contact with wet cement or concrete can cause:

• a.Nothing at all
• b.Stronger skin
• c.A pleasant cooling effect
• d.Chemical burns and dermatitis, so you should wear waterproof gloves and wash it off promptly✓

Wet cement is highly alkaline and can cause serious chemical burns and dermatitis. Wear waterproof gloves, keep skin covered, and wash any splashes off the skin quickly with clean water.

For a fire to start and continue, three things must be present. These are:

• a.Heat, fuel and oxygen✓
• b.Water, sand and foam
• c.Noise, dust and vibration
• d.Wood, steel and glass

The fire triangle is heat (ignition source), fuel (something that burns) and oxygen. Removing any one of them puts the fire out, which is the principle behind fire prevention and extinguishers.

Before carrying out hot works such as welding or grinding, you should:

• a.Just start and hope for the best
• b.Have a hot works permit, remove or protect nearby combustibles, keep a suitable extinguisher to hand and keep watch afterwards✓
• c.Work next to flammable liquids to save moving them
• d.Disable the fire alarm

Hot works are a common cause of site fires. A permit-to-work system, clearing or protecting combustible material, having an extinguisher ready and a fire watch after finishing all reduce the risk of a delayed fire.

If you discover a fire on site, your first priority should be to:

• a.Collect your tools
• b.Finish your task
• c.Raise the alarm and get yourself and others to safety, calling the emergency services✓
• d.Take a photo of it

Raise the alarm immediately, evacuate to the assembly point and call the fire service. Only attempt to tackle a small fire with the correct extinguisher if you are trained and it is safe to do so; life safety comes first.

A safety sign that is a solid blue circle tells you that you:

• a.May do something if you wish
• b.Must not do something
• c.Are near an emergency exit
• d.Must do something, such as wear a hard hat or eye protection✓

Blue circular signs are mandatory: they tell you what you must do. Red circles with a diagonal line are prohibition (must not), yellow triangles are warnings, and green signs show safe conditions and escape routes.

Where does personal protective equipment (PPE) sit in the ways of controlling a risk?

• a.It is the last line of defence, used after other controls have reduced the risk as far as possible✓
• b.It is always the first and only control needed
• c.It removes the hazard completely
• d.It is optional decoration

PPE is the last resort in the hierarchy of control. Hazards should first be eliminated or reduced at source; PPE such as hard hats, boots and eye protection then protects against the remaining risk and only works if worn correctly.

Your safety helmet (hard hat) has taken a heavy knock. What should you do?

• a.Keep using it as normal
• b.Replace it, because a hat that has taken a significant impact may no longer protect you✓
• c.Paint over any cracks
• d.Only replace it after ten years no matter what

A helmet that has suffered a significant impact, or is cracked or damaged, must be replaced because its protective ability is reduced. Helmets also have a shelf life and should be checked regularly for damage.

A green safety sign on site normally indicates:

• a.A prohibited action
• b.A chemical hazard
• c.Safe conditions, such as first aid or an emergency escape route✓
• d.Mandatory hearing protection

Green signs show safe conditions: first-aid points, emergency exits and escape routes. Knowing your nearest escape route and assembly point before you start work helps you evacuate quickly in an emergency.