Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental Practices
The occupational health, safety and environmental domain asks you to spot the hazards specific to floorcovering work - silica dust, solvent adhesives, asbestos in old resilient, knives, kneeling, heavy rolls - and to name the control that actually works. Exam items are usually scenarios: what do you do first, what PPE, what regulation or test applies.
Hazard communication
- WHMIS 2015 (GHS-aligned) requires a supplier label and a safety data sheet for every hazardous product on site; decanted products need an employer label.
- Read SDS Section 2 (hazards), 4 (first aid), 8 (exposure controls and PPE) and 9 (flammability, VOC).
- A documented pre-job hazard assessment is expected before work starts, not after.
Silica and dust
- Respirable crystalline silica is an IARC Group 1 carcinogen; dry-cutting tile, stone or cement board with a grinder is the main source.
- Controls in order: wet cutting, on-tool HEPA extraction, local exhaust, then respiratory protection such as a P100 half-face respirator.
- OSHA's permissible exposure limit is 50 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA; housekeeping means HEPA vacuuming or wet methods, never dry sweeping.
Asbestos and lead
- Sheet flooring, backing and black cut-back adhesive in buildings from roughly 1960 to 1990, and 9×9 in. vinyl tile, may contain asbestos. Do not sand, grind or dry-scrape - stop and get a hazardous materials survey.
- Painted trim in older buildings can contain lead; sanding creates lead dust.
Chemicals and ergonomics
- Solvent-based adhesives are flammable and narcotic: ventilation plus an organic-vapour cartridge, not a particulate filter.
- Epoxy and urethane can sensitize skin; nitrile gloves and eye protection. Never pour adhesive residue down a drain.
- Knee pads or a kneeling stool, two-person lifts for 100 lb rolls, retractable blades, and GFCI protection on wet saws.
Worked example
A crew is told to scrape black mastic off a 1974 school corridor and just grind it smooth. The reasoning: the mastic is presumed asbestos-containing until sampled; grinding would release fibres, so the task stops, the area is contained, and a licensed abatement contractor removes it. Only then does substrate prep with HEPA extraction begin.
Traps
- Assuming newer-looking vinyl is asbestos-free - the adhesive, not the wear layer, is the tell.
- Wearing a dust mask for solvent vapour.
- Dry sweeping silica dust because it is only a small area.