Occupational Health and Safety, and Work Practices
This domain tests whether you can work safely and legally on a lather/ISM site. The exam expects you to recognize hazards, apply the hierarchy of controls, and know the duties that fall on workers and supervisors. Health and safety law is provincial or territorial, so the exact fall-protection trigger height, scaffold rule, or silica exposure limit differs by jurisdiction; learn the principle and confirm the number that applies where you work.
Core rules and concepts
- Worker rights: the right to know about hazards, the right to participate in health and safety, and the right to refuse work you have reasonable cause to believe is unsafe.
- Hazard assessment: complete a field-level or task hazard assessment before starting, and update it when conditions change. Site orientation, emergency procedures, and first aid arrangements are part of the job.
- WHMIS/GHS: read labels and safety data sheets for joint compound, adhesives, sealants, spray foam, and cement products. Know the hazards before you open the container.
- PPE: hard hat, safety footwear, and eye protection are baseline; add hearing protection, gloves, and respiratory protection as the task requires. Respirators need fit testing and training.
- Fall protection: guardrails, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems. Inspect harnesses and lanyards before use, anchor to a suitable point, and follow the jurisdiction's trigger height and rescue requirements.
- Silica and dust: cutting gypsum board, cement board, and plaster produces respirable crystalline silica. Use wet cutting, HEPA vacuum attachments, local exhaust, containment, and appropriate respiratory protection.
- Access equipment: inspect ladders and scaffolds; never alter a scaffold without authorization; use three-point contact; use fall arrest in mobile elevating work platforms when required.
Worked example
You must cut 200 sheets of 15.9 mm Type X board in an occupied corridor. The hazard assessment identifies silica dust and noise. Controls, in order: substitute pre-cut panels where possible; contain the work area with poly and negative air; attach a HEPA vacuum to the cut-out tool; wet-tape joints; schedule noisy work outside occupied hours; provide fit-tested respiratory protection; clean with a HEPA vacuum, not dry sweeping. The reasoning is that PPE is the last line of defence, not the first.
Traps that cost marks
Assuming one national fall-protection height applies everywhere; skipping harness inspection; dry sweeping dust; using damaged cords without GFCI protection; ignoring a safety data sheet; and failing to report a near miss because no one was hurt.