General Industry Knowledge and Safety
What this domain tests
General industry knowledge and safety covers the controls that must be in place before a wrench is turned: energy isolation, fall protection, hoistway and pit access, rigging, barricades, electrical safe work practices, and protection of the riding public. CET-style items reward the candidate who can name the specific control, not merely the hazard.
Core rules
- Lockout/tagout (OSHA 1910.147): lock each energy-isolating device, tag it, release stored energy (hydraulic pressure, capacitors, suspended loads), and verify zero energy before work. A tag alone is not isolation.
- Fall protection: general industry duty begins at 4 ft (1910.28). On car tops use guardrails or a personal fall arrest system anchored to the building structure, never to the car-top railing or the operating device.
- Pit entry: a pit is not automatically a permit-required confined space, but standing water, gas, or restricted egress can make it one under 1910.146. Test the atmosphere, ventilate, and post an attendant with retrieval equipment.
- Hoistway protection: barricade open hoistway entrances, keep doors closed and locked when unattended, and use three-point contact on pit ladders.
- Electrical safety: assume the controller is energized until verified. Use a meter with the correct CAT rating and follow NFPA 70E boundaries and PPE.
Worked example
A mechanic must enter a 6 ft pit containing 2 in of standing water with no permanent ladder. What is required? The water and limited egress create hazards, so evaluate the space as permit-required: test oxygen, flammables, and toxics; ventilate; post an attendant with a retrieval line; then lock out the elevator disconnect, verify the car cannot move, pump the water, and provide a ladder before entry. The defensible answer is not "enter quickly while the car is parked."
Traps that cost marks
- Confusing "tagged" with "locked and verified."
- Anchoring fall protection to the car top instead of the structure.
- Treating every pit as a confined space, or assuming none is.
- Leaving an open hoistway door unguarded.
- Working beneath a suspended load during rigging.
Exam framing
Questions often present a scenario and ask for the next action. The next action is nearly always a control: isolate, barricade, test, or don PPE before touching equipment.