Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental Protection
Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental Protection
This domain is drawn from the Cameroon Labour Code (Law No. 92/007 of 14 August 1992), its hygiene and safety provisions, the CNPS occupational-risk scheme, and national environmental law. It tests hazard identification, the choice of protective measures, fire response, first aid, waste handling and accident and near-miss reporting.
Core rules
- Hierarchy of control: eliminate the hazard, substitute it, engineer it out (guards, extraction), then administrative measures (rotation, signage), and PPE last - never first.
- PPE by task: goggles for chipping and grinding, face shield for cutting, hearing protection above roughly 85 dB, gloves for handling but never near a rotating chuck, dust mask for sanding and mixing.
- Electricity: 220 V / 50 Hz supply; earth connection, residual-current device, no daisy-chained extension leads, lockout before repair.
- Fire triangle: fuel, oxygen, heat. Classes A (solids), B (flammable liquids), C (gases), D (metals), and electrical. Match the extinguisher to the class.
- Waste segregation at source: used oil to an approved collector, never to the drain or ground; sawdust, metal swarf, batteries, solvent rags and general waste in separate containers.
Worked example
Petrol spilled beside a running generator ignites. Which extinguisher?
Identify the fuel state: a flammable liquid, so class B, with energised electrical equipment present. Water is forbidden - it spreads the burning liquid and conducts electricity back to the operator. Cut the power if it can be done safely, then use CO₂ or ABC dry powder. CO₂ leaves no residue but does not cool, so watch for re-ignition; powder is effective but contaminates the machine and must be cleaned before restarting. The reasoning is a two-step classification of fuel and electrical risk.
Traps that cost marks
- Reporting accidents but not near misses.
- Blocking exits or storing materials under stairs and beside distribution boards.
- Wearing loose gloves or sleeves at a bench drill or lathe.
- Pouring used oil or solvent down the drain "because it is only a little".
- Not knowing the assembly point, the first-aid kit location and the posted emergency numbers.