Regulatory compliance
Regulatory compliance questions test which requirement applies, which agency enforces it, and what deadline or documentation triggers action. The CSMP exam expects working knowledge of OSHA, EPA, and DOT frameworks, not legal citation memorization.
Core rules and concepts
- OSHA’s general duty clause, Section 5(a)(1), requires a workplace free from recognized serious hazards when no specific standard applies.
- 29 CFR 1904 governs injury and illness recording and reporting. Report a fatality within 8 hours; report an in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye within 24 hours.
- EPA statutes include RCRA (waste), CERCLA (release response and liability), and EPCRA (community right-to-know and TRI reporting).
- DOT’s Hazardous Materials Regulations cover classification, packaging, marking, labeling, shipping papers, and training.
- Consensus standards such as ANSI/ASSP or NFPA become enforceable through adoption, contract, or state plan, not automatically.
Worked example
An employee is hospitalized after a fall. The employer must report the in-patient hospitalization to OSHA within 24 hours, and the case is likely recordable on the OSHA 300 log if it meets the criteria. A fatality from the same incident would have an 8-hour reporting clock. The compliance decision turns on the outcome and timing, not on whether the injury seemed minor at the time.
Traps that cost marks
Missing the 24-hour versus 8-hour distinction. Assuming a consensus standard is law everywhere. Ignoring state-plan rules that may be stricter. Failing to document hazard recognition and abatement.