NIOSH SHO Hazard Control study plan

Explain the difference between hazard identification, anticipation, and recognition as used in a prevention-through-design approach

Map the five standard hazard categories (chemical, physical, biological, ergonomic, safety) to at least two workplace examples each

Describe how exposure pathways (inhalation, dermal, ingestion, injection) determine which control family is relevant

Identify the exposure-assessment steps that precede control selection: inventory, similar exposure groups, and qualitative risk ranking

Apply the hierarchy of controls to rank five candidate controls for a single overexposure scenario and justify the ranking in writing

Distinguish elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, and PPE controls using concrete workplace examples

Explain why PPE is the last line of defense and identify two situations where it is nonetheless the only feasible interim control

Interpret an occupational exposure limit relative to an action level and describe when control escalation is triggered

Select an appropriate local exhaust ventilation hood type (enclosing, exterior, receiving) for three described source geometries

Calculate capture velocity requirements and explain how hood-to-source distance and cross-drafts degrade capture

Compare dilution ventilation with local exhaust for a given contaminant generation rate and state when dilution is unacceptable

Describe how make-up air balance and duct static pressure affect system performance

Identify the components of an exhaust system (hood, duct, air cleaner, fan, stack) and the failure mode of each

Design a work-practice control that reduces exposure duration or proximity without relying on worker vigilance alone

Explain why administrative controls depend on consistent supervision and training to remain effective

Draft rotation or scheduling logic that keeps individual exposures below an action level

Match respirator classes to assigned protection factors and explain why fit factor differs from APF

Describe the elements of a written respiratory protection program, including medical evaluation, fit testing, and cartridge change schedules

Select glove materials for two chemical hazards using permeation and degradation data rather than generic recommendations

Specify eye, hearing, and dermal protection for a described task and justify each selection

Explain the purpose and limits of exposure monitoring: personal sampling, area sampling, and direct-reading instruments

Interpret a sampling result against an exposure limit and state whether the result is statistically distinguishable from the limit

Design a verification check that confirms an engineering control is still performing as designed after installation

Describe how to document control effectiveness so the record supports program evaluation later

Build a program-evaluation cycle that feeds monitoring results back into control selection

Identify leading and lagging indicators for a hazard control program and explain the weakness of injury-rate-only evaluation

Recognize when a control degrades, becomes obsolete, or is bypassed, and describe the corrective action sequence

Re-rank controls for a scenario where the original engineering control failed verification

Integrate all six domains into a single end-to-end case: anticipate, identify, select controls, verify, and evaluate

Answer timed practice items across all domains and identify the two weakest domains by score

Re-derive the hierarchy-of-controls rationale from memory for three different hazard types

Correct the two weakest areas with targeted review before exam day