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OSHA 511 practice questions

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Question 1Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

In what year did Congress enact the Occupational Safety and Health Act?

  1. 1973
  2. 1970 Correct answer.
  3. 1977
  4. 1965

Explanation

The OSH Act was signed into law on December 29, 1970, and took effect on April 28, 1971. It created OSHA within the U.S. Department of Labor and established NIOSH to conduct research. Before the Act, workplace safety was addressed only through scattered state laws and a few federal procurement statutes.

Question 2Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

OSHA operates as an agency within which federal department?

  1. Department of Labor Correct answer.
  2. Department of Commerce
  3. Department of Health and Human Services
  4. Department of the Interior

Explanation

The OSH Act placed the administration of the new safety and health program in the Department of Labor, headed by the Secretary of Labor. The research function was placed separately in what became NIOSH under the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. This split keeps enforcement and research in different agencies.

Question 3Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

Which section of the OSH Act contains the General Duty Clause?

  1. Section 5(a)(1) Correct answer.
  2. Section 8(c)
  3. Section 17
  4. Section 11(c)

Explanation

Section 5(a)(1) requires each employer to furnish a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Section 8 addresses inspections, Section 11(c) prohibits retaliation, and Section 17 establishes penalties.

Question 4Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

Which of the following is generally outside the coverage of the OSH Act?

  1. Laborers on a federal construction contract
  2. Nursing aides in a private hospital
  3. Self-employed individuals who employ no one else Correct answer.
  4. Machine operators at a privately owned factory

Explanation

The Act covers employers and their employees, so a self-employed person with no employees is not an employer covered by the statute. Private-sector workers, including those on federal contracts, and federal employees are covered. Certain workers regulated by other federal agencies, such as mine workers, are also excluded.

Question 5Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

Under Section 5(b) of the OSH Act, what obligation is placed on employees?

  1. Purchase their own personal protective equipment
  2. Verify that engineering controls are properly designed
  3. Comply with standards and rules that apply to their own actions Correct answer.
  4. Report every hazard to OSHA within 24 hours

Explanation

Section 5(b) requires each employee to comply with occupational safety and health standards and with all rules, regulations, and orders issued under the Act that are applicable to the employee's own actions and conduct. Designing controls and providing protective equipment remain employer duties under Section 5(a).

Question 6Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

An employee dies from a work-related injury. Within what period must the employer report the death to OSHA?

  1. 8 hours Correct answer.
  2. 4 hours
  3. 15 working days
  4. 24 hours

Explanation

Work-related fatalities must be reported to OSHA within 8 hours of the employer learning of them. The report may be made by telephone or online to the nearest OSHA area office. In-patient hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye carry a 24-hour reporting deadline.

Question 7Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

Which organization was created by the OSH Act to carry out research on occupational safety and health rather than enforcement?

  1. OSHRC
  2. MSHA
  3. NIOSH Correct answer.
  4. OSHA

Explanation

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health was established to conduct research, develop criteria, and train professionals in occupational safety and health. It sits within the federal public health structure rather than the Department of Labor. OSHA, by contrast, sets and enforces standards.

Question 8Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

Which of the following is a right the OSH Act gives to covered employees?

  1. Granting permanent variances to employers
  2. Setting permissible exposure limits for chemicals
  3. Issuing citations to employers
  4. Requesting an inspection of the workplace Correct answer.

Explanation

Employees may file a complaint asking OSHA to inspect their workplace, and they may request that their name be kept confidential from the employer. Setting exposure limits, issuing citations, and ruling on variances are agency functions, not employee rights.

Question 9Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

Which situation receives OSHA's highest inspection priority?

  1. A written complaint alleging a serious hazard
  2. A programmed inspection of a high-hazard industry
  3. A follow-up inspection of a previously cited worksite
  4. A situation of imminent danger Correct answer.

Explanation

OSHA ranks imminent danger first because the hazard could cause death or serious physical harm before normal abatement processes could work. Fatality and catastrophe investigations come next, followed by complaints and referrals, then programmed inspections, with follow-ups scheduled as needed.

Question 10Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

An employer receives a citation and wishes to challenge it. Within how many working days must the employer file a notice of contest?

  1. 10 working days
  2. 30 working days
  3. 15 working days Correct answer.
  4. 60 working days

Explanation

The employer must notify the OSHA area director in writing within 15 working days of receiving the citation and penalty notification. Filing a timely contest sends the case to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. If no contest is filed, the citation becomes a final order.

Question 11Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

For OSHA to approve a state occupational safety and health plan, the plan must be:

  1. limited to public-sector employees only
  2. identical to the federal standards in every respect
  3. reapproved by the state legislature each year
  4. at least as effective as the federal program Correct answer.

Explanation

Section 18 allows a state to assume responsibility for its own program only if OSHA approves a plan that is at least as effective as the federal program, including adequate enforcement and reporting. States may adopt different but equivalent approaches. All states remain subject to federal monitoring and funding conditions.

Question 12Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

OSHA may issue an emergency temporary standard when it determines that:

  1. a new chemical has been introduced into a worksite
  2. a state plan has failed to adopt a federal standard
  3. an employer has refused to abate a cited hazard
  4. employees are exposed to a grave danger requiring immediate action Correct answer.

Explanation

An emergency temporary standard takes effect immediately and is justified only when employees are exposed to a grave danger and a standard is necessary to protect them. The agency must then complete permanent rulemaking, and the emergency standard generally must be replaced within six months.

Question 13Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

Under Section 11(c) of the OSH Act, how long does an employee have to file a retaliation complaint with OSHA?

  1. 90 calendar days
  2. 30 calendar days Correct answer.
  3. 60 calendar days
  4. 180 calendar days

Explanation

Section 11(c) prohibits retaliation against employees for exercising rights such as filing a complaint or participating in an inspection. A complaint must be filed within 30 calendar days of the alleged discriminatory action. The burden then shifts to the employer to show the action was not retaliatory.

Question 14Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

During an OSHA inspection, who may accompany the compliance officer on the physical walkaround?

  1. Only a company-paid safety consultant
  2. Any OSHA-approved third-party auditor
  3. A representative authorized by the employees Correct answer.
  4. Only a licensed professional engineer

Explanation

The Act gives employees the right to have a representative of their own choosing accompany the compliance officer during the inspection walkaround. The employer also has the right to have a representative present. If no authorized employee representative is available, the officer may consult with employees privately.

Question 15Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

For OSHA to establish a General Duty Clause violation, which element must be shown?

  1. An employee has already been injured by the hazard
  2. A recognized hazard is causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm Correct answer.
  3. The hazard violates a specific OSHA standard
  4. The employer maintains no written safety program

Explanation

The General Duty Clause requires a hazard that the employer recognized or should have recognized, that is causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm, and that can feasibly be abated. It is used when no specific standard addresses the hazard. An actual injury is not required.

Question 16Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

Under OSHA recordkeeping rules, which establishments are generally exempt from routinely maintaining the OSHA 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses?

  1. Those with 10 or fewer employees Correct answer.
  2. Those with 25 or fewer employees
  3. Those with 50 or fewer employees
  4. Those with 11 or more employees in low-hazard industries

Explanation

Establishments with 10 or fewer employees are generally not required to keep the OSHA 300 log unless OSHA asks them to do so. Separate partial exemptions also exist for establishments classified in designated low-hazard industries. Recordkeeping obligations still apply to covered establishments above the size threshold.

Question 17Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

An employee is hospitalized overnight for treatment of a work-related injury. When must the employer report the event to OSHA?

  1. Within 24 hours of learning of it Correct answer.
  2. Within 8 hours of learning of it
  3. Within 7 calendar days of learning of it
  4. Within 3 calendar days of learning of it

Explanation

In-patient hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye must be reported within 24 hours of the employer learning of the event. Fatalities carry the shorter 8-hour deadline. Reports can be made by phone or through OSHA's online reporting system.

Question 18Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

A coal mine is suspected of having unsafe working conditions. Which agency has jurisdiction to inspect it?

  1. MSHA Correct answer.
  2. NIOSH
  3. OSHRC
  4. OSHA

Explanation

The OSH Act excludes workplaces whose safety is regulated by another federal agency under a statute such as the Mine Act. Mines fall under the Mine Safety and Health Administration. NIOSH conducts research and OSHRC hears contests, so neither inspects for enforcement purposes.

Question 19Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

An employer cannot meet a newly issued OSHA standard by its effective date because the needed equipment is not yet available. What should the employer apply for?

  1. A notice of contest
  2. A temporary variance Correct answer.
  3. An emergency temporary standard
  4. A permanent variance

Explanation

A temporary variance is available when an employer cannot comply by the effective date because of unavailability of personnel, materials, or equipment, or because construction or alteration cannot be completed in time. The employer must show a specific abatement plan and interim protective measures. A permanent variance, by contrast, requires showing the alternative method is as safe as the standard.

Question 20Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

OSHA's occupational safety and health standards appear in which title of the Code of Federal Regulations?

  1. 49 CFR
  2. 29 CFR Correct answer.
  3. 40 CFR
  4. 20 CFR

Explanation

OSHA standards and regulations are codified in Title 29 of the CFR, which covers Labor. General industry standards appear in Part 1910, construction in Part 1926, and maritime in Parts 1915 through 1918. Other titles cover unrelated agencies such as transportation and environmental protection.

Question 21Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

In Marshall v. Barlow's, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court held that a nonconsensual OSHA inspection of a business generally requires:

  1. advance notice to the employer
  2. a warrant or its equivalent Correct answer.
  3. approval from a state plan authority
  4. written consent from affected employees

Explanation

The Court held that the Fourth Amendment protects commercial premises, so OSHA must obtain a warrant when an employer refuses consent to inspect. Employers may still consent voluntarily, which is how most inspections proceed. Refusing entry is the employer's right but may prompt the agency to seek a warrant.

Question 22Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

Which statement best describes the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission?

  1. An independent agency that decides contested citations Correct answer.
  2. The office that approves state plan grants
  3. The unit that investigates workplace fatalities
  4. The office that drafts new OSHA standards

Explanation

The Review Commission is a separate, independent adjudicatory body made up of commissioners who hear employers' challenges to citations and penalties. It does not set standards, inspect workplaces, or administer grants. Its decisions are subject to review by the federal courts of appeals.

Question 23Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

Under Section 9(c) of the OSH Act, no citation may be issued after what period following the occurrence of the violation?

  1. 90 days
  2. 1 year
  3. 6 months Correct answer.
  4. 30 days

Explanation

Section 9(c) bars issuance of a citation more than six months after the violation occurred. For continuing violations, the clock generally runs from the date the condition is abated or observed. This limit is one reason inspections must be documented promptly.

Question 24Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

Which description best fits a willful violation of the OSH Act?

  1. Knowingly disregarding the Act or showing plain indifference Correct answer.
  2. Committing a violation with a low likelihood of harm
  3. Unknowingly exposing workers to a hazard no one reported
  4. Failing to abate a hazard by the date in a citation

Explanation

A willful violation involves intentional disregard of or plain indifference to the Act's requirements, and it carries the highest civil penalty category. A serious violation, by contrast, requires a substantial probability of death or serious harm, and a failure to abate is a separate category tied to an uncorrected citation.

Question 25Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

Under Section 19 of the OSH Act, each federal agency is required to:

  1. transfer enforcement duties to the Department of Justice
  2. adopt the state plan of the state where it operates
  3. report all hazards to NIOSH instead of OSHA
  4. maintain a safety and health program for its own employees Correct answer.

Explanation

Section 19 makes each federal agency responsible for establishing and maintaining a safety and health program consistent with OSHA standards for its own employees. Federal agencies are therefore both regulators and covered employers. OSHA oversees federal agency programs and can conduct evaluations of them.

Question 26Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

The OSH Act declares a purpose for the statute in its opening section. Which statement best captures that stated purpose?

  1. To assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women Correct answer.
  2. To guarantee that no employee will ever suffer a work-related injury or illness
  3. To provide workers' compensation payments to employees injured on the job
  4. To require annual safety training for every employee in the United States

Explanation

The OSH Act's purpose clause states that its aim is to assure, so far as possible, safe and healthful working conditions for every working man and woman in the Nation. The statute is designed to reduce hazards, not to abolish all workplace risk or to replace other systems such as workers' compensation.

Question 27Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

OSHA's jurisdiction does not extend to every person who performs work. Which individual is generally outside the coverage of the OSH Act?

  1. A laborer employed by a residential roofing company
  2. A nurse employed at a private hospital
  3. A machine operator at a factory with 25 employees
  4. A self-employed consultant who works alone and has no employees Correct answer.

Explanation

The OSH Act covers employers and their employees in businesses affecting interstate commerce; the self-employed, who have no employer-employee relationship, are not covered. Private-sector employees such as roofers, hospital nurses, and factory workers are covered regardless of the size of the business.

Question 28Introduction to OSHA and the OSH Act

An employee refuses to perform a task because of a workplace hazard. Under OSHA doctrine, the refusal is protected against retaliation only when which condition is met?

  1. The employer has previously been cited for the same condition and the citation is final
  2. The employee has already filed a complaint with OSHA and an inspection is pending
  3. At least two coworkers agree in writing that the task is unsafe and join in the refusal
  4. The employee reasonably fears death or serious injury and there is too little time to correct the hazard through normal enforcement Correct answer.

Explanation

Protection for refusing to work is narrow: the employee must have a reasonable, good-faith belief that death or serious injury is imminent and that there is insufficient time to have the hazard eliminated through normal enforcement channels such as an OSHA inspection. Filing a complaint is a factor supporting good faith, but a pending inspection is not a prerequisite to protection.

Question 29Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

Under 29 CFR 1904.29, an employer must enter a newly learned recordable case on the OSHA 300 Log within:

  1. 8 hours
  2. 24 hours
  3. 7 calendar days Correct answer.
  4. 30 calendar days

Explanation

Section 1904.29(b)(3) requires the employer to enter each recordable case on the OSHA 300 Log within seven calendar days after learning of the injury or illness. The eight-hour and twenty-four-hour periods belong to the separate duty to report certain events directly to OSHA.

Question 30Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

An employee is away from work because of a work-related injury. For a single case, the maximum number of days away that must be counted on the OSHA 300 Log is:

  1. 365 calendar days
  2. 30 calendar days
  3. 90 calendar days
  4. 180 calendar days Correct answer.

Explanation

Under 1904.7(b)(4), days away are counted as calendar days beginning the day after the injury, and counting stops at 180 calendar days for any one case. Days the employee would not have worked, such as weekends, are still counted.

Question 31Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

Within what time period must an employer report a work-related fatality to OSHA?

  1. 4 business hours
  2. 7 calendar days
  3. 24 hours
  4. 8 hours Correct answer.

Explanation

Section 1904.39 requires the employer to report a work-related fatality to OSHA within eight hours of learning of the death. The report may be made by telephone or through the OSHA online reporting system.

Question 32Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

Under 1904.32, the OSHA 300A Annual Summary covering the previous calendar year must be posted by February 1 and must remain posted until:

  1. March 31
  2. April 30 Correct answer.
  3. January 31
  4. December 31

Explanation

The annual summary must be posted no later than February 1 and kept posted until April 30 of the year following the year covered by the records. Posting must occur even at establishments that had no recordable cases.

Question 33Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

How long must an employer retain the OSHA 300 Log and the 300A Annual Summary after the end of the calendar year to which they apply?

  1. 3 years
  2. 5 years Correct answer.
  3. 1 year
  4. 10 years

Explanation

Section 1904.33(a) requires the OSHA 300 Log, the 300A Annual Summary, and the 301 Incident Reports to be saved for five years following the end of the calendar year that the records cover. The records must also be updated during the retention period if new information about a case is received.

Question 34Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

An employee with a work-related strain takes an over-the-counter pain reliever at nonprescription strength and returns to work with no other treatment. How is this treatment classified under 1904.7?

  1. Medical treatment, because any medication is medical treatment
  2. A significant diagnosed injury requiring physician confirmation
  3. Recordable only if the employee later misses a day of work
  4. First aid, because it is a nonprescription medication taken at nonprescription strength Correct answer.

Explanation

Section 1904.7(b)(5)(ii)(A) lists using a nonprescription medication at nonprescription strength as first aid. Taking a prescription medication, or a nonprescription drug at prescription strength, would instead be medical treatment beyond first aid.

Question 35Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

Which outcome alone makes a work-related case recordable even when no medical treatment, days away, or restricted work results?

  1. A clinic visit solely for observation
  2. Loss of consciousness Correct answer.
  3. A near-miss with no injury
  4. A bruise that requires no treatment

Explanation

Loss of consciousness is one of the general recording criteria in 1904.7(b)(6), so a case must be recorded when an employee loses consciousness, even briefly, on the job. No other criterion is needed.

Question 36Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

A work-related injury results in an in-patient hospitalization for treatment. Within what time period must the employer report the event to OSHA?

  1. 12 hours
  2. 24 hours Correct answer.
  3. 8 hours
  4. 72 hours

Explanation

Section 1904.39 requires reporting an in-patient hospitalization for treatment within 24 hours of the work-related incident. Amputations and losses of an eye fall on the same 24-hour clock, while fatalities must be reported within eight hours.

Question 37Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

Medical evidence shows that an employee's asthma symptoms, which appeared while the employee was at work, were caused solely by an exposure at home. Under 1904.5, the case is:

  1. Work-related, because the symptoms appeared at work
  2. Work-related, because asthma is always recordable
  3. Not work-related, because a non-work event solely caused it Correct answer.
  4. Recordable, unless a physician states otherwise

Explanation

Section 1904.5(b)(2)(i) excludes cases in which signs or symptoms surface at work but result solely from a non-work event or exposure outside the work environment. Work-relatedness requires that a work event caused, contributed to, or significantly aggravated the condition.

Question 38Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

An employee is injured in a collision in the employer's parking lot while driving in to begin the shift. Under 1904.5, how is the case treated?

  1. Recordable only if the employee was on call that day
  2. Not work-related, under the commuting exception Correct answer.
  3. Always recordable as a motor vehicle accident
  4. Recordable, because the lot is employer property

Explanation

Section 1904.5(b)(2)(viii) excludes injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents on a company parking lot or access road while the employee is commuting to or from work. The result differs if the employee is injured there while performing work activity, such as parking a company vehicle as an assigned task.

Question 39Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

An employee sustains a needlestick at work, and the physician administers immune globulin as post-exposure prophylaxis. How should the case be handled?

  1. Not recordable, since prophylaxis is only preventive care
  2. Recordable only if the employee later tests positive
  3. First aid only, since no illness has developed
  4. Recordable as medical treatment beyond first aid Correct answer.

Explanation

Section 1904.8 provides that post-exposure prophylaxis, such as immune globulin given after a needlestick, counts as medical treatment beyond first aid. The case must therefore be recorded even if no infection develops.

Question 40Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

An employee is sent for an x-ray after a work-related fall; the x-ray is negative and the employee returns to work the same day. How is the x-ray treated under 1904.7?

  1. First aid because no treatment was provided
  2. Recordable only if a fracture is confirmed
  3. A diagnostic procedure, not medical treatment Correct answer.
  4. Medical treatment that makes the case recordable

Explanation

Section 1904.7(b)(5)(i) states that diagnostic procedures, including x-rays and blood tests, are not medical treatment even when ordered by a physician. A negative x-ray on its own does not make the case recordable.

Question 41Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

For recordkeeping purposes, an employee's routine functions are the job duties the employee regularly performs at least:

  1. Once per month
  2. Once per week Correct answer.
  3. Twice per week
  4. Once per shift

Explanation

Section 1904.7(b)(3)(ii) defines routine functions as those the employee regularly performs at least once per week. Keeping an employee from performing those functions, or from working a full day, constitutes restricted work.

Question 42Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

An employer records a case involving an injury to an employee's reproductive system. How should the employee's name be handled on the OSHA 300 Log?

  1. Left off the log entirely
  2. Replaced with 'privacy case' and listed confidentially Correct answer.
  3. Entered in full as for any other case
  4. Replaced with the employee's initials

Explanation

Section 1904.29(b)(7) identifies reproductive-system injuries among privacy concern cases and requires entering 'privacy case' in place of the name. A separate confidential list linking the case number to the employee's name must be kept.

Question 43Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

A worker supplied by a staffing agency is under the day-to-day supervision of the host employer. Who is responsible for recording the worker's work-related injury on the OSHA 300 Log?

  1. The staffing agency only
  2. The host employer, which supervises the worker Correct answer.
  3. OSHA, once the employer reports the event
  4. Neither party, since the worker is not a permanent employee

Explanation

Section 1904.31 makes covered employees include those who are not on the employer's payroll but are supervised on a day-to-day basis, such as temporary workers. The supervising host employer therefore has the recording obligation.

Question 44Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

An employer operates three separate establishments, each expected to remain in operation for more than a year. How many OSHA 300 Logs must be kept?

  1. One log for each state of operation
  2. One log for each establishment Correct answer.
  3. One log plus separate 300A summaries
  4. One consolidated log at the headquarters

Explanation

Section 1904.30(a) requires a separate OSHA 300 Log for each establishment expected to be in operation for a year or longer. Employees who travel away from home record at the establishment from which they operate.

Question 45Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

An employee had a recorded back strain, recovered completely, and later suffers a back strain of the same type from a new work event. Under 1904.6, the later injury is:

  1. Not recordable because the body part was already injured
  2. A continuation of the earlier case
  3. Recordable only if the employee misses more than five days
  4. A new case, recorded if it meets the criteria Correct answer.

Explanation

Section 1904.6(b) treats a case as new when the employee has no prior recorded case of the same type affecting the same body part, or had recovered completely before the signs and symptoms reappeared. Complete recovery followed by a work-related recurrence therefore starts a new log entry.

Question 46Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

An OSHA compliance officer arrives during a shift and asks to see the employer's OSHA 300 Logs. Within what time must the employer provide copies of those records?

  1. Four business hours Correct answer.
  2. The end of the next business day
  3. Seven calendar days
  4. Thirty calendar days

Explanation

Section 1904.40(a) requires copies of the Part 1904 records to be provided to an authorized government representative within four business hours. Requests from employees or their representatives are handled on a different clock, by the end of the next business day.

Question 47Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

An employer purchases an existing business and continues its operations. What must the new owner do with the Part 1904 records of the former owner?

  1. They must be kept for the remaining five years Correct answer.
  2. They must be sent to the nearest OSHA office
  3. They must be recreated from scratch
  4. They may be discarded by the new owner

Explanation

Section 1904.34 requires the former owner to transfer the Part 1904 records to the new owner, and the new owner must retain them in accordance with 1904.33. Retention runs five years following the end of the calendar year the records cover.

Question 48Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

A physician prescribes a course of antibiotics for a work-related infection, and the employee takes it as directed at home. How is this treatment classified?

  1. Medical treatment beyond first aid Correct answer.
  2. Not recordable, because the employee self-administered it
  3. Recordable only if a day away follows
  4. First aid, because no surgery was needed

Explanation

Taking a prescription medication is medical treatment beyond first aid under 1904.7(b)(5), regardless of where or by whom the dose is administered. The case is therefore recordable unless some other provision applies.

Question 49Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

An annual audiogram shows a standard threshold shift of 10 dB in one ear, and the hearing level in that ear is 26 dB above audiometric zero at the same frequencies. Under 1904.10, the case is:

  1. Recordable, as the shift is 10 dB and the level is 25 dB Correct answer.
  2. Recordable only with a hearing aid fitting
  3. Not recordable, because hearing loss must affect both ears
  4. Not recordable, because the shift is under 15 dB

Explanation

Section 1904.10(b) requires recording a hearing loss when the annual audiogram shows a standard threshold shift of at least 10 dB at 2000, 3000, or 4000 Hz and the hearing level in the same ear is at least 25 dB above audiometric zero, provided the case is work-related. Both thresholds are met here for a single ear.

Question 50Recordkeeping and reporting (29 CFR 1904)

Under 1904.11, an employer must record a case of tuberculosis when:

  1. A coworker is also diagnosed with the disease
  2. The employee is admitted to the hospital
  3. It is work-related and meets a recording criterion Correct answer.
  4. An employee has a positive skin test, whatever its origin

Explanation

Section 1904.11 requires recording when there is a positive skin test or a physician's diagnosis, evidence that the exposure was work-related, and the case meets one of the general recording criteria. All three elements must be present.