DOLE SO3 study materials
DOLE SO3 study resources

DOLE SO3 study plan

DOLE SO3 · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 7 hours per week

Week 1

Hazard identification, risk assessment, and control (hierarchy of controls)

  • Map the five-step hierarchy of controls to at least three construction and three manufacturing hazard scenarios, writing the elimination/substitution option before any PPE option

  • Explain in writing how RA 11058 and its IRR treat PPE as the last resort and what documentation an employer must keep when PPE is issued

  • Build a personal glossary of 20 hazard-classification terms (physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, psychosocial) with one workplace example each

  • Solve 15 risk-assessment exercises using a 5x5 matrix, assigning likelihood and severity scores and justifying each rating in one sentence

Your checkpoint

A one-page hazard register template plus a completed sample register with 10 hazards, risk scores, and control layers

Week 2

Hazard identification, risk assessment, and control (hierarchy of controls)

  • Distinguish hazard identification, risk assessment, and risk control as separate steps and explain the output of each in writing

  • Apply the hierarchy of controls to at least five chemical and five ergonomic hazards, stating why the chosen control sits where it does in the hierarchy

  • Describe how to verify that a selected control is effective, naming the monitoring method and the review interval for each of five controls

  • Interpret a safety data sheet for one solvent and extract the exposure limits, health effects, and required controls

Your checkpoint

A written risk-control justification for 10 hazards showing the rejected lower-order controls and the reason for rejection

Week 3

OSH legal and regulatory framework (RA 11058, OSH Standards, DOLE issuances)

  • Outline the structure of RA 11058 and its IRR, stating the duties of the employer, the safety officer, and the safety and health committee

  • List the OSH Standards provisions on workplace air, illumination, noise, and ventilation, and state the numeric limit for each where one exists

  • Identify which DOLE issuances govern safety officer training, OSH committees, and reporting of accidents, and state what each issuance requires

  • Explain the rights of workers under RA 11058, including the right to refuse unsafe work and protection from retaliation

Your checkpoint

A two-page legal summary table cross-referencing each employer duty to its source provision

Week 4

OSH legal and regulatory framework (RA 11058, OSH Standards, DOLE issuances) & OSH management systems, policy, and program planning

  • Draft an OSH policy statement of no more than 300 words that names top-management commitment, worker participation, and the review cycle

  • Write the four elements of an OSH management system (policy, organizing, planning and implementation, evaluation and corrective action) with one concrete activity per element

  • Design an annual OSH program plan with at least eight activities, each with an owner, a budget line, and a completion date

  • Explain how a safety and health committee is formed, how often it meets, and what minutes must record

Your checkpoint

A complete one-year OSH program plan with budget, responsible persons, and a committee meeting calendar

Week 5

Safety inspection, audit, and incident investigation

  • Build a 25-item inspection checklist that covers housekeeping, machine guarding, electrical, fire, and chemical storage, citing the standard behind each item

  • Write a five-step incident investigation procedure that separates immediate causes from root causes

  • Apply a root-cause method such as the five-why or fishbone technique to one sample accident narrative and produce at least three corrective actions

  • Distinguish a near miss, a first-aid case, a lost-time injury, and a reportable accident, and state the reporting deadline for each

Your checkpoint

A sample incident investigation report with timeline, root-cause analysis, and corrective action tracker

Week 6

Emergency preparedness and response & Occupational health, industrial hygiene, and health surveillance

  • Draft an emergency response plan for a single-site facility naming the alarm system, evacuation routes, assembly point, wardens, and drill frequency

  • Write the roles of the emergency response team and the criteria for deciding to evacuate versus shelter in place

  • Explain the purpose of industrial hygiene sampling, naming at least three sampling methods and the type of hazard each measures

  • Design a health surveillance program covering pre-employment, periodic, and exit examinations, and state which worker groups need which test

Your checkpoint

An emergency response plan outline plus a health surveillance schedule for three job categories

Week 7

OSH training, competency, and safety culture

  • Map the training requirements for safety officers, first aiders, and emergency wardens to the DOLE training hours each role requires

  • Design a 30-minute toolbox talk on one hazard, including the learning objective, key points, and a check for understanding

  • List five measurable indicators of safety culture and explain what a poor score on each would suggest

  • Explain how to assess training effectiveness beyond attendance, using at least two evaluation methods

Your checkpoint

A training matrix listing every role in a sample facility, the required training, hours, and refresher interval

Week 8

Safety performance monitoring, records, and reporting & OSH legal and regulatory framework (RA 11058, OSH Standards, DOLE issuances) & Hazard identification, risk assessment, and control (hierarchy of controls)

  • Define five lagging and five leading safety performance indicators and state how each is calculated

  • Explain the recordkeeping and reporting obligations for accidents, injuries, and exposures, including retention periods

  • Complete two timed practice sets under exam conditions and log every missed item by domain

  • Re-review the ten weakest items from earlier weeks and rewrite each corrected answer in your own words

Your checkpoint

A one-page performance dashboard mock-up plus a scored practice-test log with a remediation list

Milestones

Week 2: Can score and justify controls for 10 hazards without consulting notes, and correctly ranks at least 8 of 10 controls in the hierarchy

Week 4: Can state the core employer duties, safety officer duties, and committee requirements from memory, and has a complete OSH program plan drafted

Week 6: Scores at least 70 percent on a mixed set drawn from domains 1 through 6, with no domain below 60 percent

Week 8: Scores at least 80 percent on two full-length timed practice tests and has closed every item on the remediation list