CHAPTER 8 SAMPLE QUIZ QUESTIONS
8.1. Which of the following OSHA standards was overturned by the U.S. Congress?
a. Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals
b. Asbestos
c. Safety Systems Management Committees
ref. p. 175
8.2. Which of the following does not apply to the field of ergonomics?
a. applies to human physical capabilities and limitations
b. applies to human psychological capabilities and limitations
c. is concerned with the design of workplaces and machines
d. is specifically required by OSHA
ref. p. 175
8.3. Ergonomics forces managers to deal with the fact that in order to achieve
reduction in injuries and illnesses human performance must be sacrificed.
8.4. Which of the following is most recognized as a facet of ergonomics, as applied
to vehicle safety?
a. tribology
vehicle
c. failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA)
d. fault tree analysis
ref. p. 168
8.5. One of the motivations to employ ergonomics experts in vehicle design is the
existence of notorious examples of the failure of the failure of designers to
consider the human interface.
8.6. Describe an example in which long-accepted, but somewhat contradictory,
principles of machine design have led to confusion on the part of the human
operator.
8.7. Pushing a lever forward usually means “engage” or “go” instead of “disengage”
or “stop.”
8.8. Which of the following is not generally recognized as a facet within the field of
ergonomics?
a. placement of critical controls in vehicle cockpits
b. design of the vehicle/operator human interface
c. workplace design to reduce WMSDs
ref. p. 168
8.9. Consideration of the principles of ergonomics should be included in any
engineering approach to addressing equipment hazards.
8.10. Describe an example of ergonomics applied to the safety of factory machines.
1. punch press footswitches designed with a cover to prevent unintentional
activation.
2. “dead-man controls” for crane pendants to cause the crane to cease to
operate unless a positive pressure is applied to the control.
3. two-hand palm button actuators with anti-tie-down design features
4. design of machine logic control sequences that act to require operator safe
actions to be taken in the event of machine malfunction
ref. pp. 168-170
8.11. Explain what a machine logic control system should do when a malfunction in
the operation of the machine causes the automatic sequence to become unsafe.
8.12. One area of ergonomics in which OSHA has been successful in promulgating a
specific standard is in the control of hot and cold temperatures in the work
environment.
8.13. In which of the following areas of control of the work environment has OSHA
been successful in promulgating a standard?
a. working in excessive heat
b. working in extreme cold
d. working in outer space
ref. p. 197
8.14. OSHA’s standard for manual lifting relies heavily on the NIOSH lifting formula.
8.15. The NIOSH manual “Work Practices for Manual Lifting” urges employers to
provide back belts for workers who do heavy manual lifting.
8.16. NIOSH studies have found a strong statistical correlation between the use of
back belts and decreased incidence of workers’ compensation claims.
8.17. The landmark NIOSH studies on back belts have shown no significant difference
in the incidence of workers’ compensation claims:
a. between workers who are required to wear back belts and those
who are not required to do so.
b. between workers who wear back belts everyday vs. those who
never wear them or, if they do wear them, do so only occasionally.
d. none of the above.
ref. pp. 190
8.18. The landmark NIOSH studies on back belts have shown that:
a. mandatory use of back belts is more effective than voluntary
use.
b. voluntary use of back belts is more effective than mandatory
use.
c. the incidence of “self-reported back pain” is related to failure of
employees to use back belts.
d. all of the above.
8.19. NIOSH studies have concluded that:
a. back belts help to reduce back injuries due to manual lifting.
b. back belts actually do more harm than good.
d. all of the above.
ref. p. 190
8.20. NIOSH studies found that:
a. back belts help to reduce back injuries due to manual lifting.
b. back belts could not be shown to be of any benefit in preventing
back injuries.
c. back belts actually do more harm than good.
8.21. The OSHA standard for manual lifting is the most frequently cited standard in the
OSHA standards subpart for Material Handling.
8.22. NIOSH research has shown that the most effective method of preventing back
injuries is:
a. training in proper lifting techniques.
b. screening of personnel for the job.
c. requiring the use of back belts.
ref. p. 189-190
8.24. Which of the following is the most desirable method of reducing back injuries?
b. require workers to wear back belts
c. screen personnel for the job
d. train employees in proper lifting techniques
ref. p. 189-190
8.25. Which of the following has been identified as an objective of modification of the
workplace?
a. to facilitate manual lifting (for workers in general)
b. to accommodate groups of people who have special needs
c. both of the above
d. none of the above
ref. p. 189-190
8.26. Which of the following is inappropriate to consider in the modification of the
workplace to accommodate human variation.
b. variations in lifting capability
c. variations in height
d. variations in vision
e. variations in hearing
8.27. Which of the following human characteristics is inappropriate to consider in the
modification of the workplace to accommodate human variation.
a. strength (as in lifting capability)
c. height
d. vision problems
e. hearing problems
ref. p. 191-192
8.28. Which of the following facets of the field of ergonomics currently receives the
most attention by safety and health managers?
a. ergonomic vehicle design for human performance
b. designing safety features in workplace machines
c. controlling the work environment
d. manual lifting
ref. p. 171
8.29. Which of the following is a facet of ergonomics that is receiving a great deal of
attention by safety and health managers?
a. SARAs
c. RECRAs
d. CERCLAs
ref. p. 171
8.30. Explain the difference between the terms MSDS and MSDs.
8.31. Which of the following is not considered a workplace musculoskeletal disorder?
a. CTS
b. RSI
c. CTD
8.32. Which of the following is not considered a form of MSD?
a. rotator cuff syndrome
b. trigger finger
c. sciatica
ref. p. 173
8.32. Which of the following is considered a form of MSD?
a. SARS
b. RECRA
d. hypocondilitis
ref. p. 173
8.33. Which of the following industries has been used as a model for formulation of
OSHA enforcement policy for controlling the hazard of WMSDs?
a. construction
b. chemical and refinery processes
c. automotive assembly
ref. p. 174
8.33. Which of the following has received a landmark citation by OSHA in the area of
ergonomics?
b. a sheet metal fabricator
c. a discount retail store
d. a foundry
ref. p. 174
8.34. The text names two companies that have been named in landmark citations by
OSHA in the area of ergonomics. What are these two companies and what are their
respective industries?
8.35. What industry, part of the meatpacking industry, has been the subject of
considerable enforcement activity in the area of ergonomics?
8.36. Certain industries have particular problems with WMSDs, but one area of
concern touches almost every industry. What is this area of concern?
8.37. What stopgap measure has been used to enforce ergonomics hazards in the
absence of a specific OSHA standard for ergonomics?
8.38. OSHA actually promulgated an ergonomics standard in the late twentieth
century, but it had a short life.
8.39. Identify industry concerns with a mandatory ergonomics standard?
8.41. Describe the administrative procedure of “ramp-in”:
8.42. “Ramp-in” is considered which of the following:
a. an engineering control
c. personal protective equipment
d. none of the above
ref. p. 179
8.43. Which of the following is considered least effective in reducing WMSDs:
a. engineering controls
b. administrative controls
c. work practice controls
d. ramp-in
ref. p. 178-179
8.44. Describe two types of administrative or work practice controls to reduce
WMSDs.
2. Rotation of workers on and off difficult, repetitive jobs to reduce exposure
time to the hazard.
ref. p. 179
8.45. When using the NIOSH Lifting Equation, a higher multiplier indicates a harder
lift.
8.46. A multiplier of zero in the NIOSH Lifting Equation would indicate:
a. The lift is safe at any weight
c. More data is needed to understand the issue
d. The multiplier is irrelevant for this scenario
ref. p. 185
8.47. If the LI exceeds 1, a person will be injured while performing a given lift.
8.48. How does torque affect the difficulty of a lift?
8.49. Lift training has not been proven to have an impact on back injuries.
8.50. Why is it important to consider axes of movement for a workpiece?
8.51. Name any three of the 7 Ergonomic Risk Factors.
a. Force
b. Repetition
c. Awkward Postures
d. Static Postures
e. Vibration