COSHH and hazardous substances questions for the CSCS test
7 free questions on COSHH and hazardous substances, from section B. Occupational health. Every question is original and explains why each option is right or wrong.
Your gang starts using a new floor adhesive. The supplier has sent a safety data sheet with it.
Which of these is true about the safety data sheet?
Choose one answer.
AA. It is only needed if someone has already been harmed
BB. It helps your employer work out how to use the product safely
CC. It is the COSHH risk assessment, so nothing else is needed
DD. It only matters to the person who ordered the product
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B
A. Wrong: Wrong. The information is needed before the product is used, so the right controls are in place from the start.
B. Right: Right. A safety data sheet describes the product's hazards and how to handle, store and deal with it in an emergency. Your employer uses it to help make their own COSHH assessment.
C. Wrong: Wrong. HSE says a safety data sheet is not a risk assessment. It gives information that helps your employer make one for the way the product is used on your site.
D. Wrong: Wrong. The information is there so that the people using the product can be protected. Your employer should tell you what it means for the job you are doing.
Explanation
A safety data sheet tells you about a product's hazards and how to handle and store it. It is not a risk assessment, but it helps your employer make one.
Containers of hazardous products carry hazard pictograms: a black symbol in a diamond with a red border.
Match each symbol to what it warns you about.
Match each item to one answer. An answer can be used more than once, and some may not be used.
Items
A flame
A skull and crossbones
Liquid dripping onto a hand and a piece of metal
A gas cylinder
Answers
AA. Acute toxicity: it can poison you, even in small amounts
BB. Corrosive: it can burn skin and eyes and damage metal
CC. Gas under pressure: the container holds compressed gas
DD. Explosive: it can explode
EE. Flammable: it can catch fire easily
Show the answer and explanation
Correct matches
A flame: E. Flammable: it can catch fire easily
A skull and crossbones: A. Acute toxicity: it can poison you, even in small amounts
Liquid dripping onto a hand and a piece of metal: B. Corrosive: it can burn skin and eyes and damage metal
A gas cylinder: C. Gas under pressure: the container holds compressed gas
About each answer
A. The skull and crossbones means the product can cause serious harm or death if swallowed, breathed in or absorbed through the skin.
B. The corrosion symbol, liquid eating into a hand and a piece of metal, means the product can cause severe burns.
C. The gas cylinder symbol means the container holds gas under pressure, which may explode if heated.
D. The exploding bomb symbol means the product is explosive. None of the four symbols here is that one.
E. The flame symbol means the product is flammable, such as some solvents, paints and gases.
Explanation
Flame: flammable. Skull and crossbones: toxic. Corrosion: corrosive. Gas cylinder: gas under pressure. Read the label and safety data sheet before using a product.
Your employer needs to control the risk from a harmful substance used on site.
Put these controls in order, starting with the one to consider first.
Put these 4 steps in order.
AA. Use a safer substance or a safer way of working
BB. Control it at the source, for example with extraction
CC. Give workers personal protective equipment
DD. Stop using the substance at all
Show the answer and explanation
Correct order: D, A, B, C
D. Stop using the substance at all First. If the substance is not used, no one can be exposed to it. HSE says always consider this first.
A. Use a safer substance or a safer way of working Second. If it can't be removed, change the substance or the process so it is less harmful.
B. Control it at the source, for example with extraction Third. Stopping the substance getting into the air at the source is more effective than dealing with it afterwards.
C. Give workers personal protective equipment Last. HSE calls PPE the final control option. It is less reliable than other controls and only protects the person wearing it.
Explanation
Remove the substance if you can, then make it safer, then control it at the source. PPE such as masks and gloves comes last, used alongside the other controls.
You are kneeling to level a concrete slab. At break you notice wet concrete has soaked through your trousers onto your knee.
What should you do?
Choose one answer.
AA. Wash it off your skin as soon as possible
BB. Leave it until the end of the shift, as it will dry out
CC. Rub it off with a dry rag and get back to work
DD. Only worry about it if your skin starts to blister
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: A
A. Right: Right. Wet cement is strongly alkaline. If it is trapped against your skin it can quickly cause a serious burn. Wash it off straight away, then change out of the wet clothing.
B. Wrong: Wrong. A serious burn can develop quickly while the cement is trapped against your skin. It may not hurt at first, so don't wait.
C. Wrong: Wrong. Rubbing can damage the skin and leaves cement behind. Wash it off with water, and wear waterproof trousers when kneeling in wet concrete.
D. Wrong: Wrong. By the time blisters appear, the burn has already happened. Cement burns can be serious enough to need a skin graft.
Explanation
Wet cement can burn your skin and cause dermatitis. Wash it off as soon as possible, keep it out of your boots and gloves, and wear waterproof trousers when kneeling in it.
Your gang is clearing out an old drainage ditch next to a canal. There are signs of rats everywhere.
Which precaution helps protect you from leptospirosis (Weil's disease)?
Choose one answer.
AA. Nothing, as it only affects people who are bitten by rats
BB. Cover cuts with waterproof dressings and wear gloves
CC. Eat your lunch at the work area so you don't lose time
DD. Wear a dust mask, as the disease is caught by breathing it in
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B
A. Wrong: Wrong. You don't need to be bitten. Water or soil contaminated with rat urine can infect you through a cut or scratch.
B. Right: Right. Leptospirosis is caught from rat urine, which can get in through cuts and scratches or through your mouth and eyes. Covering cuts, wearing gloves and washing your hands before eating all help.
C. Wrong: Wrong. Take breaks away from the work area and wash your hands first. Otherwise you can carry the bacteria to your mouth on your hands or food.
D. Wrong: Wrong. Weil's disease is mainly caught when infected rat urine gets into cuts or the mouth, nose or eyes, not by breathing in dust.
Explanation
Leptospirosis comes from rat urine. Cover cuts, wear gloves, wash your hands before eating or drinking, and take breaks away from the work area. It starts like flu, so tell your doctor about your work if you feel ill.
You are painting a small, closed basement room with a solvent-based paint. After a while you feel dizzy and have a headache.
What is the most likely cause, and what should you do?
Choose one answer.
AA. Tiredness; take a short nap in the room
BB. Normal for painting; it will pass when you get used to it
CC. Solvent vapour; get to fresh air and report it
DD. Not drinking enough water; have a drink and carry on
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: C
A. Wrong: Wrong. Staying in the room keeps you breathing the vapour.
B. Wrong: Wrong. These are warning signs. Your body doesn't get used to solvent vapour safely.
C. Right: Right. HSE says solvents can cause headaches, nausea and dizziness. Get out into fresh air, and tell your supervisor so ventilation or a water-based paint can be used.
D. Wrong: Wrong. The symptoms match solvent exposure. Carrying on would make it worse.
Explanation
Solvent vapour can make you dizzy and sick. Work with good ventilation, use low-solvent products where possible, and get to fresh air if you feel unwell.