Sheet 21Domain 4 of 5 · Emergency Preparedness and Management
First aid, rescue and severe weather on an STSC jobsite
29 CFR 1926.50 requires a construction employer to arrange prompt medical attention for serious injury before the project starts, keep first-aid supplies on site and provide a way to get an injured worker to care. This sheet adds rescue and severe weather, the other parts of Domain 4 that deal with people already hurt or about to be in danger.
Medical services, first aid and rescue: what the rules sayscroll →
Item
Requirement
Source
Medical consultation
Medical personnel available for advice on occupational health, and prompt medical attention for serious injury arranged before the project starts
29 CFR 1926.50
First-aid supplies
A weatherproof kit, checked before it goes out to each job and at least weekly on each job
29 CFR 1926.50
Getting to care
Transportation to a physician or hospital, or a way to call an ambulance
29 CFR 1926.50
Corrosive materials
Quick-drenching or flushing facilities for eyes and body within the work area
29 CFR 1926.50
Permit-space rescue
A rescue service able to respond in time; in-house teams practice at least every 12 months; non-entry retrieval, with a mechanical device for vertical spaces deeper than 5 ft
29 CFR 1926.1211
Talking point 02
Try the rescue and weather set
Heavy bleeding, a needlestick, a formwork collapse, thunder over the steel: one scene per card.
Card 1 of 15 · 0 right
Card 1
A worker collapses on the fourth floor of a building under construction. A first-aid-certified foreman is giving care, and 911 has been called. What is the supervisor's MOST useful action while the ambulance is en route?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ACorrect: A worker at the gate guides the ambulance crew straight to the victim, saving time on a site where the route is unclear.
BCalling the project manager to decide delays a task the supervisor can assign right away.
CMoving the worker may worsen injuries and should be left to EMS unless the area is unsafe.
DTraining records can wait; the priority is getting EMS to the victim quickly.
Card 2
Which provision BEST makes a construction site's severe weather plan work in practice?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AA posted plan helps, but it does not ensure anyone is watching for warnings.
BA list of stations is useful only if someone is assigned to monitor them.
CCorrect: A named person who monitors alerts and has authority to stop work turns the plan into timely action.
DWaiting for the owner's agreement delays protective action when severe weather is close.
Card 3
Crews are finishing interior work in a windowless basement lit only by temporary string lights on a single circuit. What is the MOST important emergency preparedness addition?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ACorrect: Battery-backed lighting keeps the exit path lit if the single circuit fails, so workers can find their way out.
BFlashlights stored at ground level are out of reach for workers caught in a dark basement.
CA second string on the same circuit goes dark along with the first.
DBrighter lamps do not help when the circuit itself fails.
Card 4
A project includes a 15-ft-deep trench, and the site plan says only 'call 911' for rescue. What should the supervisor verify in advance with the local fire department?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AFire departments do not usually keep crews on standby for open trenches.
BDaily trench inspection is the competent person's duty, not the fire department's.
CCorrect: Trench rescue needs special training and equipment, so the plan must confirm the local team's capability and response time.
DGiving the dispatcher a phone number does not confirm that a trained rescue team is available.
Card 5
While clearing debris in a vacant building, a demolition laborer is stuck by a discarded hypodermic needle. What should happen FIRST?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AWaiting for symptoms delays post-exposure treatment, which works best when started within hours.
BSqueezing the wound or applying bleach can damage tissue and is not recommended.
CWaiting until the end of the shift delays evaluation for bloodborne disease.
DCorrect: A needlestick is a possible bloodborne pathogen exposure, so the wound is washed with soap and water and medical care sought promptly.
Card 6
A road crew operating chainsaws and heavy equipment works 25 minutes from the nearest clinic or hospital. What does 29 CFR 1926.50 require for this site?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ACorrect: When medical care is not reasonably accessible, a person with a valid first-aid certificate must be available on site.
BAn AED is good practice, but 1926.50 requires neither one nor a licensed nurse on site.
CAn on-call agreement does not provide care in the first minutes after a serious injury.
DFirst-aid kits must be checked before each job and at least weekly, not monthly.
Card 7
A tornado warning is issued for the area of a site whose only on-site structures are single-wide office trailers. Where should the site's plan send workers?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ACorrect: The lowest interior room of a sturdy building gives the best protection from tornado winds and debris.
BSingle-wide trailers can be overturned or torn apart by tornado winds.
CVehicles and equipment cabs can be thrown by tornado winds and offer little protection.
DAn unfinished steel frame gives no protection from flying debris and may draw lightning.
Card 8
The site's emergency radio repeater had a battery backup installed when the project started 14 months ago. What is the MOST important follow-up?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AA label tells crews about the backup but does not show the battery still works.
BCorrect: Batteries degrade over time, so regular tests on battery power confirm the backup will work in an outage.
CFiling the warranty card does not show the battery can still power the repeater.
DReplacing on a set date ignores whether the battery has already failed.
Card 9
A section of elevated formwork collapses, pinning a worker under debris. Nearby shoring is visibly leaning. What should the supervisor do FIRST?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AShoring the leaning section puts workers inside the collapse zone before trained rescuers arrive.
BLifting debris without assessing stability can trigger a second collapse onto the rescuers.
CPhotos can be taken later; the priority is people's safety.
DCorrect: Clearing the zone and calling for rescue keeps more workers from being hurt in a second collapse.
Card 10
A worker is bleeding heavily from a deep forearm cut. The first-aid-certified foreman reaches the worker with the site kit. What should the foreman do FIRST?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AAn AED treats cardiac arrest, and walking the worker anywhere delays bleeding control.
BCorrect: Gloves protect against bloodborne pathogens, and firm direct pressure is the first step to control heavy bleeding.
CRinsing a deep cut delays bleeding control and can increase blood loss.
DA tourniquet is for life-threatening limb bleeding that direct pressure cannot control, not the very first step.
Card 11
A pipeline crew works along a rural right-of-way where 911 service is available, but calls do not transmit the caller's location. What does 29 CFR 1926.50 require?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ACorrect: Where 911 calls do not carry the caller's location, posting the site location lets anyone calling give responders accurate directions.
BA satellite phone helps place a call but does not tell the dispatcher where the site is.
CPosting physician, hospital and ambulance numbers is the rule for areas where 911 is not available.
DDriving injured workers can delay care and is not what 1926.50 requires.
Card 12
Thunder is heard while ironworkers are connecting steel at the fourth level, although the sky directly overhead is still clear. What should the supervisor do?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AOpen-sided sheds give little protection from lightning; workers need a fully enclosed building or a hard-topped vehicle.
BCorrect: If thunder can be heard, lightning can strike, so work stops and resumes 30 minutes after the last thunder.
CLightning can strike after the rain stops, so resuming then is too early.
DWaiting for a 30-second count lets the storm get dangerously close before work stops.
Card 13
The project sets up a charging area for forklift lead-acid batteries. What emergency equipment must be provided under 29 CFR 1926.441?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AA squeeze bottle cannot deliver a sustained flush, and 50 ft does not meet the 25 ft rule.
BCorrect: Battery acid can cause severe burns, so quick-drenching facilities for eyes and body are required within 25 ft of battery handling.
CClass D extinguishers are for combustible metals, not battery charging areas.
DAt 100 ft the drenching facility is too far to reach quickly after an acid splash.
Card 14
A finisher is splashed in both eyes with a concrete cleaner labeled corrosive. A plumbed eyewash is in the work area. What should the supervisor do?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AA brief flush does not remove a corrosive, which keeps damaging the eye on the way to the clinic.
BBlotting and drops leave the corrosive in the eyes.
CBottled water gives too little flow, and resting delays medical care.
DCorrect: Corrosives in the eye need at least 15 minutes of flushing, followed by medical care.
Card 15
Heavy rain is forecast upstream of a site where a crew is working in a 10-ft trench near a creek. What should the supervisor's flood procedure require?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AWaiting for knee-deep water risks a flash flood and a trench collapse with workers inside.
BCorrect: Leaving the trench before water arrives protects workers, and a competent person must inspect it after rain before reentry.
CSpoil must be kept at least 2 ft back from the edge, and piling it there adds load that can cause a collapse.
DPumps cannot keep pace with a flood, and water weakens the trench walls.
Talking point 03
Thinking in the right order
The cards on this sheet usually describe a worker who is already hurt or a hazard that is already on its way. Sort what you could do by time: what has to happen now, and what can wait until help is on the road.
Rescue has one firm rule from the confined-space standard, 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA: an untrained worker does not go into a permit space after a downed coworker. An atmosphere that dropped the first worker can drop the second. The confined-space testing sheet covers the testing order.
The emergency plan ties these pieces together by assigning rescue and medical duties ahead of time; the emergency action plan requirements list what it must include. When you want a set from all five domains, try the STSC practice test.
Talking point 04
Bloodborne pathogens on a jobsite
Does the bloodborne pathogens standard apply to construction?
29 CFR 1910.1030 is written for general industry. On construction sites, OSHA still expects designated first-aid providers to be trained on bloodborne pathogens and protected from them, through the General Duty Clause and the training rule at 29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2).
Who is offered the hepatitis B vaccine?
Workers with occupational exposure to blood, which on a jobsite usually means designated first-aid providers. The 1910.1030 model is an offer at no cost within 10 working days of assignment.