Sheet 10Domain 1 of 5 · Safety Program Implementation
HazCom, respirators and sanitation for STSC candidates
Your crew starts a coating job in a closed stairwell on Monday, and by Friday you need answers on respirators, Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and the hand-wash station. Respirators and hazard communication (HazCom) live in general-industry standards that the construction rules adopt by reference; sanitation has its own construction text. This sheet starts by sorting out which rule book applies to each.
In 29 CFR, Part 1910 is general industry and Part 1926 is construction. Respiratory protection on your site is 29 CFR 1910.134, pulled in by 29 CFR 1926.103, and HazCom is 29 CFR 1910.1200, pulled in by 29 CFR 1926.59. A 1910 citation on a respirator or HazCom card is the right rule book, so read past it. Sanitation is construction's own: 29 CFR 1926.51.
Talking point 02
Which rule book each topic uses
Construction section and the rule it appliesscroll →
Topic
Construction section
What it applies
Respiratory protection
29 CFR 1926.103
29 CFR 1910.134, the general-industry respirator standard
Hazard communication
29 CFR 1926.59
29 CFR 1910.1200: labels, SDS, written program, training
Sanitation
29 CFR 1926.51
Its own text: drinking water, toilets, washing, food handling
Respirators for silica tasks
29 CFR 1926.1153
Construction's silica standard; the respirator program under it follows 1910.134
Checked against eCFR on Oct 12, 2026. Pictograms, signal words and the 16 SDS sections are on the HazCom labels sheet.
Talking point 03
Respirator types a supervisor will issue
Filtering facepiece
The disposable N95 type. It is tight-fitting, so the fit-testing rules apply when its use is required. A worker who wears one voluntarily gets the information in Appendix D of 29 CFR 1910.134.
Elastomeric half or full facepiece
A reusable rubber or silicone mask with replaceable filters or cartridges. Even voluntary use brings the wearer into the written program for medical evaluation, cleaning and storage (1910.134(c)(2)(ii)).
Powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR)
A battery blower pushes filtered air into a tight-fitting facepiece or a loose hood or helmet.
Supplied-air and SCBA
Atmosphere-supplying respirators bring clean air from a source. Air-purifying types cannot be used where the air is immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) or short of oxygen; these can, in the setups 1910.134(d)(2) allows.
Talking point 04
Check your respirator and HazCom calls
The masks, the paperwork and the plumbing: respirator selection and fit, SDS and labels, toilets, drinking water and wash stations.
Card 1 of 15 · 0 right
Card 1
A laborer will wear a half-mask elastomeric respirator for the first time to scrape lead paint. Which sequence is required before the laborer uses it on the job?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ACorrect: A worker must be medically cleared before fit testing or use, then pass a fit test on the exact make, model and size to be worn.
BFit testing confirms a particular size seals on that worker's face; issuing a size by preference undermines the whole test.
CA user seal check is done at every donning but never replaces the required medical evaluation and fit test before first use.
DThe order is reversed: medical clearance comes first, because the fit test itself places breathing stress on the worker.
Card 2
A new spray-applied concrete sealer came onto the site this week, and two workers applying it report stinging eyes. Under HazCom, what training should the supervisor confirm the crew received?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ACorrect: HazCom training is required at initial assignment and again whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced, covering its hazards, the SDS and protective measures.
BTraining given at hire covered the chemicals in use then and does not address a product that arrived on site later.
COSHA's HazCom rule has no annual refresher requirement; the trigger is a new hazard entering the work area.
DFirst-aid and CPR certification falls under the separate first-aid rules and does not address hazard communication for the new product.
Card 3
A crew is applying epoxy coatings on a bridge deck. Which provision BEST meets the washing-facility requirement of 29 CFR 1926.51 for this crew?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ACorrect: Crews applying coatings or similar harmful substances need washing facilities near the work, equipped with soap, water and towels to actually remove the material.
BHand sanitizer does not remove epoxy residue from skin, so it cannot serve as the required washing facility.
CFacilities half a mile away are not in near proximity to the work, so workers are unlikely to use them during the shift.
DA drinking-water cooler is a separate requirement, and a shared cup is itself prohibited by the sanitation rules.
Card 4
A carpenter passed a fit test on one half-mask respirator 5 months ago and is now issued a different make and model of half mask. What is required before the new respirator is used?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AFit testing is required whenever a different make, model, style or size of facepiece is used, not only at the annual interval.
BA user seal check is done at every donning but never substitutes for a fit test on a new facepiece.
CMedical re-evaluation is triggered by symptoms, a health care professional's advice or changed conditions, not by a change of respirator model.
DCorrect: A tight-fitting respirator must be fit tested before first use of any different make, model, style or size, regardless of the last test date.
Card 5
A building project has 45 workers on site and no sewer connection. Under 29 CFR 1926.51, what is the MINIMUM number of toilet facilities required?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AThree of each comes from wrongly applying a ratio of one per 20 workers instead of the one-per-40 rule.
BCorrect: For 20 or more workers, the rule calls for one toilet seat and one urinal per 40 workers, rounded up, so 45 workers need two of each.
COne seat and one urinal covers only up to 40 workers; 45 workers exceed that and require a second set.
DThe rule pairs seats and urinals at the same ratio, so the urinal count cannot stay at one while seats rise to three.
Card 6
A crew will weld galvanized steel inside a partly enclosed stairwell. What should the supervisor do FIRST to select the right respiratory protection?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ASupplied air for everyone may be unnecessary and is chosen without knowing the actual exposure, which the selection process requires first.
BN95s issued without an assessment may under-protect, and the protection needed depends on how far exposure exceeds the limit.
CCorrect: Respirator selection starts with identifying the contaminants, such as zinc oxide fume, and estimating exposure, since the needed protection factor depends on it.
DComfort matters for wear time, but it cannot decide selection before the hazard and exposure level are known.
Card 7
Several members of a drywall crew have limited reading ability. What is the BEST way to deliver the site's hazard communication training?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AA translation app does not help workers with limited reading ability, and SDSs are technical documents even for strong readers.
BA video with sign-in sheets is efficient and documented, but it does not confirm that workers actually understood the hazards.
CCorrect: Training must be presented in a manner workers understand, and pictograms, demonstrations and verbal checks confirm comprehension without relying on reading.
DWritten handouts assume the very reading skill the crew lacks, so the information may never reach them.
Card 8
Which drinking-water setup meets 29 CFR 1926.51 for a construction crew?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ASingle-use cups are acceptable, but an unmarked cooler fails the requirement that portable containers be clearly marked as to contents.
BAn open cooler that workers dip bottles into can be contaminated and fails the rule that containers be capable of being tightly closed.
CCorrect: Portable drinking water must be in a closed, tapped container clearly marked as to its contents, and single-use cups avoid the banned common cup.
DThe container is acceptable, but a shared cup is a common drinking cup, which the sanitation rules prohibit.
Card 9
A crew wears half-mask respirators with organic vapor cartridges while applying a solvent-based coating. How should the supervisor determine when the cartridges are replaced?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ARising breathing resistance signals a loaded particulate filter, not a spent organic vapor cartridge.
BSmell or taste breakthrough means exposure has already occurred, and many vapors have poor warning properties.
CCorrect: Without an end-of-service-life indicator, vapor cartridges are replaced on a change schedule built from exposure levels and manufacturer data.
DA fixed monthly date ignores how quickly the cartridges load under actual exposure and use time.
Card 10
Under the Hazard Communication Standard as applied to construction, what must the employer do with the Safety Data Sheet for each hazardous chemical used on site?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AAn SDS kept at the home office and sent on request is not readily accessible to workers in their work area.
BWaiting until after an exposure defeats the purpose of the SDS, which is to inform workers before they handle the chemical.
CCorrect: HazCom requires SDSs to be readily accessible to employees in their work area during each work shift.
DA single review at orientation does not satisfy accessibility, and new chemicals introduced later also require training.
Card 11
A crew will grind a concrete slab and then apply a solvent-based sealer in the same enclosed area during one shift. The exposure assessment shows both hazards need respiratory protection. Which air-purifying respirator setup should the supervisor select?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AOrganic vapor cartridges alone do nothing to filter respirable silica dust from the grinding.
BP100 filters capture the dust but give no protection against the sealer's solvent vapors.
CCorrect: A respirator must be selected for every contaminant present, and combination organic vapor and P100 elements cover both the dust and the vapors.
DAn N95 addresses only particulates, leaving the solvent vapors from the sealer completely uncontrolled.
Card 12
A new adhesive's label shows a flame pictogram and the signal word 'Danger.' What does the signal word 'Danger' tell the crew?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AStorage requirements come from SDS Section 7 and fire-protection rules, not from the label's signal word.
BSignal words indicate severity, not whether the hazard is chronic or acute; hazard statements describe that.
CThe signal word applies to the most severe hazard on the label, and it does not rank health effects as minor.
DCorrect: HazCom uses only two signal words, and 'Danger' marks the more severe hazard categories while 'Warning' marks the less severe ones.
Card 13
A worker who passed a respirator fit test 11 months ago reports for a silica task wearing a new full beard. The task requires a tight-fitting half-mask. What should the supervisor do?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AA user seal check cannot overcome the leak path that facial hair creates under the sealing surface.
BCorrect: Tight-fitting facepieces may not be worn when facial hair lies between the sealing surface and the face, so the worker shaves or gets a loose-fitting respirator.
CA fit test cannot be validly passed with hair under the seal, so retesting with the beard does not solve the problem.
DThe current fit test was done clean-shaven and no longer reflects the worker's face; the beard ends tight-fitting use now.
Card 14
An air-sampling result shows a worker's exposure to a dust at 8 times its PEL. Which respirator has the LOWEST assigned protection factor that is still adequate?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AWith APF 5, a quarter mask protects only up to 5 times the PEL, which falls short of an exposure at 8 times.
BA full facepiece with APF 50 is adequate but provides far more than the minimum needed for this exposure.
CCorrect: Maximum use concentration equals the APF times the PEL, so a half mask with APF 10 is the lowest factor that covers 8 times the PEL.
DRated at APF 25, a loose-fitting PAPR is adequate but exceeds the lowest protection factor the exposure requires.
Card 15
A worker is splashed in the eyes with a new form-release agent. Which section of the Safety Data Sheet should the supervisor check FIRST for immediate care?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ASection 2 classifies the hazards and gives label elements, which supports prevention rather than immediate treatment.
BSection 8 covers exposure limits and protective equipment, which matter before exposure rather than after a splash.
CSection 11 describes toxicological effects and symptoms but not the first aid to give right now.
DCorrect: Section 4 gives first-aid measures by route of exposure, such as how to flush the eyes after a splash.
Talking point 05
What a written respirator program covers
How respirators are selected for each task and exposure
Medical evaluation and fit testing of the people who must wear them
Use in routine work and in foreseeable emergencies
Cleaning, storage, inspection, repair and retirement
Breathing-air quality for atmosphere-supplying respirators
Training on the hazards and on correct use
Regular checks that the program works
A program administrator trained to run it (1910.134(c)(3))
Talking point 06
Mobile crews, nonpotable water and other employers' chemicals
Do mobile crews need toilets at each stop?
Not when they have transportation readily available to nearby toilet facilities. 29 CFR 1926.51(c)(4) exempts mobile crews in that position; a fixed site sizes its toilets to the crew using Table D-1 in the same section.
Can nonpotable water be used on a construction site?
Yes, for uses such as firefighting or cleaning equipment, as long as its outlets are marked as unsafe for drinking, washing or cooking and it never cross-connects with the drinking supply (29 CFR 1926.51(b)).
Who tells other contractors about the chemicals your crew brings on site?
Your company does. On multi-employer sites, 29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(2) requires the written HazCom program to say how other employers get access to the SDS and learn the precautions and the labeling system.