HEALTH & SAFETY
STUDY GUIDE
Copyright© 2003 by Board of Environmental, Health and Safety Auditor Certifications.
All rights reserved.
Reproduction or translation of any part of this work beyond that permitted by Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United
States Copyright Act without the permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Requests for permission or further
information should be addressed to BEAC; 247 Maitland Avenue; Altamonte Springs, FL 32701-4201.
H&S Study Guide
June 2002
Copyright© by BEAC. All rights reserved.
Study Guide
Health & Safety CPEA Examination
This study guide is intended to assist applicants in preparing for the BEAC Health and Safety
Auditor Exam. It consists of three parts:
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Exam Outline: lists the topics and subject areas covered by the exam.
Reference List: contains the books and other documents that BEAC believes are
generally accepted sources, which may be useful to the examinee and from which some
of the questions were derived.
Sample multiple-choice questions similar to actual questions on the exam (the exam
also contains four essay questions for which no examples are included).
The BEAC Health and Safety Auditor Exam is closed book and takes six hours to complete.
Exam Outline
1.
Ethics and Standards of Conduct for Auditors
This category relates to the candidate's understanding, judgment and perception of how an
auditor should behave and react to ethical situations that can occur in the audit process. Test
questions could focus on topics such as:
 Conflict of Interest
 Independence of Auditors
 Due Professional Care
 Material Facts and Disclosure
 Auditor Proficiency
2. Audit Program Design and Planning
This category includes issues related to the design, structure and key planning elements of
Health and Safety audit programs. Test questions could focus on topics such as:
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Senior Management Commitment
Scope of Audit Programs
Audit Tools
Site Selection/Frequency of Audits
Quality Assurance Mechanisms
Auditor Staffing/Training
Legal Protection/Confidentiality of Results
3. Pre-Audit Activities
This category relates to activities associated with preparing to conduct a Health and Safety
audit. This is different from Category 2 above which focuses on audit program planning issues.
Test questions could focus on topics such as:
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Pre-Visit Questionnaire
•
Regulatory Information Review
•
Pre-Visit Facility Contact
•
Preparation of Audit Plan
H&S Study Guide
June 2002
Copyright© by BEAC. All rights reserved.
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Pre-Audit Team Coordination
Selection of Audit Criteria
4. On-Site Audit Activities
This category relates to the activities auditors typically conduct once on-site to verify
compliance with regulatory requirements. Test questions could focus on topics such as:
 Opening Meeting
 Orientation Tour of Facility
 Records/Document Review
 Interviewing
 Visual Inspection
 Closing Meeting
 Handling Sensitive Situations
 Use of Working Papers
5. Post-Audit Activities
This category relates to those activities that occur after the on-site verification activities are
concluded and the auditors leave the facility. Test questions could focus on topics such as:
 Writing Audit Findings & Recommendations
 Corrective Action Procedures
 Follow-Up/Close-Out of Findings
6. Internal Controls
This category relates to an auditor's need to understand the systems and procedures that exist
at the audited facility to ensure compliance with management expectations. Test questions
could focus on topics such as:
 Identification of Applicable Compliance Areas
 Responsibility/Accountability for Compliance Task/Functions
 Training/Qualifications of Facility Staff
 Availability of Compliance Procedures
 Quality Assurance Mechanisms for Compliance
7. Legislative/Regulatory Applicability
This category relates to an auditor's need to understand what health and safety laws and
regulations apply to particular worker activities or operations at audited facilities. Test
questions could focus on topics such as:
 Major Regulatory Thrust of General and Construction Standards and Recordkeeping
 Federal OSHA/State Jurisdiction/Enforcement of Laws
 Regulatory Process (interim, draft, final)
 Ability To Determine Applicability Of Occupation Safety and Health Laws/Regulations
To Typical Worker Activities And Work Place Environments At The Audited Facility
 Relationship of OSHA standards to:
- ANSI Standards
- National Electric Code
- NFPA
- ASTM
- ASME
 DOT Hazmat regulations
8.
Occupational Safety And Health Impacts Of Various Worker Activities And Work
Place Environments And Related Exposure Reducing Practices And Technologies
H&S Study Guide
June 2002
Copyright© by BEAC. All rights reserved.
This category relates to an auditor's ability to evaluate what occupational safety and health
impacts and compliance issues result from typical worker activities and work place
environments and understanding the generic engineering, administrative, and personal
protective equipment and technologies to control the impacts. Test questions could focus on
topics such as:
 Typical Health and Safety Exposures Generated by Various Work Place Activities and
Environments
 Exposure Thresholds that Trigger Compliance Requirements
 General Concepts of Operation of Engineering, Administrative, and Personal Protective
Equipment Practices and Technologies
 Typical Compliance Related Requirements Associated with Engineering,
Administrative, and Personal Protective Equipment Practices and Technologies
9. Activity/Environment Specific Regulatory Knowledge (29 CFR 1910 and 1926)
This category relates to an auditor's knowledge of key regulatory requirements that are typically
evaluated during an audit. Test questions could focus on topics such as:
1910 - Occupational Safety and Health Standards (General Industry )
 Walking - Working Surfaces
 Powered Platforms, Manlifts, and Vehicle-Mounted Work Platforms
 Occupational Health and Safety Environmental Controls
 Hazardous Materials
 Personal Protective Equipment
 General Environmental Controls
 Medical and First Aid
 Fire Protection
 Compressed Gas and Compressed Air Equipment
 Materials Handling and Storage
 Machinery and Machine Guarding
 Hand and Portable Powered Tools and Other Hand-Held Equipment
 Welding, Cutting and Brazing
 Special Industries
 Electrical
1926 - Safety and Health Regulations For Construction (Construction Standards)
 Occupational Health and Environmental controls
 Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment
 Signs, Signals, and Barricades
 Materials Handling, Storage, Use, and Disposal
 Tools-Hand and Power
 Welding and Cutting
 Electrical
 Scaffolds
 Fall Protection
 Cranes, Derricks, Hoists, Elevators, and Conveyors
 Motor Vehicles, Mechanized Equipment, and Marine Operations
 Excavations
 Concrete and Masonry Construction
 Steel Erection
 Underground Construction, Caissons, Cofferdams and Compressed Air
 Demolition
H&S Study Guide
June 2002
Copyright© by BEAC. All rights reserved.
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Blasting and the Use of Explosives
Power Transmission and Distribution
Rollover Protective Structures; Overhead Protection
Stairways and Ladders
Toxic and Hazardous Substances
Reference List *
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A Common Body of Knowledge for the Practice of Internal Auditing – Institute of Internal
Auditors
Standards for the Performance of EHS Audits – The Auditing Roundtable
Standard for the Design and Implementation of an Environmental, Health and Safety Audit
Program, The Auditing Roundtable
Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing – Institute of Internal Auditors
Standards for the Professional Practice of Environmental, Health and Safety Auditing,
BEAC
Competency Framework for Environmental Health and Safety Auditors, BEAC
Code of Ethics, The Auditing Roundtable
Code of Ethics, BEAC
29 CFR Parts 1902 through 1910 and Part 1926, OSHA
Sawyers Internal Auditing - L. B. Sawyer
Industrial Safety and Health Management - C. Ray Asfahl
Fundamentals of Occupational Safety and Health - J. P. Kohn, M. A. Friend, and C. A.
Winterberger
OSHA: Employee Workplace Rights - U.S. Department of Labor
Recognition of Health Hazards in Industry a Review of Materials and Processes - William A
Burgess
Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene - Barbara A. Plog, Jill Niland, and Patricia J. Quinlan
Environmental, Health and Safety Auditors Handbook - J. Ladd Greeno, et al
OSHA’s Voluntary Compliance Outreach Program - Federal OSHA
Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents Biological Exposure
Indices - American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygiene
* This reference list is given as a suggestion for supplemental reading only. BEAC does
not endorse any particular reference.
H&S Study Guide
June 2002
Copyright© by BEAC. All rights reserved.
Sample Questions
1.
Which of the following activities would not be typically performed during the on-site portion
of a compliance audit?
a. participate in an orientation tour
b. interview personnel
c. obtain federal and state regulations
d. facilitate a closing conference
2.
Which of the following is not one of the specific hazardous substances regulated under
OSHA 1910 Subpart Z?
a. lead
b. asbestos
c. noise
d. acrylonitrile
3.
An employer may determine that an injury or accident is recordable. If so, this employer is
obliged to do the following:
a. maintain a log or summary of recordable occupational injury and illness
b. enter the recordable occupational injury and illness within 6 days of occurrence
c. retain OSHA supplementary record 101
d. all of the above
4.
Which of the following is least applicable to the conduct of audits according to BEAC
standards?
a. written plans and procedures
b. use of protocols and checklists
c. field inspections based on experience
d. sampling techniques for data gathering
e. documentation and evidence of findings
5.
The senior management of ABC Co. requested an audit of the XYZ plant to determine
compliance with OSHA Asbestos provisions in connection with the removal of asbestos. A
number of regulatory deficiencies were identified including the failure to update and keep
current the plant's required entrance and exit logs. During a briefing, the plant manager
said that the log was being maintained in the security log at the plant entrance, and the log
would be moved to the proper location and that accordingly the audit report should not
contain this finding. As lead auditor you should:
a. politely refuse the request as you are required to report all material deficiencies.
b. grant the request as a courtesy as the problem will soon be corrected.
c. do nothing at the time but conduct a follow-up investigation in two months.
d. refer the request to the Vice President of Operations.
H&S Study Guide
June 2002
Copyright© by BEAC. All rights reserved.
Answers for Sample Questions:
1.
C
2.
C
3.
D
4.
C
5.
A
H&S Study Guide
June 2002
Copyright© by BEAC. All rights reserved.