ASP Safety Fundamentals Exam

The ASP Safety Fundamentals exam is the first step on the road to becoming a certified safety professional. This challenging and comprehensive assessment has four content domains: recognizing safety, health, and environmental hazards (35.4% of the exam); measuring, evaluating, and controlling safety, health, and environmental hazards (30.9%); safety, health, and environmental training and management (20.6%); and business principles, practices, and metrics in safety, health, and environmental practice (13.1%).

The domain of the ASP Safety Fundamentals exam related to recognizing safety, health, and environmental hazards addresses the following issues: biological hazards, chemical hazards, electrical hazards, natural hazards, radiation hazards, structural and mechanical hazards, hazards related to fires and explosions, and hazards related to human factors and ergonomics. The content domain related to measuring, evaluating, and controlling safety, health, and environmental hazards covers issues of measurement and monitoring, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment. The safety, health, and environmental training and management content area addresses training and communication methods; management processes; inspections and auditing; group dynamics; project management; risk management; and safety, health, and environmental management systems. The business principles, practices, and metrics in safety, health, and environmental practice domain of the ASP Safety Fundamentals exam covers basic financial principles, probability and statistics, and performance metrics and indicators. The radiation hazards treated by the exam are ionizing radiation and non-iodizing radiation. The hazards related to human factors and ergonomics include: fitness for duty; manual materials handling; organizational, behavioral, and psychological influences; physical and mental stressors; repetitive activities; and workplace violence. The basic financial principles covered by the ASP Safety Fundamentals exam include cost-benefit analysis, life cycle cost, net present value, and return on investment. The topics in probability and statistics include Gaussian distribution, Poisson distribution, descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics. The performance metrics and indicators section includes questions about lagging indicators, leading indicators, economic effects of losses, and the relationship between the cost of losses and the effect on profitability. The ASP Safety Fundamentals exam was developed by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.

ASP Safety Fundamentals Practice Questions

1. How do overcurrent devices help increase electrical safety?

A. They keep electrical equipment from being turned on.
B. They interrupt power to electrical equipment if the temperature exceeds a certain level.
C. They limit the amount of current that flows through a circuit or electrical device.
D. They restrict access to electrical equipment.

2. Grounding is the process of

A. equalizing the charge between two conductors that have different charges
B. removing the charge from two conductors that have different charges
C. using proper connections to keep conductors in close contact with each other
D. isolating energized portions of electrical equipment from components people can contact

3. The most dangerous hazard related to cold temperatures is

A. frostbite
B. trench foot
C. chilblains
D. hypothermia E. hives

4. Heat syncope occurs when

A. blood flows more to the arms and legs and less to the brain
B. a person working in a hot environment doesn't drink enough water to replace fluids lost to sweat
C. a person's thermal regulatory system fails, leading to lack of sweating, hot and dry skin, fever, and mental confusion
D. sweat glands become plugged, leading to inflammation and prickly blisters on the skin

5. Damage caused by ionizing radiation depends on

A. the tissue and organs exposed to the radiation
B. the age of the exposed person
C. the type and dose of the radiation
D. all of the above

ASP Safety Fundamentals Answer Key

1. C: Overcurrent devices limit the amount of current that flows through a circuit or electrical device. Fuses and circuit breakers are examples of overcurrent devices.

2. B: Grounding is the process of removing the charge from two conductors that have different charges. Bonding is the process of equalizing the charge between these two conductors.

3. D: The most dangerous hazard related to cold temperatures is hypothermia, which can lead to death if treatment is not given. Hypothermia occurs when a person's body temperature drops below normal. Symptoms include shivering, numbness, and poor judgment. Conscious victims need to be given warm liquids and encouraged to move around. Unconscious victims need to be wrapped warmly and taken for medical treatment.

4. A: Heat syncope occurs when blood flows more to the arms and legs and less to the brain. This heat illness is characterized by fainting in an individual who is not used to a hot environment and has been standing for a long time. The victim needs to lie down in a cool area.

5. D: Damage caused by ionizing radiation depends on all these factors. Infants and children are especially vulnerable to ionizing radiation because their cells are still rapidly developing.