EHS Quiz: Environment, Health & Safety – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
Name: ………………………………Score: ……… / 20
- What does a round safety sign with a blue background mean?
- A. A prohibition
- B. A hazard
- C. A mandatory action
- D. An emergency exit
- What are the three elements of the ‘fire triangle’ needed for a fire to start?
- A. Oxygen, nitrogen, carbon
- B. Wood, paper, match
- C. Heat, smoke, ash
- D. Fuel, oxidiser, heat
- Under European regulations, from what daily noise exposure does wearing hearing protection become mandatory?
- A. 65 dB(A)
- B. 75 dB(A)
- C. 85 dB(A)
- D. 100 dB(A)
- What does ‘Bird's pyramid’ (1969), famous in accident prevention, show?
- A. That serious accidents mostly happen on Mondays
- B. That behind one serious accident lie hundreds of harmless incidents
- C. That managers have fewer accidents
- D. That accidents decrease with age
- Which international standard covers a company's environmental management?
- A. ISO 9001
- B. ISO 14001
- C. ISO 45001
- D. ISO 27001
- Where does the name of the European ‘Seveso’ directives on high-risk industrial sites come from?
- A. A European engineer
- B. A chemical product
- C. An acronym for ‘Safety Verified On Site’
- D. An Italian town hit by a dioxin cloud in 1976
- Which faulty part caused the Space Shuttle Challenger to explode in 1986?
- A. An onboard computer
- B. An oxygen tank
- C. A heat-shield tile
- D. An O-ring stiffened by the cold
- The workplace accident ‘frequency rate’ compares the number of lost-time accidents with…
- A. One million hours worked
- B. The company's headcount
- C. A thousand employees
- D. A year's turnover
- On a chemical label, what does the ‘skull and crossbones’ pictogram indicate?
- A. An expired product
- B. A pharmacy-only product
- C. Acute toxicity: it can kill, even in small amounts
- D. An environmental hazard
- When locking out a machine before maintenance, why does each worker fit their own padlock?
- A. To record that they were there
- B. Because it is cheaper than a single padlock
- C. To stop the machine being stolen
- D. So that nobody can restore power until they have finished
- On a burning cooking-oil fire, which method must you NEVER use?
- A. A fire blanket
- B. Water
- C. A lid placed over the pan
- D. A class F extinguisher
- In a risk assessment, the level of a risk is most often estimated by combining…
- A. Severity and likelihood
- B. Cost and lead time
- C. Employees' age and seniority
- D. Temperature and humidity
- What is a “near miss”?
- A. An accident with no time off work
- B. An accident on the way to work
- C. An event that could have injured someone, but caused no harm this time
- D. An accident whose cause is unknown
- A workshop has had no accidents for two years. What can be concluded with certainty?
- A. Nothing certain: the absence of accidents does not prove the absence of risk
- B. That all risks have disappeared
- C. That inspections can be reduced
- D. That the risk assessment no longer needs updating
- What is the difference between a hazard and a risk?
- A. They are two words for the same thing
- B. A risk is always more serious than a hazard
- C. A hazard can cause harm; risk also depends on exposure and likelihood
- D. Hazards concern machines, risks concern chemicals
- In risk prevention, what does “ATEX” refer to?
- A. Explosive atmospheres
- B. Extreme toxic agents
- C. Exceptional workplace accidents
- D. Technical exposure analysis
- In the European waste hierarchy, which option comes before all the others?
- A. Recycling
- B. Energy recovery
- C. Landfill
- D. Prevention: not producing the waste
- What is a spill tray (bund) placed under drums of chemicals for?
- A. To contain a leak and prevent pollution of the soil and drains
- B. To cool the drums
- C. To make the drums easier to move
- D. To show that the products are out of date
- An employee keeps taking off their safety glasses because they fog up. What is the most effective response?
- A. Punish them next time
- B. Tolerate it, since the task is short
- C. Find a suitable model with them (anti-fog, well fitted)
- D. Put up a reminder note at the workstation
- Someone is being electrocuted and is still in contact with the cable. What is the first thing to do?
- A. Pull them away by the arm
- B. Throw water on them
- C. Start chest compressions immediately
- D. Cut off the power before touching them
Answer key — EHS Quiz: Environment, Health & Safety
- C. A mandatory actionBlue circle = mandatory (wear a helmet, goggles…).
- D. Fuel, oxidiser, heatYou need fuel (what burns), an oxidiser (usually the oxygen in the air) and activation energy (a spark, heat).
- C. 85 dB(A)From 80 dB(A) over 8 hours, the employer must provide protection; at 85 dB(A), wearing it is mandatory.
- B. That behind one serious accident lie hundreds of harmless incidentsFrank Bird analysed 1.7 million accidents: for every serious one, about 10 minor injuries, 30 property-damage incidents and 600 near misses.
- B. ISO 14001ISO 9001 = quality, ISO 14001 = environment, ISO 45001 = occupational health and safety, ISO 27001 = information security.
- D. An Italian town hit by a dioxin cloud in 1976In July 1976, a chemical plant released a cloud of dioxin near Seveso, in Lombardy: thousands of animals died and residents were evacuated.
- D. An O-ring stiffened by the coldIt was freezing on launch morning. Engineers had warned of the risk but were not heard.
- A. One million hours workedFrequency rate = lost-time accidents × 1,000,000 / hours worked.
- C. Acute toxicity: it can kill, even in small amountsThere are nine European hazard pictograms (red-bordered diamond).
- D. So that nobody can restore power until they have finishedEach person keeps the only key to their padlock: the machine cannot be re-energised until the last worker is out.
- B. WaterWater, being denser, sinks under the burning oil, flashes into steam and throws out a fireball.
- A. Severity and likelihoodYou cross the severity of the possible harm with its likelihood (or frequency of exposure).
- C. An event that could have injured someone, but caused no harm this timeA near miss is a free warning: nothing serious happened, but the conditions for an accident were there.
- A. Nothing certain: the absence of accidents does not prove the absence of riskA low accident count can also come from luck or from reports that no longer get made.
- C. A hazard can cause harm; risk also depends on exposure and likelihoodA corrosive product is a hazard. The risk depends on who is exposed to it, how and how often: the same product, properly stored and handled correctly, presents a low risk.
- A. Explosive atmospheresGases, solvent vapours, but also dusts (flour, sugar, wood, metals) can form an explosive mixture with air.
- D. Prevention: not producing the wasteThe order of priority is: prevention, reuse, recycling, other recovery (including energy), then disposal.
- A. To contain a leak and prevent pollution of the soil and drainsA leaking or punctured drum can pollute the soil, water or a drain within minutes.
- C. Find a suitable model with them (anti-fog, well fitted)Uncomfortable PPE always ends up not being worn. Involving the user in the choice (comfort, size, compatibility with other equipment) is often what makes the difference between PPE supplied and PPE worn.
- D. Cut off the power before touching themTouching the victim while current is flowing means becoming the next victim.