Free EPA National Lead-Based Paint Certification Examination for Abatement Supervisors Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the EPA National Lead-Based Paint Certification Examination for Abatement Supervisors practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1A supervisor is deciding whether a pre-1978 church basement used by a toddler play group falls within EPA's lead-based paint activities rules as a child-occupied facility. Besides visits by the same child under age 6 on at least two different days in a week, what minimum combined annual visit time does the federal definition require?

   1. A. At least 60 hours
   2. B. At least 6 hours
   3. C. At least 30 hours
   4. D. At least 120 hours

   Answer: A

   Explanation: 40 CFR 745.223 defines a child-occupied facility as a pre-1978 building "visited regularly by the same child, under 6 years of age, on at least two different days within any week (Sunday through Saturday period), provided that each day's visit lasts at least 3 hours and the combined weekly visit lasts at least 6 hours, and the combined annual visits last at least 60 hours." The 6-hour figure is the weekly, not the annual, threshold; 30 and 120 hours appear nowhere in the definition.

   Reference: Epa 40 CFR 745 — 40 CFR 745.223, definition of 'Child-occupied facility'

2. 2A supervisor explains to a crew why housing age drives the entire lead-based paint program. Under the Consumer Product Safety Commission's lead-containing paint ban at 16 CFR part 1303, consumer products bearing lead-containing paint are banned hazardous products if they were manufactured after which date?

   1. A. February 27, 1978
   2. B. August 14, 2009
   3. C. April 22, 2010
   4. D. January 5, 2001

   Answer: A

   Explanation: 16 CFR 1303.4 states: "The following consumer products, manufactured after February 27, 1978, unless exempted by § 1303.3, are banned hazardous products (see definitions in § 1303.2)". That manufacturing date is the origin of the pre-1978 cutoff that defines target housing throughout the federal lead program. August 14, 2009 is the date the permissible lead content in paint dropped from 0.06 percent to 0.009 percent; April 22, 2010 is an RRP compliance milestone; January 5, 2001 is the date EPA promulgated the lead hazard standards. None of those is the manufacture date in the ban.

   Reference: Cpsc 16 CFR (1303) — 16 CFR 1303.4, printed in the retrieved text as § 1303.4 Banned hazardous products

3. 3A supervisor is determining whether OSHA's lead in construction standard reaches a crew salvaging painted architectural metal from a commercial warehouse rather than a dwelling. What is the scope of 29 CFR 1926.62?

   1. A. All construction work where an employee may be occupationally exposed to lead
   2. B. Construction work performed only in target housing and child-occupied facilities
   3. C. Construction work performed only where lead-based paint has been confirmed by testing
   4. D. Construction work performed only by firms certified in lead-based paint activities

   Answer: A

   Explanation: 29 CFR 1926.62(a) states: "This section applies to all construction work where an employee may be occupationally exposed to lead." The paragraph goes on to list demolition or salvage of structures where lead or materials containing lead are present as covered work. The standard is an occupational safety rule keyed to employee exposure, so it does not narrow to target housing, does not wait for confirmatory paint testing, and does not depend on EPA lead-based paint activities certification.

   Reference: OSHA 1926 62 — 29 CFR 1926.62(a)

4. 4A worker on an abatement project proposes softening painted window sashes with a heat gun before scraping. Under EPA's restricted work practices for abatement, operating a heat gun on lead-based paint is permitted only below what temperature?

   1. A. 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit
   2. B. 700 degrees Fahrenheit
   3. C. 900 degrees Fahrenheit
   4. D. 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit

   Answer: A

   Explanation: 40 CFR 745.227(e)(6)(iv) states that "Operating a heat gun on lead-based paint is permitted only at temperatures below 1100 degrees Fahrenheit." The same paragraph bans open-flame burning or torching outright. Seven hundred and 900 degrees are below the regulatory ceiling but are not the limit the rule sets, and 1,400 degrees is above it.

   Reference: Epa 40 CFR 745 — 40 CFR 745.227(e)(6)(iv)

5. 5A worker asks a supervisor whether handling lead-contaminated debris with bare hands will put lead into his body through his skin. According to the substance data sheet in OSHA's lead in construction standard, by what routes does lead covered by the standard enter the body?

   1. A. By inhalation and ingestion, but not through intact skin
   2. B. By inhalation, ingestion, and absorption through intact skin
   3. C. By absorption through intact skin and by ingestion only
   4. D. By inhalation only, since settled lead dust cannot be swallowed

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Appendix A to 29 CFR 1926.62 states: "Lead can be absorbed into your body by inhalation (breathing) and ingestion (eating). Lead (except for certain organic lead compounds not covered by the standard, such as tetraethyl lead) is not absorbed through your skin." The same appendix explains that handling food, cigarettes, or make-up with contaminated hands contributes to ingestion, which is why hand washing and the ban on eating in the work area matter, and it identifies inhalation of airborne lead as generally the most important source of occupational absorption.

   Reference: OSHA 1926 62 — 29 CFR 1926.62, Appendix A, section II.A

6. 6After an interior renovation and a successful visual inspection, a certified renovator performs post-renovation cleaning verification on a windowsill in the work area. Under the rule, what result indicates that the windowsill has been adequately cleaned?

   1. A. The wet cleaning cloth matches or is lighter than the cleaning verification card
   2. B. The wet cleaning cloth is darker than the cleaning verification card
   3. C. A dust wipe sample from the sill is below the dust-lead action level for floors
   4. D. The sill shows no visible dust when examined under a bright work light

   Answer: A

   Explanation: 40 CFR 745.85(b)(1)(ii)(A) sets the procedure: "Wipe the windowsill with a wet disposable cleaning cloth that is damp to the touch. If the cloth matches or is lighter than the cleaning verification card, the windowsill has been adequately cleaned." A darker cloth triggers re-cleaning under the next subparagraph. Laboratory dust-lead results are the measure under optional dust clearance testing in paragraph (c), not cleaning verification, and the floor action level would be the wrong benchmark for a sill in any event. The absence of visible dust is the separate visual inspection that must already have been passed before verification begins.

   Reference: Epa 40 CFR 745 — 40 CFR 745.85(b)(1)(i) and (b)(1)(ii)(A)

7. 7Planning is under way for a large multi-family lead hazard control project, and there is genuine uncertainty about whether a proposed encapsulant will hold and how much dust the methods will generate. What do the HUD Guidelines recommend?

   1. A. Run a pilot project on a limited number of units, preferably vacant ones
   2. B. Proceed with the full project and adjust the methods as problems appear
   3. C. Substitute component replacement throughout, since it avoids the uncertainty
   4. D. Obtain a manufacturer's written guarantee in place of field testing

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The HUD Guidelines state that pilot projects "test lead-based paint hazard control strategy on a limited number of dwellings, usually those that are vacant, to determine the feasibility of carrying out such a strategy in the entire multi-family housing development", and that they are "most appropriate when a large-scale multi-family project is being considered and whenever there is uncertainty about the safety and effectiveness of a particular lead hazard control process." The chapter adds that pilot work should mirror the larger project and be evaluated by a risk assessor with environmental sampling, which a manufacturer's guarantee does not supply.

   Reference: Hud Ch 03 Planning — HUD Guidelines (2012), Chapter 3, Section VIII

8. 8During an abatement project the certified supervisor must leave the dwelling to pick up materials while workers continue removing painted trim. Under EPA's work practice standards, once the supervisor is away from the site and reachable only by telephone, within what maximum time must the supervisor be able to be present at the work site?

   1. A. No more than 2 hours
   2. B. No more than 1 hour
   3. C. No more than 4 hours
   4. D. No more than 8 hours

   Answer: A

   Explanation: 40 CFR 745.227(e)(2) provides: "A certified supervisor is required for each abatement project and shall be onsite during all work site preparation and during the post-abatement cleanup of work areas. At all other times when abatement activities are being conducted, the certified supervisor shall be onsite or available by telephone, pager or answering service, and able to be present at the work site in no more than 2 hours." One hour is stricter than the rule requires, and four or eight hours would exceed the response time the rule allows.

   Reference: Epa 40 CFR 745 — 40 CFR 745.227(e)(2)

9. 9While justifying a company's investment in abatement capacity, a supervisor cites EPA's estimate of how much of the older housing stock still holds lead-based paint. According to EPA, approximately what proportion of U.S. homes built before 1978 still contain some lead-based paint?

   1. A. About three-quarters
   2. B. About one-quarter
   3. C. About one-half
   4. D. About one-tenth

   Answer: A

   Explanation: EPA states: "Approximately three-quarters of the homes in the United States built before 1978 still contain some lead-based paint." The other fractions understate the figure EPA publishes and would lead an owner to assume the housing stock is mostly clear, which is the opposite of the assumption the federal program is built on.

   Reference: Epa Sources Of Lead — EPA, Reduce the Risk of Lead Exposure at Home, 'Reduce Exposure to Lead-Based Paint Hazards'

10. 10A supervisor reviews air monitoring results with the crew. Under OSHA's lead in construction standard, what is the permissible exposure limit for airborne lead, averaged over an 8-hour period?

    1. A. 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air
    2. B. 30 micrograms per cubic meter of air
    3. C. 100 micrograms per cubic meter of air
    4. D. 200 micrograms per cubic meter of air

    Answer: A

    Explanation: 29 CFR 1926.62(c)(1) provides: "The employer shall assure that no employee is exposed to lead at concentrations greater than fifty micrograms per cubic meter of air" averaged over an 8-hour period. Thirty micrograms per cubic meter is the action level defined in paragraph (b); 200 micrograms per cubic meter is the exposure level at which protective clothing must be supplied daily rather than weekly under paragraph (g)(2)(i); 100 micrograms per cubic meter is not a value in the standard.

    Reference: OSHA 1926 62 — 29 CFR 1926.62(c)(1)