OSHA 10 Hour Safety Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (21–30)

Question 1

What is the required top-rail height for a guardrail system installed on a construction worksite?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

42 inches. 29 CFR 1926.502(b)(1) specifies that the top edge of a guardrail must be 42 inches (plus or minus 3 inches) above the walking-working surface.

Question 2

Per OSHA's Construction standard, safety nets used as fall protection must be installed no more than how far below the working surface where workers may fall?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

30 feet. 29 CFR 1926.502(c)(1) requires safety nets to be installed as close as practicable under the walking-working surface but no more than 30 feet below it.

Question 3

At what height above a lower level does OSHA require fall protection for workers on supported scaffolds?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

10 feet. 29 CFR 1926.451(g)(1) requires fall protection for employees on scaffolds more than 10 feet above a lower level, which is a higher threshold than the general 6-foot rule.

Question 4

After a personal fall arrest system has arrested a worker's fall, what must happen before the equipment is used again?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

The entire system must be removed from service and inspected by a competent person before reuse. 29 CFR 1926.502(d)(20) requires that any personal fall arrest system subjected to impact loading during a fall be immediately removed from service until a competent person inspects it and determines it is undamaged and suitable for reuse.

Question 5

A hole in a walking-working surface is covered with a temporary wooden cover. Under OSHA standards, that cover must be able to support at least how much weight?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Twice the weight of employees, equipment, and materials that may be imposed on it at any one time. 29 CFR 1926.502(i)(2) requires floor-hole covers to support without failure at least twice the weight of employees, equipment, and materials that could be imposed on the cover at any one time.

Question 6

A leading-edge employer determines that conventional fall protection (guardrails, PFAS, and safety nets) is infeasible and would create a greater hazard. What does OSHA specifically require before that employer may proceed with an alternative fall protection plan?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Have a qualified person prepare a written, site-specific alternative fall protection plan that is maintained at the job site. 29 CFR 1926.502(k) permits an alternative fall protection plan for leading-edge work only when conventional methods are infeasible or create a greater hazard, and requires the plan to be written, site-specific, prepared by a qualified person, and kept at the job site.

Question 7

Which specific combination of fall protection is OSHA required for workers on two-point adjustable suspension scaffolds?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Both a personal fall arrest system and a guardrail system. 29 CFR 1926.451(g)(3) explicitly requires workers on two-point adjustable suspension scaffolds to be protected by both a personal fall arrest system and a guardrail system due to the heightened hazard of that scaffold type.

Question 8

Under the OSHA Construction fall protection standard, which statement correctly describes when an employer may use a safety monitoring system as the sole means of fall protection?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Only on low-slope roofs when other fall protection methods have been demonstrated infeasible, and it must be used together with a warning line system except in areas too small to erect one. 29 CFR 1926.502(h) and (j) limit safety monitoring systems to low-slope roof work where other protection is infeasible, and generally require them to be combined with a warning line system; the monitor may serve as sole protection only in areas too small or too close to an edge to use a warning line.

Question 9

What is the primary purpose of a Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) on a construction site?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

To detect a difference in current between the hot and neutral conductors and shut off power before a fatal shock can occur. A GFCI monitors the difference between current on the hot and neutral conductors; if an imbalance of approximately 5 milliamps is detected — indicating current is flowing through a person — it trips within milliseconds, as required by 29 CFR 1926.404(b)(1).

Question 10

Under 29 CFR 1926 Subpart K, which of the following best describes when lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures must be applied on a construction site?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Whenever an employee must perform work on or near energized electrical equipment where unexpected energization or startup could cause injury. 29 CFR 1926.417 requires that sources of electrical energy be de-energized and locked or tagged out before employees work on or near them to prevent unexpected energization, startup, or release of stored energy.

OSHA 10 Hour Safety Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (21–30)

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