Deck 6: Biological and Chemical Agents

Question 1

In the lab,HIV (I and II)requires the same level of control as what other biohazard?

A)rabies
B)hepatitis
C)legionella
D)tick-borne encephalitis

Answer 1

rabies

Question 2

By which four routes can chemicals enter the body?

A)respiration, inhalation, skin absorption, and skin penetration
B)ingestion, skin penetration, inhalation, and lungs
C)respiration, skin absorption, skin penetration, and ingestion
D)lungs, nose, skin absorption, and ingestion

Answer 2

respiration, skin absorption, skin penetration, and ingestion

Question 3

What is the recommended remedy for occupational asthma (e.g.crab asthma experienced by the snow crab workers in Newfoundland)?

A)transferring to a different job in the same plant
B)changing to employment in another industry
C)taking asthma medication via a bronchial inhalator "puffer"
D)taking antihistamine medication (e.g. Benadryl, Claritin)

Answer 3

changing to employment in another industry

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT considered a biohazard?

A)bacteria
B)virus
C)prion
D)aerosol

Question 5

Through what physiological system would poison ivy have an effect on gardeners and agricultural workers?

A)nervous system
B)immune system
C)respiratory system
D)metabolic system

Question 6

What type of biological agents if inhaled can cause occupational diseases in farm workers?

A)bacterial
B)viruses
C)chlamydiae
D)fungal

Question 7

What is the difference between a fume and a vapour?

A)vapours are lighter in colour
B)fumes come from the evaporation of solids
C)vapours come from the evaporation of liquids
D)the material in a fume condenses with air contact

Question 8

Which of the following is most likely to create a synergistic effect with airborne chemicals in a manufacturing plant?

A)the other chemicals used in the plant
B)inadequate safety training
C)inconsistent use of respirators
D)the plant being located in a valley

Question 9

Employees with diabetes and other conditions often need to inject themselves at work to manage their condition.What is an administrative control that the human resource management department can implement to protect everyone from needlestick injuries?

A)install "sharps" disposal bins in restrooms
B)provide education and training to all employees
C)ask these employees to inject themselves in an off-site location
D)change work schedules, so they can inject at home before and after work

Question 10

If Julia has developed a work-related occupational disease involving the central nervous system,what organic compound is mostly likely to be the cause?

A)glycols
B)esters
C)ketones
D)hydrocarbons

Question 11

What toxic substance is most likely to produce dermatitis?

A)sensitizer
B)mutagen
C)teratogen
D)contact irritant

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT considered one of the basic levels of protection within the respiratory tract?

A)esophagus
B)nose
C)mucus
D)alveoli

Question 13

What is the size of the typical airborne particle found in fumes and smoke?

A)1000 microns
B)100 microns
C)10 microns
D)less than 1 micron

Question 14

Besides record keeping,what control measure ensures that baseline tests will be available when needed?

A)medical surveillance
B)engineering controls
C)work practices
D)good housekeeping

Question 15

A chef working in the kitchen burns his hand on a hot stove,resulting in blisters.What type of toxicity should the restaurant manager be concerned about for his kitchen workers?

A)acute toxicity
B)local toxicity
C)chronic toxicity
D)systemic toxicity

Question 16

What characteristic of a solvent is related to its speed of evaporation?

A)surface tension
B)flammability
C)volatility
D)vaporization

Question 17

The Globally Harmonized System is a system that would establish consistency around the world in terms of which of the following?

A)the purchase and control of biological agents
B)specifying the toxicity levels of chemical agents
C)dealing with epidemics due to biological agents
D)classification and labelling of chemical products

Question 18

Evan is the OH&S manager for a research lab that has Biosafety Level 1 (BSL 1)organisms.What does he need to do to protect himself from this type of organisms?

A)wash his hands before he eats lunch at work
B)put in a separate lunchroom/restroom for lab workers
C)make sure his office is on a different ventilation system
D)make sure the lab has a negative pressure environment

Question 19

Rob's doctor has told him that his alveoli are seriously damaged.In what shape are his cilia likely to be?

A)undamaged
B)slightly damaged
C)severely damaged
D)completely destroyed

Question 20

What are the types of control measures that can be used to ensure the safe handling of both chemical and low-level biological agents?

A)people, processes, equipment, materials
B)hazard, administrative
C)engineering, administrative, and work practices/procedures
D)processes, engineering, equipment

Question 21

Scenario 6-1: Custodial staff (also known as janitors or cleaners) are the unsung heroes of the workplace. Going about their work while many of us are in bed, they deal with a whole host of situations that bring them into contact with a wide range of chemical and biological agents. They are exposed to residues left in the air and on surfaces from manufacturing processes, from service operations, and from human excretions (sweat, body oils, from sneezing, and so on). While employees of the firms that they service receive training about specific chemical and biological hazards, the custodial staff are often unaware of some of the hazards that they may encounter.
What two food-related biohazards could cause custodial staff to fall victim to food poisoning if they do not have a way to properly store the food they brought from home for their meal break at 3a.m.?

A)ricksettia and brucellosis
B)brucellosis and salmonellosis
C)staphylococcus and ricksettia
D)salmonellosis and staphylococcus

Question 22

Legionnaires' disease results from biological agents.

Question 23

The main route of entry for biological agents is through ingestion or penetration.

Question 24

Medical surveillance programs only require the health records of the employee after the exposure.

Question 25

Requiring workers to work overtime on a regular basis could produce a synergistic effect.

Question 26

Differentiate between chemical and biological agents.Identify a biological or chemical agent present in your workplace or in a workplace with which you are familiar (either by knowing someone who works there or by being a customer/patient).Explain the route of entry,type(s)of toxicity involved,and the health effects that this specific agent can have on the human body.Describe the controls that should be put in place to control this hazard.

Question 27

Organic solvents fall into two classes-acids and bases.

Question 28

A respirator is the most commonly used protection device for chemical and biological hazards.

Question 29

List the seven types of chemical contaminants found in workplaces.Describe an example of one chemical hazard that office workers may be exposed to and one example of a chemical hazard that manufacturing workers may be exposed to.Describe a workplace human resource practice or policy that could address each of these health and safety issues.

Question 30

No toxicity data is available for about 80% of the chemicals that are used commercially.

Question 31

Scenario 6-1: Custodial staff (also known as janitors or cleaners) are the unsung heroes of the workplace. Going about their work while many of us are in bed, they deal with a whole host of situations that bring them into contact with a wide range of chemical and biological agents. They are exposed to residues left in the air and on surfaces from manufacturing processes, from service operations, and from human excretions (sweat, body oils, from sneezing, and so on). While employees of the firms that they service receive training about specific chemical and biological hazards, the custodial staff are often unaware of some of the hazards that they may encounter.
The owner of the cleaning company tries to protect his workers by getting as much information as he can about chemical hazards when meeting with new clients and renewing contracts with existing clients.In general,for what percentage of chemicals will he be provided with toxicity data?

A)10%
B)20%
C)40%
D)80%

Question 32

Toxicity is the main determinant of assessing the potential degree of seriousness of a chemical hazard.

Question 33

Exposure to toxic gases can produce acute and systemic toxicity.

Question 34

People most at risk of exposure to biohazards are employed in unique or specialized jobs,such as medicine,research,and farming.

Question 35

Chris's restaurant in Halifax,Nova Scotia has just received a substandard evaluation from the Ministry of Agriculture's restaurant inspector.The report cited the following problems: dirty conditions in the kitchen,leaking refrigeration units,unclean restrooms,cross-contamination (e.g.cutting raw meat and vegetables without cleaning or replacing the cutting board/knife),and inadequate ventilation in the kitchen.There have been a number of cases of food poisoning in the past six months (staff and customers).The restaurant's negative rating has been posted on an online website available to current and potential customers,so Chris wants to get the problems fixed as soon as possible and have the notice removed.For each problem,identify the form and type of chemical and/or biological hazard involved.Discuss what controls Chris should put in place so that next time around the restaurant will receive a much more positive rating from the inspectors,making special note of new hazards that might arise while he is fixing the problems.

Question 36

Scenario 6-1: Custodial staff (also known as janitors or cleaners) are the unsung heroes of the workplace. Going about their work while many of us are in bed, they deal with a whole host of situations that bring them into contact with a wide range of chemical and biological agents. They are exposed to residues left in the air and on surfaces from manufacturing processes, from service operations, and from human excretions (sweat, body oils, from sneezing, and so on). While employees of the firms that they service receive training about specific chemical and biological hazards, the custodial staff are often unaware of some of the hazards that they may encounter.
Custodial staff may be at more risk of acquiring an illness/injury from acute,rather than ambient,exposure to a chemical or biological agent.How would the cleaning manager know if it was an acute exposure?

A)The cleaner had not worked at that location before.
B)The cleaner could not continue working that day.
C)The cleaner had to go to the hospital right away.
D)The cleaner could not return to work for a week.

Question 37

List the eight general characteristics and properties that make solvents effective.Pick two of the eight and explain how that characteristic/property would make a solvent hazardous.

Question 38

Recalling the 12 toxic substances,what three would be the most likely to result in adverse health effects for firefighters?

Question 39

Scenario 6-1: Custodial staff (also known as janitors or cleaners) are the unsung heroes of the workplace. Going about their work while many of us are in bed, they deal with a whole host of situations that bring them into contact with a wide range of chemical and biological agents. They are exposed to residues left in the air and on surfaces from manufacturing processes, from service operations, and from human excretions (sweat, body oils, from sneezing, and so on). While employees of the firms that they service receive training about specific chemical and biological hazards, the custodial staff are often unaware of some of the hazards that they may encounter.
Custodial staff are exposed to aerosols through the cleaning products they use and as a by-product of mechanical and human activity at each workplace where they clean.What is the part of the respiratory system that is spiral shaped and could be protected from aerosols by wearing a face mask?

A)cilia
B)alveoli
C)turbinates
D)macrophages

Question 40

Scenario 6-1: Custodial staff (also known as janitors or cleaners) are the unsung heroes of the workplace. Going about their work while many of us are in bed, they deal with a whole host of situations that bring them into contact with a wide range of chemical and biological agents. They are exposed to residues left in the air and on surfaces from manufacturing processes, from service operations, and from human excretions (sweat, body oils, from sneezing, and so on). While employees of the firms that they service receive training about specific chemical and biological hazards, the custodial staff are often unaware of some of the hazards that they may encounter.
What characteristic of chlorinated solvents could ultimately result in liver problems from cleaners?

A)acidity
B)alkalinity
C)fat-solubility
D)low surface tension