OSHA 500 STUDY GUIDE 2026 EXAM QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔At trench is defined as a narrow underground excavation that is __ than it is wide -
✔✔deeper
✔✔A trench cannot be wider than - ✔✔15 feet
✔✔Cave-in protection is required for all excavations greater than - ✔✔5 feet in depth
unless they are entirely in sold stable rock
✔✔A ladder must be provided every - ✔✔25 feet for excavations greater than 4 feet in
depth
✔✔Spoil piles, material and equipment must be kept - ✔✔2 feet from the excavation
✔✔Excavation inspections must be conducted - ✔✔DAILY and before start of work
✔✔Excavation inspections must be conducted to determine - ✔✔soil classification
✔✔For all trenches deeper than 5 feet, OSHA requires what to protect workers from
cave-in? - ✔✔a. sloping
b. shoring
c. benching
d. shielding
✔✔Stable rock - ✔✔natural solid mineral material than can be excavated with vertical
sides
✔✔Type A: cohesive soils with an unconfined compressive strength of __ tons per
square foot - ✔✔1.5 tons
✔✔Type B: cohesive soils with an unconfined compressive strength greater than __ tsf
but less than __ tsf - ✔✔0.5; 1.5
✔✔Type C: cohesive soils with an unconfined compressive strength of __ tsf or less -
✔✔0.5 tsf
✔✔Type A can be sloped at a ratio of __ if the excavation will be open for less than 24
hours and is less than 12 feet in depth - ✔✔1/2 : 1
✔✔Any excavation more than __ feet in depth requires a qualified person to design the
protection - ✔✔20 feet
, ✔✔The classification of soil shall be made based on the results of at least one visual
and one __ analysis conducted by a competent person - ✔✔manual
✔✔The best method to prevent injuries is to _____. - ✔✔prevent the hazard
✔✔The second best way to prevent injuries is to _____. - ✔✔eliminate the hazard
✔✔The third best way to prevent an injury is to _____. - ✔✔control exposure
✔✔The preferred method to control exposure is _____. - ✔✔engineering
✔✔The second best way to control exposure is _____. - ✔✔administrative
✔✔The least preferred way to control exposure is _____. - ✔✔PPE
✔✔Incident Rates allow for a comparative level of injuries and illnesses among different
_____, _____, and _____. - ✔✔industries, organizations, or operations
✔✔The formula for incident rates is - ✔✔# incidents x 200,000 / employee hours worked
✔✔TRIR - ✔✔Total Recordable Incident Rate
✔✔DART - ✔✔Days Away Restricted Transferred
✔✔Three parts of an OSHA inspection are - ✔✔1. Opening conference
2. Worksite "Walk-around"
3. Closing Conference
✔✔Opening conference - ✔✔brief meeting during which the OSHA inspector will explain
the purpose of the inspection
✔✔Worksite "Walk-around" - ✔✔walk around and see if there are any inspections;
might take pictures and notes during the inspection
✔✔Closing conference - ✔✔the inspector will disclose any hazards or violations
identified during the course of the inspector, as well as any possible violations the
organization may face; citations and fines are not discussed
✔✔Only _____ companies may have a focused OSHA inspection. - ✔✔construction
✔✔When the OSHA CSHO arrives at a site to conduct a focused inspection, they will
determine: - ✔✔1. whether there is a project coordination by the general contractor
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔At trench is defined as a narrow underground excavation that is __ than it is wide -
✔✔deeper
✔✔A trench cannot be wider than - ✔✔15 feet
✔✔Cave-in protection is required for all excavations greater than - ✔✔5 feet in depth
unless they are entirely in sold stable rock
✔✔A ladder must be provided every - ✔✔25 feet for excavations greater than 4 feet in
depth
✔✔Spoil piles, material and equipment must be kept - ✔✔2 feet from the excavation
✔✔Excavation inspections must be conducted - ✔✔DAILY and before start of work
✔✔Excavation inspections must be conducted to determine - ✔✔soil classification
✔✔For all trenches deeper than 5 feet, OSHA requires what to protect workers from
cave-in? - ✔✔a. sloping
b. shoring
c. benching
d. shielding
✔✔Stable rock - ✔✔natural solid mineral material than can be excavated with vertical
sides
✔✔Type A: cohesive soils with an unconfined compressive strength of __ tons per
square foot - ✔✔1.5 tons
✔✔Type B: cohesive soils with an unconfined compressive strength greater than __ tsf
but less than __ tsf - ✔✔0.5; 1.5
✔✔Type C: cohesive soils with an unconfined compressive strength of __ tsf or less -
✔✔0.5 tsf
✔✔Type A can be sloped at a ratio of __ if the excavation will be open for less than 24
hours and is less than 12 feet in depth - ✔✔1/2 : 1
✔✔Any excavation more than __ feet in depth requires a qualified person to design the
protection - ✔✔20 feet
, ✔✔The classification of soil shall be made based on the results of at least one visual
and one __ analysis conducted by a competent person - ✔✔manual
✔✔The best method to prevent injuries is to _____. - ✔✔prevent the hazard
✔✔The second best way to prevent injuries is to _____. - ✔✔eliminate the hazard
✔✔The third best way to prevent an injury is to _____. - ✔✔control exposure
✔✔The preferred method to control exposure is _____. - ✔✔engineering
✔✔The second best way to control exposure is _____. - ✔✔administrative
✔✔The least preferred way to control exposure is _____. - ✔✔PPE
✔✔Incident Rates allow for a comparative level of injuries and illnesses among different
_____, _____, and _____. - ✔✔industries, organizations, or operations
✔✔The formula for incident rates is - ✔✔# incidents x 200,000 / employee hours worked
✔✔TRIR - ✔✔Total Recordable Incident Rate
✔✔DART - ✔✔Days Away Restricted Transferred
✔✔Three parts of an OSHA inspection are - ✔✔1. Opening conference
2. Worksite "Walk-around"
3. Closing Conference
✔✔Opening conference - ✔✔brief meeting during which the OSHA inspector will explain
the purpose of the inspection
✔✔Worksite "Walk-around" - ✔✔walk around and see if there are any inspections;
might take pictures and notes during the inspection
✔✔Closing conference - ✔✔the inspector will disclose any hazards or violations
identified during the course of the inspector, as well as any possible violations the
organization may face; citations and fines are not discussed
✔✔Only _____ companies may have a focused OSHA inspection. - ✔✔construction
✔✔When the OSHA CSHO arrives at a site to conduct a focused inspection, they will
determine: - ✔✔1. whether there is a project coordination by the general contractor
