10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
The COSS exam has 50 questions and runs 1 hour 30 minutes.
These 10 free COSS questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Certified Occupational Safety Specialist (COSS) blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A compliance officer documents a recognized crushing hazard at a manufacturing plant that has caused serious injuries elsewhere in the industry, but no specific OSHA standard addresses the condition. On what basis may OSHA issue a citation?
Correct answer: B - Section 5(a)(1), the General Duty Clause
A licensed structural engineer is on site and can readily identify hazards in a scaffold's design, but has no authority to stop work or direct corrections. Under 29 CFR 1926.32, this individual is:
Correct answer: D - A qualified person, but not a competent person
A worker sustains a forearm laceration during a refinery turnaround. The on-site medical provider closes the wound using butterfly bandages, and the worker returns to full duty the same shift. Under 29 CFR 1904, this case is:
Correct answer: A - Not recordable; butterfly closure is considered first aid
An employee struck by a falling tool is transported to the emergency room, held four hours for observation, released without admission, and returns to work the next day. Regarding OSHA reporting, the employer must:
Correct answer: D - Take no reporting action; the employee was not formally admitted
A fabrication shop recorded 7 OSHA-recordable cases during a year in which employees worked a total of 350,000 hours. What is the facility's total recordable incident rate?
Correct answer: B - 4.0
A plant currently limits solvent vapor exposure by rotating workers through the task every two hours and issuing half-mask respirators. Which change would produce the MOST effective reduction in exposure?
Correct answer: D - Reformulating the process to substitute a water-based solvent
On a construction site a subcontractor erects a scaffold missing a guardrail, and only that subcontractor's employees use it. The general contractor has authority to require corrections but did not detect the condition during its weekly walkthrough. The general contractor:
Correct answer: A - May be cited as a controlling employer for lack of reasonable care
An industrial hygiene survey measures a production employee's 8-hour time-weighted average noise exposure at 87 dBA. Under 29 CFR 1910.95, the employer must:
Correct answer: B - Enroll the employee in a continuing hearing conservation program
A maintenance planner accustomed to reading the NFPA 704 diamond reviews a safety data sheet listing "Skin Corrosion, Category 1" and concludes the hazard is minor because the number is low. This conclusion is:
Correct answer: C - Incorrect; under GHS, Category 1 indicates the most severe rating
An employee services equipment on an unguarded elevated platform 5 feet above the floor inside a general industry manufacturing plant. Regarding fall protection, the employer:
Correct answer: A - Must provide fall protection, since the general industry trigger is 4 feet
The COSS exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:
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