ECS (Electrotechnical Certification Scheme) Quiz 9

The assessment will be made up from 288 questions covering ten topics. The 40 questions in the ECS test is made up from the following topics:

General Health and Safety at Work 5   Manual Handling Operations 4
Reporting Accidents 3   Personal Protective Equipment at Work 4
Health and Hygiene 3   Fire and Emergency 4
Work at Height 5   Work Equipment 4
Special Site Hazards 3   Electrotechnical 5

Listed below are the areas of knowledge that will be assessed.

1. General Health & Safety - (Total 40 Questions) You should have a basic understanding of:

  • How the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Regulations and Approved Codes of Practice affect you
  • Employer’s responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act
  • Your responsibilities to yourself and to others under the Health and Safety at Work Act
  • How health and safety law is enforced
  • The powers of Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors
  • The key features of health and safety signs in the workplace
  

2. Manual Handling Operations - (Total 27 Questions) You should have a basic understanding of:

  • What manual handling operations mean in the context of an employee and what employers must do to protect employees from injury
  • The types of injury you could suffer from carrying out manual handling tasks
  • The parts of your body most likely to be affected by manual handling injuries
  • How to decide whether a manual handling activity is safe
  • What must be taken into account when making a manual handling risk assessment
  • The principles of good manual handling techniques

3. Reporting Accidents - (Total 32 Questions) You should have a basic understanding of:

  • The need to report injuries, accidents, certain diseases and dangerous occurrences to the Health and Safety Executive
  • Why you must report accidents to your employer
  • The need to record in the accident book all accidents that cause any injury whatsoever
  • What reportable injuries, dangerous occurrences and reportable diseases are
  

4. Personal Protective Equipment at Work - (Total 28 Questions) You should have a basic understanding of:

  • When PPE should be worn
  • Why your employer must provide you with PPE
  • Why you must use the PPE provided by the employer
  • Why you must take care of PPE supplied for your use
  • Why you must report lost or damaged PPE to your immediate superior
  • The possible effects of not wearing PPE
  • The limitations of PPE

5. Health and Hygiene - (Total 27 Questions) You should have a basic understanding of:

  • The dangers of exposure to substances, such as asbestos
  • The importance of good personal hygiene when working with hazardous substances
  • How to reduce the risks of diseases carried by vermin
  • The welfare facilities required to be provided on construction sites.
  • How to reduce the risks from hand-arm vibration and noise at work
  

6. Fire and Emergency - (Total 32 Questions) You should have a basic understanding of:

  • What to do in the event of an emergency at work
  • The types of fire extinguishers available and the types of fires they can each be used on
  • The importance of first aid following an accident

7. Work at Height - (Total 28 Questions) You should have a basic understanding of:

  • The importance of using the most suitable access equipment for the task
  • Only working from ladders or stepladders when the task is of low risk and short duration
  • Safety precautions to be taken when using scaffolds, mobile elevated work platforms, safety harnesses etc.
  

8. Work Equipment - (Total 24 Questions) You should have a basic understanding of:

  • Only using work equipment you have been trained and authorised to use
  • The importance of carrying out checks on equipment before use
  • Reporting any defects and not using defective equipment
  • The voltage limitations on electrical equipment used on site
  • The safe use of extension cables

9. Special Site Hazards - (Total 16 Questions) You should have a basic understanding of:

  • The safety precautions to be taken before working in a confined space
  • The precautions to be taken when carrying out excavation work to reduce the risks from contact with underground services, falling materials etc.
  • The precautions to be taken when working near overhead power lines
  • The dangers to pedestrians from vehicles on site
  

10. Electrotechnical - (Total 34 Questions) You should have an understanding of:

  • The effects of electric current on the body
  • The types of socket outlets used on construction sites
  • The need for persons working on electrical systems to be competent to do so
  • The use of residual current devices for supplementary protection against electric shock
  • Safe isolation procedures when working on electrical systems and equipment
  • Only working ‘live’ in exceptional circumstances
  • Safe working with optical fibres

All Special Site Hazards (16 Questions in total but only 3 random questions will be choosen for the test by the computer)

1. Why may a confined space be dangerous to work in?
a) There may not be sufficient working space
b) Air in the space may be unbreathable due to poisonous gas
c) Temperature and poor ventilation may affect the worker
d) All of the hazards mentioned

2. What must be considered first when planning to carry out work in a confined space?
a) Has the job been priced properly
b) Have the correct tools been arranged
c) Has sufficient manpower been allocated
d) Can the work be done from the outside

3. When working in a confined space such as a sewer, what danger may occur?
a) Getting wet through
b) Boredom
c) Not enough time for the job to be done
d) Build up of harmful gases

4. To determine the safety of the atmosphere in an excavation, which of the following is essential
a) Sniffing the atmosphere after entry
b) Using a gas detector
c) Only entering for a short period to enable a quick escape
d) Looking for toxic gases

5. Before entering an excavation to start work, it must first be:
a) inspected by a competent person
b) covered over and left overnight
c) filled with water then drained
d) inspected by the HSE

6. What is the purpose of using a ’permit to work’ system?
a) To ensure the job is carried out by the quickest method
b) To help ensure a safe system of work
c) To ensure that the client will pay for the work
d) To enable tools and equipment to be properly checked before the commencement of work

7. Why may young people be more at risk on site?
a) There is no specific legislation applying to them
b) They are usually left to work alone to gain experience
c) There is no requirement to provide PPE to young people
d) They are inexperienced and may not recognise danger

8. You have to enter a manhole in which you know there are toxic gases. You have all the PPE but there does not appear to be a rescue plan in place. What should you do?
a) Just get on and do the job, it will probably be alright
b) Plan to carry out the job in short bursts
c) Do not enter the manhole until a rescue plan and rescue equipment are in place
d) Ask your mate to stand-by at the top of the manhole with a length of rope

9. You have to enter a manhole in which you believe there could be toxic gases. You have not been provided with any Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE). What should you do?
a) Tell your supervisor that you will need RPE, and if necessary, training in confined space working
b) Sniff the atmosphere in the manhole to see if you can smell harmful gases
c) Look into the manhole to see if you can see any harmful gases
d) Just get on with the job, and accept the risks

10. While digging a trench, you uncover a length of yellow marker tape at a depth of about 150mm. What does the presence of the marker tape mean?
a) The area has a high water-table and precautions must be taken to prevent an in-rush of water
b) There is a buried electrical cable and further excavation must be carried out with care
c) There is contaminated soil below the level of the marker tape and all excavation must stop
d) The excavation has reached a depth where the sides must now be supported

11. A Cable Avoidance Tool (C.A.T.) and a ‘Genny’ (generator) can be used successfully to locate underground cables by whom:
a) anyone
b) a competent person after training
c) any electricity company employee
d) the site foreman

12. When exposing underground power cables, which method of excavation should you use?
a) A 360 degree excavator with rubber tyres
b) A pickaxe
c) Hand digging
d) A kango hammer

13. When do special precautions need to be taken when working near overhead electric power lines?
a) Only if cranes etc. are being used
b) Only if someone could touch a line with their bare hands
c) Only if plant has to pass under the lines
d) Whenever work areas will be near or beneath the lines

14. When working alone:
a) Make sure someone responsible knows where you are
b) You can do away with protective equipment
c) Don’t bother anyone if you have a problem, always sort it out yourself
d) Wear headphones, it will make the day go more quickly

15. You have to walk across a site several times a day, but have to dodge a lot of site traffic. The first thing you should do is:
a) Have a word with the drivers
b) Walk around the edges of the site to keep out of the way
c) Tell your supervisor about the danger
d) Jump on the back of a vehicle if you can, its safer than walking

16. A mobile plant operator can let you ride in the machine:
a) If you have a long way to go
b) If it is raining
c) If it is designed to carry passengers
d) At any time


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