Master Electrician exam Section 2: Worker Safety practice questions.

Ten free practice questions on worker safety law: Section 2 of the three sections of Ontario's Master Electrician licensing exam, which ESA, the Electrical Safety Authority, runs. They are original questions written by TicketPrep from the OESC rule numbers and the Ontario statutes, not questions from the exam. Each has four options and one correct answer, as every question in our bank does. Answer each one before opening the explanation. No account, no email.

01The questions

1. Recall · Objective 2.1

   On a general contractor's project, after her supervisor's investigation and repairs, an LEC apprentice still has reasonable grounds to believe a temporary power distribution box is likely to endanger her, and she continues to refuse. Under OHSA s. 43(6), who must cause an inspector to be notified?

   1. The constructor and the LEC, as the employers on the project
   2. The apprentice alone, as the worker who refused
   3. The supervisor, after a second internal investigation
   4. The LEC, the apprentice, or a person acting for either
   Show the answer

   D. Correct. Under s. 43(6), once the worker continues the refusal after the investigation, the LEC as her employer, the apprentice herself, or someone acting for either of them must cause an inspector to be notified. Either side can make the call; neither may leave it undone.

   Why not the others

   A. Section 43(6) names the refusing worker's employer (the LEC) or the worker, or someone acting for either. The general contractor is not the apprentice's employer and has no s. 43(6) role, though it keeps its own s. 23 duties.

   B. Section 43(6) does not put the call on the worker alone: the employer or the worker, or someone on behalf of either, must have an inspector notified.

   C. The Act sets no second internal investigation. Once the worker continues the refusal after the first investigation, an inspector must be notified by the employer or the worker or someone acting for either (s. 43(6)).

   Source: ESA exam outline, Section 2: Worker Safety; Occupational Health and Safety Act

2. Procedural · Objective 2.1

   Under the bilateral procedure at an LEC's shop, the worker-side certified member finds dangerous circumstances at a conduit-bending station, but the LEC's certified member, after investigating, disagrees. Under OHSA s. 45(6), what happens next?

   1. The committee co-chairs decide the matter by joint vote
   2. The LEC's certified member decides, as the second investigator
   3. The worker-side member may file a complaint with the Board within 30 days
   4. Either certified member may ask an inspector, who decides in writing
   Show the answer

   D. Correct. Where the two certified members do not agree whether dangerous circumstances exist, s. 45(6) lets either of them request an inspector, who must investigate and give them a written decision. Without agreement, no stop can be directed under s. 45(4).

   Why not the others

   A. Stop-work decisions sit with the certified members and, if they disagree, an inspector (s. 45(6)); the co-chairs have no role in them.

   B. Neither certified member has a casting vote. Disagreement goes to an inspector at either member's request (s. 45(6)).

   C. The 30-day Board complaint in s. 49 is about a certified member who acted recklessly or in bad faith; an honest disagreement goes to an inspector under s. 45(6).

   Source: ESA exam outline, Section 2: Worker Safety; Occupational Health and Safety Act

3. Recall · Objective 2.2

   On a project, a crane supplied with its operator by the steel erector could swing its load into the minimum distance from a 44 kV overhead line. Under O. Reg. 213/91 s. 188(4), who must establish and implement the written measures and procedures to prevent that?

   1. The steel erector, as the operator's employer
   2. The constructor of the project
   3. The owner of the overhead line
   4. The supervisor of the lifting crew
   Show the answer

   B. Correct. Section 188(4) puts the written measures and procedures on the constructor, who must also make a copy available to every employer on the project. The employer's part follows: s. 188(6) makes it give each worker a copy and explain it before the work.

   Why not the others

   A. The operator's employer must give its workers a copy of the procedures and explain them under s. 188(6), but establishing them is the constructor's duty under s. 188(4).

   C. The line owner's authority matters for the s. 189 alternative, where protective devices and procedures are put in place under its authority. The s. 188(4) measures are the constructor's.

   D. A supervisor must see that workers follow the procedures, but s. 188(4) names the constructor as the party that establishes and implements them.

   Source: ESA exam outline, Section 2: Worker Safety; O. Reg. 213/91

4. Recall · Objective 2.2

   On a construction project, an LEC is planning work that the energized-work rules of O. Reg. 213/91 s. 191 do not cover. Under s. 190(1), to which work do the lockout and tagging rules of s. 190 apply?

   1. Work on or near energized exposed parts, from 300 V upward
   2. Work on energized exposed parts only, at any voltage
   3. Work on or near energized exposed parts, at any voltage
   4. Work on or near energized exposed parts, from 750 V upward
   Show the answer

   C. Correct. Section 190(1) applies the section whenever work is to be done on or near energized exposed parts of electrical equipment, an installation or a conductor, and it sets no voltage floor. The supply is then disconnected, locked out and tagged before and during the work (s. 190(4)), subject only to the s. 190(9) exceptions, such as a written procedure for sub-300 V equipment built without provision for a lock.

   Why not the others

   A. Section 190(1) has no 300 V floor. 300 V is where the s. 191(8) rescue worker starts and where the s. 190(9) no-lock exception changes its conditions; lockout itself applies to work on or near energized exposed parts at any voltage.

   B. Section 190(1) reaches work near energized exposed parts as well as work on them, so a crew working beside exposed live parts needs the supply locked out and tagged under s. 190(4) unless s. 191 applies instead.

   D. 750 V is where the overhead-line distance table of s. 188(2) begins. Section 190 has no voltage floor: it applies to work on or near energized exposed parts at any voltage.

   Source: ESA exam outline, Section 2: Worker Safety; O. Reg. 213/91

5. Recall · Objective 2.3

   In a factory, three electricians will work on a locked-out conveyor drive. Under Reg. 851 s. 42(5), who must communicate the purpose and status of the lockout?

   1. The worker who locked out the supply
   2. The employer, through its written procedures
   3. The supervisor in charge of the area
   4. Each worker, by placing a personal lock
   Show the answer

   A. Correct. Where more than one worker is involved, s. 42(5) requires the worker who disconnected and locked out the power supply to communicate the purpose and status of the disconnecting and locking out; if a tag is used, s. 42(6) sets its contents (reason, that worker's name, the date). O. Reg. 213/91 s. 190(8) instead requires a means of communication to be provided.

   Why not the others

   B. The employer writes the procedures for compliance with s. 42 (s. 42(7)), but s. 42(5) puts the communication on the worker who disconnected and locked out the supply.

   C. Section 42(5) names the worker who disconnected and locked out the supply, not the supervisor.

   D. Personal locks may be part of an employer's procedure, but s. 42(5) assigns the communication of purpose and status to the worker who did the disconnecting and locking out.

   Source: ESA exam outline, Section 2: Worker Safety; R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 851

6. Procedural · Objective 2.3

   An industrial employer's own line crew will maintain the plant's outdoor 27.6 kV distribution line. Under Reg. 851 ss. 42.2 and 60, which rules govern how that work is performed?

   1. The Electrical Utility Safety Rules published by IHSA (2019)
   2. The s. 60 Table distance of 3 m, with a worker warning the operator
   3. Only the s. 42 lockout rules that apply to all plant equipment
   4. The OESC rules for the plant's other electrical installations
   Show the answer

   A. Correct. Section 42.2 requires work on electrical transmission systems or outdoor distribution systems rated at more than 750 V to be performed in accordance with the Electrical Utility Safety Rules published by the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA), revised 2019, and s. 60 itself applies except as s. 42.2 prescribes.

   Why not the others

   B. Section 60 applies to vehicles and cranes near live lines except as s. 42.2 prescribes; work on an outdoor distribution system over 750 V is to be performed under the Electrical Utility Safety Rules.

   C. Section 42.2 adds a specific rule for this work: outdoor distribution systems over 750 V are worked on in accordance with the Electrical Utility Safety Rules, so s. 42 alone does not describe the governing rules.

   D. The OESC sets installation requirements, not the work practices for maintaining a live distribution line; s. 42.2 points to the Electrical Utility Safety Rules.

   Source: ESA exam outline, Section 2: Worker Safety; R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 851

7. Recall · Objective 2.4

   An LEC's electricians will replace lighting in a resin plant where solvent vapour escapes from mixing equipment into the work area. The LEC's WHMIS instruction covers labels, SDSs and the products its crews use. Under Reg. 860 s. 7(1), which further topic must their instruction cover?

   1. How to file a confidential business information claim
   2. How the supplier assigned each product's hazard classes
   3. The source of the toxicological data in each SDS
   4. Procedures for working around fugitive emissions
   Show the answer

   D. Correct. Reg. 860 s. 7(1)(e) requires instruction in the procedures to follow when fugitive emissions are present, and vapour escaping from process equipment that workers may readily be exposed to is a fugitive emission under s. 1(1). The list also covers products in pipes and vessels and emergencies.

   Why not the others

   A. Claims to withhold confidential business information arise under OHSA s. 40 and Reg. 860 ss. 19 to 23 and are not worker instruction topics. Section 7(1)(e) requires procedures for fugitive emissions.

   B. Classifying a product is the supplier's task under the federal Hazardous Products Regulations. Reg. 860 s. 7(1) asks the employer to teach label and SDS contents, safe handling, and procedures for fugitive emissions and emergencies.

   C. Reg. 860 s. 25 makes an employer that produces a product disclose the source of its toxicological data on request; it is not an instruction topic. Here s. 7(1)(e) requires procedures for fugitive emissions.

   Source: ESA exam outline, Section 2: Worker Safety; R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 860

8. Procedural · Objective 2.4

   A water leak in an LEC's stockroom has made the supplier label on a half-full drum of insulating varnish illegible. Under Reg. 860 s. 8, what must the employer do?

   1. Write the product name on it and keep the SDS beside it
   2. Leave it, since a supplier label may not be altered
   3. Replace it with a supplier label or a workplace label
   4. Return the drum to the supplier to be relabelled
   Show the answer

   C. Correct. Reg. 860 s. 8(3) requires a label that becomes illegible or is removed to be replaced with either a supplier label or a workplace label. The s. 8(2) ban on altering a supplier label while product remains protects a legible label; it does not let an unreadable one stay.

   Why not the others

   A. A product name alone is not a workplace label, which must also give safe-handling information and say that an SDS is available (Reg. 860 s. 1(1)). Section 8(3) requires a supplier or workplace label.

   B. Reg. 860 s. 8(2) forbids altering a supplier label while product remains in the container. Once the label is illegible, s. 8(3) requires a replacement supplier or workplace label.

   D. Nothing requires the product to go back to the supplier. Reg. 860 s. 8(3) lets the employer itself replace the label with a supplier label or a workplace label.

   Source: ESA exam outline, Section 2: Worker Safety; R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 860

9. Procedural · Objective 2.5

   After an apprentice cuts his hand on a job, the LEC's foreman offers him a gift card and full pay for the week if he books the time as vacation and does not file a WSIB claim. Under the WSIA, how is the foreman's offer treated?

   1. As lawful, since full pay leaves him no loss to claim
   2. As improper, but not prohibited by the WSIA
   3. As claim suppression by the employer, an offence
   4. As lawful, as long as he could still claim later
   Show the answer

   C. Correct. WSIA s. 22.1(1) and (2) bar an employer from acting to discourage a claim, including by intimidating or coercing a worker through threats, promises or persuasion. The LEC owes a prescribed amount to the Board (s. 22.1(3)) and commits an offence (s. 155.1).

   Why not the others

   A. Paying wages does not make discouraging a claim lawful. Any action meant to stop or withdraw a claim, including a promise, is prohibited by s. 22.1(1) and (2).

   B. It is prohibited: s. 22.1(2) para. 4 lists intimidating or coercing a worker with promises or persuasion, and s. 155.1 makes a contravention of s. 22.1 an offence.

   D. Whether he could still file later does not matter: s. 22.1(1)(a) prohibits any action intended to discourage or prevent a claim, and s. 155.1 makes it an offence.

   Source: ESA exam outline, Section 2: Worker Safety; Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997

10. Recall · Objective 2.6

    An LEC with 25 regular workers and a JHSC chooses a worker member to become a certified member. Under O. Reg. 297/13 s. 5, who must carry out the certification training?

    1. The Ministry, through the Chief Prevention Officer
    2. The member, who is later repaid by the WSIB
    3. The union, for a worker member it represents
    4. The LEC, which must also pay for the training
    Show the answer

    D. Correct. O. Reg. 297/13 s. 5(1) requires the employer to carry out the training programs a committee member needs to become certified, chosen to meet the Chief Prevention Officer's requirements, and s. 5(2) says carrying out includes paying for the training.

    Why not the others

    A. The Chief Prevention Officer sets the training and other requirements (OHSA s. 7.6), but the employer must carry out and pay for the programs (O. Reg. 297/13 s. 5).

    B. The WSIB has no role in paying for certification training. Section 5 puts the training, and its cost, on the employer.

    C. Section 5 does not shift the duty to a union for worker members. The employer carries out and pays for the training of the member being certified.

    Source: ESA exam outline, Section 2: Worker Safety; Occupational Health and Safety Act; O. Reg. 297/13

02Answer key

03What Section 2 covers

Section 2 of the ESA Master Electrician exam is Worker Safety. ESA's Information Package lists hazard recognition, occupational health and safety requirements, the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations for construction projects and industrial establishments, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act and WHMIS. Our questions apply them to an electrical contractor: the duties of employers, constructors, supervisors and workers, joint committees and work refusals, O. Reg. 213/91 on construction projects, Reg. 851 on industrial establishments, WHMIS and designated substances, WSIB registration, clearance and first aid, and the training and incident-reporting rules.

ESA publishes the three sections and their share of the exam, 33 per cent each, and the laws each one covers, but not how many questions each section has or which topics inside a section carry the most. The six objectives below are TicketPrep's own, built from those lists, and the right-hand column is how many questions our bank holds on each objective, Standard and Advanced together, not a count from the exam.

04What the questions turn on

Employer, constructor and supervisor are separate duties

Under the OHSA an LEC that subcontracts to a general contractor is still the employer of its own crew, with every employer duty in section 25, while the general contractor, as constructor, must make sure every employer and worker on the project complies (section 23). Anyone the LEC puts in charge of other workers is a supervisor under section 1(1), with the duties of section 27, whatever the job title or pay.

A construction project starts with paperwork

O. Reg. 213/91 has the constructor file a notice of project before work begins on a job whose labour and materials are expected to cost more than $50 000 (section 6), and each employer complete a registration form and give it to the constructor before starting (section 5). Once committee members or a representative are chosen, the constructor adds their names, trades and employers to the posted project notice within 48 hours (section 13).

In a factory, Reg. 851 sets who signs off

A new guard on existing machinery can trigger a pre-start health and safety review under Reg. 851, section 7, and for most items in its table that review is done by an engineer, with a copy of the report going to the joint committee or representative before the machine runs. Where a circuit under 300 volts cannot be locked out and work goes ahead under other adequate procedures, section 42 makes the employer responsible for seeing that those procedures are followed.

WHMIS, WSIB and training have deadlines too

If a supplier never provides a label or safety data sheet after reasonable efforts, the employer must tell a Director in writing (OHSA section 37). A new contractor registers with the WSIB within 10 days of first employing workers (WSIA section 75), and an LEC gets a subcontractor's clearance certificate before letting it start (section 141.2). A newly promoted foreman completes supervisor awareness training within a week of starting to supervise (O. Reg. 297/13, section 2).

05The other sections

The Master Electrician exam has three sections, and you need at least 60 per cent in each one as well as 70 per cent overall to pass. Each section has its own page of free questions:

The Master Electrician practice test page describes the full question bank. How these questions are written and checked: how our questions are made. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it. TicketPrep is not affiliated with ESA or CSA Group, and no OESC text is reproduced here: the questions cite Rule numbers and explain the requirement in their own words.