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10 free, exam-style Safety Management Professional (SMS) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free SMS practice test to study every exam domain.

These 10 free SMS questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Safety Management Professional blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.

Domain 1: Management Systems 21.7% of exam

Question 1

A facility's safety manager tracks monthly safety observation counts, near-miss report submissions, and training completion percentages. The operations director asks why these metrics matter when the company already monitors its TRIR and DART rate. The BEST response is that the safety manager's metrics:

  1. Are more accurate than TRIR and DART because they measure individual performance
  2. Serve as leading indicators that can predict and prevent future incidents before they occur
  3. Are required by OSHA's recordkeeping standard as supplements to the 300 Log
  4. Replace lagging indicators once a safety program reaches full maturity
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Serve as leading indicators that can predict and prevent future incidents before they occur

Question 2

A chemical plant replaces a centrifugal pump with a positive displacement pump that operates at higher pressure and different flow characteristics. Maintenance considers this a routine equipment swap. Under Management of Change (MOC) procedures, this replacement:

  1. Requires a full MOC review because the equipment has different operating characteristics
  2. Is exempt from MOC because it serves the same function in the process
  3. Only requires MOC if the pump manufacturer recommends it
  4. Requires MOC only if the cost exceeds the capital expenditure threshold
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Requires a full MOC review because the equipment has different operating characteristics

Domain 2: Risk Management 22.0% of exam

Question 3

Workers in a paint booth are exposed to flammable solvent vapors above the OSHA PEL. The safety professional evaluates controls. Which sequence correctly applies the hierarchy of controls from MOST to LEAST effective?

  1. Install local exhaust ventilation, then require respirators if ventilation is insufficient, then substitute with a water-based paint
  2. Substitute with a water-based paint, then install local exhaust ventilation, then require respirators if exposure remains
  3. Require respirators immediately, then install ventilation during the next scheduled shutdown, then evaluate substitution
  4. Rotate workers to limit individual exposure time, then install ventilation, then substitute with a less toxic paint
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Substitute with a water-based paint, then install local exhaust ventilation, then require respirators if exposure remains

Question 4

During a HAZOP study of a reactor vessel, the team applies the guide word "MORE" to the parameter "Temperature." This combination is intended to identify:

  1. Situations where the reactor temperature exceeds the design operating range
  2. Whether additional temperature sensors should be installed on the vessel
  3. The maximum temperature the vessel can withstand before structural failure
  4. Historical incidents involving temperature exceedances at similar facilities
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Situations where the reactor temperature exceeds the design operating range

Domain 3: Safety, Health, and Environmental Concepts 24.4% of exam

Question 5

Before a maintenance worker enters a permit-required confined space, atmospheric monitoring shows: Oxygen 20.8%, LEL 3%, and hydrogen sulfide 8 ppm (PEL = 10 ppm ceiling). Based on these readings, the entry supervisor should:

  1. Deny entry because the oxygen level exceeds the normal atmospheric concentration of 20.9%
  2. Authorize entry with continuous monitoring since all readings are within acceptable limits
  3. Deny entry because any detectable level of hydrogen sulfide requires supplied-air respiratory protection
  4. Authorize entry only after ventilating to reduce oxygen below 20.9%
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Authorize entry with continuous monitoring since all readings are within acceptable limits

Question 6

An industrial hygienist measures a worker's noise exposure at 93 dBA TWA over an 8-hour shift. Under OSHA's occupational noise standard, the employer is required to:

  1. Immediately remove the worker from the area until engineering controls reduce exposure below 85 dBA
  2. Implement feasible engineering and administrative controls and provide hearing protection to reduce exposure
  3. Provide hearing protection only, since engineering controls are not required until exposure reaches 100 dBA
  4. Enroll the worker in the hearing conservation program but take no further action until the next monitoring cycle
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Implement feasible engineering and administrative controls and provide hearing protection to reduce exposure

Question 7

A mechanic is preparing to service a hydraulic press. After shutting down the machine and applying a lockout device to the electrical disconnect, the mechanic reaches toward the die area. The CRITICAL step that was missed before accessing the point of operation is:

  1. Notifying the shift supervisor and obtaining a signed work permit
  2. Verifying energy isolation by attempting to start the machine and relieving stored hydraulic pressure
  3. Tagging the machine with a danger sign visible from all approach directions
  4. Reviewing the equipment-specific lockout procedure with a second authorized employee
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Verifying energy isolation by attempting to start the machine and relieving stored hydraulic pressure

Domain 4: Incident Investigation and Emergency Preparedness 18.1% of exam

Question 8

A construction company with 285 employees worked a total of 593,400 hours during the year and recorded 14 OSHA recordable injuries. What is the company's Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR)?

  1. 2.36
  2. 3.72
  3. 4.72
  4. 5.62
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - 4.72

Question 9

An investigation into a chemical release reveals that a valve was left open after maintenance. The investigation team recommends retraining all operators on valve lineup procedures. The safety director should challenge this recommendation because:

  1. Retraining is only effective if combined with disciplinary action for the responsible operator
  2. Valve lineup errors should be reported to OSHA before internal corrective actions are developed
  3. Retraining is a weak corrective action that does not address the system conditions that allowed the error
  4. The maintenance department, not operations, should be responsible for valve lineup verification
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Retraining is a weak corrective action that does not address the system conditions that allowed the error

Domain 5: Business Case of Safety 13.8% of exam

Question 10

A safety manager is building a business case for an ergonomics program and needs to estimate the full financial impact of musculoskeletal injuries. The manager references Bird and Germain's research on accident costs. According to their iceberg model, the ratio of direct (insured) costs to indirect (uninsured) costs for a workplace injury is approximately:

  1. $1 direct to $4 indirect
  2. $1 direct to $5-$50 indirect
  3. $1 direct to $1 indirect
  4. $1 direct to $10 indirect (fixed ratio)
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - $1 direct to $5-$50 indirect

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