Sheet 20Domain 4 of 5 · Emergency Preparedness and Management
When the alarm sounds: STSC emergency action plans and drills
Under 29 CFR 1926.35, a construction emergency action plan has to tell workers how to get out, who shuts down what before leaving, how everyone is counted afterward and how an emergency gets reported, and its alarm must meet 29 CFR 1926.159. The cards on this sheet take that plan into buildings under construction, on day shift and night shift.
The standard U.S. structure for managing an emergency response. Fire departments and other responders use it so several agencies can work under common terms and roles.
Incident Commander
The person in overall charge of the response, responsible for its objectives and for everyone working on it.
General Staff
The four sections that report to the commander: Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/Administration.
Span of control
How many people one person can supervise well during a response: three to seven, with five as the usual target.
Unified command
Two or more agencies with jurisdiction share the command role and work to one set of objectives.
Talking point 02
Alarm, route and drill questions
Many of these start on a walk-through or in a drill debrief.
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Card 1
A superintendent runs the first evacuation drill on a mid-rise project now that the temporary stair towers are in use. Which outcome BEST shows the drill achieved its PRIMARY purpose?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AA fire marshal sign-off shows code compliance on paper, not that workers can evacuate as planned.
BCorrect: The main purpose of a drill is to find weaknesses in routes, alarms and headcount, then fix the plan.
CA fast time is good, but it does not show that gaps in the plan were found and fixed.
DOSHA's construction rules set no annual drill requirement, so logging for that reason misses the point.
Card 2
When the fire department arrives at a jobsite fire, what is the site supervisor's role under the Incident Command System?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ACommand passes to the fire department when it arrives, since it has the training and authority.
BCorrect: Under ICS the arriving fire officer takes command, and the site supervisor supplies site information and acts as liaison.
CFirefighting is the fire department's job; site knowledge is shared through the incident commander.
DLeaving the scene removes the person who knows the site, its hazards and who may be missing.
Card 3
When is the BEST time to schedule an additional evacuation drill on a building project that already held one at mobilization?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AA drill at turnover comes too late to help the workers who used the changing routes.
BCorrect: When exit routes or assembly areas change, workers need practice with the new plan.
CA calendar date may not match when the site actually changes, and routes can change many times in a year.
DWaiting for a real emergency to reveal gaps is exactly what drills are meant to prevent.
Card 4
On a multi-employer site, two subcontractor foremen give conflicting evacuation orders during an emergency. Which plan element would MOST likely have prevented this?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
APhone numbers help communication but do not decide whose orders to follow.
BSeparate company plans are what produce conflicting orders on a shared site.
CA shared channel helps communication but does not settle who makes the call.
DCorrect: A single person in charge until responders arrive gives everyone on site one set of orders.
Card 5
During an evening walk-through of a building under renovation, a supervisor finds the only stair door on the third floor chained shut to prevent theft while drywall crews are still working. What should the supervisor do?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AA key may not be at hand in an emergency, and exits must open from inside without one.
BElevators should not be used in a fire or emergency, and the stair remains the required exit.
CCorrect: Exits must stay free and unobstructed while workers are present, so the chain has to come off now.
DWaiting until morning leaves the drywall crews without a way out for the rest of the shift.
Card 6
A supervisor is choosing an assembly area for a site with a high-pressure gas line along the north fence and a prevailing wind from the west. Which location is BEST?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AA downwind area may receive gas or smoke during a release.
BAssembling along the fence puts workers right next to the high-pressure gas line.
CA trailer cannot hold the whole crew safely and may sit inside the hazard zone.
DCorrect: An upwind spot away from the gas line and traffic keeps workers clear of released gas, smoke and vehicles.
Card 7
On a large site with pile driving and jackhammering, several workers wearing earplugs did not hear the evacuation horn during a drill. What is the BEST correction?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ACorrect: Visual and radio alerts reach workers who cannot hear a horn over loud noise or through hearing protection.
BA louder horn may still be missed over pile driving and through earplugs.
CWalking each area takes time and may still miss some workers in an emergency.
DRemoving earplugs exposes workers to high noise, and real emergencies are never planned.
Card 8
Where should evacuation maps be posted on a multi-story building under construction?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AFolded maps in a gang box cannot be read quickly in an emergency.
BCorrect: Maps on each floor at stair and hoist landings, oriented to that spot, show workers the way out from where they are.
CMaps at the trailer and gate do not help workers already on upper floors.
DWorkers on upper floors need maps where they work, not only where they enter.
Card 9
A crew will excavate near buried natural gas mains. Which contact is MOST important to add to the site's emergency contact list?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AThe permit office handles approvals and inspections, not emergency response to a gas leak.
BCorrect: A damaged gas main calls for the gas utility's emergency line, since the utility can shut off the gas.
CThe owner's representative should be informed but cannot stop a gas leak.
DThe subcontractor's office has no way to respond to a gas line emergency.
Card 10
Before work begins on a large site with several gates and a partially built parking structure, what is the MOST useful step to coordinate with the local fire department?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ACorrect: A site walk lets responders learn the gates, access roads and hazards before an emergency.
BMailing a plan gives no firsthand knowledge of how to enter or move around the site.
CConfirming code compliance in writing is not the fire department's role and does not prepare their response.
DA contact name is useful, but it does not tell responders how to reach the site or what hazards are present.
Card 11
Two-way radios are the primary emergency alert on a large site. Which is the BEST backup if the radio system fails?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ARunners are slow and may not reach every crew in time on a large site.
BText messages depend on phones being checked and are easy to miss in noisy work.
CCorrect: Air horns with a known code do not depend on the radio system and can alert many crews at once.
DHand signals passed between foremen are slow and break down if any one person misses them.
Card 12
A site's evacuation horn and strobes run off the temporary power panel. Which change BEST ensures the alarm will work during an emergency?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AA notice explains the weakness but does not keep the alarm working.
BCorrect: Battery backup keeps the alarm working during a power loss, and scheduled tests confirm the backup still works.
CA dedicated breaker still fails when the panel or site power goes out.
DA phone tree is slow and may not reach everyone during an emergency.
Card 13
How can a supervisor BEST confirm that the posted evacuation routes on a multi-story project are still usable?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AComparing maps with a plan does not show whether the routes are actually clear.
BUpdating maps for new drawings may miss real conditions such as stored materials blocking routes.
CCorrect: Walking the routes and testing them in drills shows whether they are actually clear and usable.
DA signature shows the maps were read, not that the routes are still open.
Card 14
An evacuation drill combines a fire alarm with a simulated injured worker blocking the stair tower that crews normally use. What is this drill MOST likely designed to test?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AMatching extinguishers to fire classes is checked during inspections, not in a drill with a blocked stair.
BFirst-aid kit contents are checked by inspection, not tested by an evacuation drill.
CFire department response time is not what blocking the crews' usual stair tower tests.
DCorrect: Blocking the usual stair forces crews onto alternate routes and tests whether everyone is still accounted for.
Card 15
A drill debrief finds that most night-shift workers did not know where the assembly area was. What is the BEST corrective action?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
ACorrect: Fixing the gap on the affected shift and rerunning the drill confirms the night crew now knows where to go.
BA day-shift drill does not reach the night workers who had the problem.
CA future toolbox talk delays the fix and does not test that it worked.
DWaiting a year leaves the night crew unprepared for a real emergency.
Card 16
Under 29 CFR 1926.35, what must the employer do before implementing an emergency action plan?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AOSHA does not review or approve individual employers' emergency action plans.
BCorrect: before implementing the plan, the employer must designate and train enough people to assist in a safe, orderly evacuation.
CA signed acknowledgment shows the plan was distributed, not that anyone is prepared to help evacuate.
DThe standard sets no requirement for a full-scale drill observed by a fire marshal.
Card 17
During a fire evacuation of a building under construction, a worker with a sprained ankle cannot descend the stairs quickly. What is the BEST action under the site's plan?
Pick an answer. A short note for each option, A to D, appears here.
AWaiting on the floor keeps both people in the fire area when the plan already assigns helpers.
BCorrect: The plan's designated and trained evacuation helpers assist workers who cannot get out quickly on their own.
CA material hoist is not an evacuation route, and it may lose power or carry the worker toward the fire.
DLeaving the worker behind depends on firefighters finding them in time. Assigned helpers get the worker out.
Critical operations are the ones a crew cannot simply drop: a crane with a load in the air, a running concrete pump, a hot tar kettle. The plan names who makes each of those safe before leaving, and that person still needs a way out.
Not every spill is an emergency under HAZWOPER, the hazardous waste and emergency response rule; the requirements sheet shows where that line falls.
Does 29 CFR 1926.35 set a schedule for evacuation drills?
No. The rule says what the plan must contain and requires it to be reviewed with the workers it covers, but it names no drill frequency. How often a site drills is the employer's call.
Which STSC domain covers emergency planning?
Domain 4, Emergency Preparedness and Management, which BCSP weights at 16.6% of the exam (STSC7 blueprint, as of October 2026). Plans, alarms and drills share it with fire prevention, first aid, rescue and weather.