Free CIES Practice Questions

Question 1

At a pre-start check for Class I asbestos removal, an 18,000-ft³ negative-pressure enclosure is served by a HEPA exhaust unit rated at 1,500 ft³/min. With the filters and ductwork installed, measured exhaust is 900 ft³/min. Pressure is −0.03 inch water relative to the adjacent space. How should the supervisor evaluate these ventilation readings under OSHA's construction asbestos standard?

Accepted Answer

3 air changes per hour; increase delivered exhaust before removal.

Answer

5 air changes per hour; the nameplate capacity satisfies the ventilation requirement.

Answer

3 air changes per hour; the pressure differential permits removal at this rate.

Answer

5 air changes per hour; add capacity to meet a six-air-change minimum.

Question 2

A paid contractor will replace one window with confirmed lead-based paint in a 1964 home occupied by a four-year-old child. The work will disturb 4 ft² of painted surface, with no other renovation planned. The owner believes the work falls under the federal Renovation, Repair and Painting rule's minor-repair exception. Which fact defeats that claim?

Accepted Answer

Window replacement is excluded from the minor-repair exception.

Answer

The interior exception is limited to less than 2 ft² per room.

Answer

Any positive lead-paint finding eliminates the minor-repair exception.

Answer

Paid contractors cannot use an exception intended for homeowners.

Question 3

Mold returns along an office's metal window framing during cold weather. The recurrence is unrelated to rainfall, and moisture is concentrated on the metal rather than the surrounding wall. Room air is 23°C at 50% relative humidity, with a measured dew point of 12°C. The frame is 8°C; the adjacent wall is 19°C. What mechanism best explains the pattern?

Accepted Answer

Surface condensation on framing below the indoor dew point.

Answer

Residual construction moisture evaporating from the surrounding wall assembly.

Answer

Wind-driven rain penetrating the perimeter seal around the window.

Answer

Capillary transport of groundwater upward through the wall's masonry.

Question 4

For a thermometer-sized mercury spill on smooth, uncracked residential flooring, occupants have been excluded and the room isolated and ventilated outdoors. No porous material is affected. Which collection method follows EPA's small-spill instructions?

Accepted Answer

Gather beads with cardboard, then collect them with an eyedropper and sticky tape.

Answer

Use a soft-bristle brush to sweep the beads into a dustpan before damp wiping.

Answer

Use a wet-dry vacuum with a HEPA filter and route its exhaust directly outdoors.

Answer

Flush the beads with hot detergent solution into a lined tray for later disposal.

Question 5

A room was evacuated after workers developed headaches while using a propane-powered floor buffer. The buffer is off. Remote air testing shows 20.9% oxygen and no response on a 10.6-eV photoionization detector. Before a re-entry decision, which additional measurement addresses the major combustion hazard these instruments have not excluded?

Accepted Answer

Carbon monoxide using a calibrated CO-specific sensor.

Answer

Total vapors using a longer sampling period on the same PID.

Answer

Oxygen concentration at several heights throughout the room.

Answer

Percent lower explosive limit using a methane-calibrated combustible-gas sensor.

Question 6

An asbestos-removal project in a public school qualifies for AHERA's phase-contrast microscopy completion-testing option and has passed visual inspection. Its five clearance results are 0.004, 0.005, 0.008, 0.014, and 0.004 fiber/cm³. The laboratory summary highlights their mean of 0.007 fiber/cm³. Under that PCM option, the project:

Accepted Answer

Does not meet clearance: every sample must be ≤0.01 fiber/cm³.

Answer

Meets clearance: the mean is below 0.01 fiber/cm³.

Answer

Meets clearance: four samples are below 0.01 fiber/cm³.

Answer

Meets clearance: every sample is below the 0.1-fiber/cm³ occupational limit.

Question 7

In September 2026, a post-abatement assessment in an EPA-administered jurisdiction includes these single-surface dust results: floor, <8 µg/ft²; interior window sill, 18 µg/ft²; window trough, 65 µg/ft². The floor reporting limit is 8 µg/ft². All other required results and visual criteria are satisfactory. What is the defensible disposition of this submission?

Accepted Answer

Resolve the floor result with analysis sensitive enough to evaluate the 5-µg/ft² action level.

Answer

Accept clearance: the floor is nondetectable and the other surfaces pass.

Answer

Reclean the floor: its result establishes a loading above the action level.

Answer

Reclean the sill: any reportable dust lead prevents clearance.

Question 8

An emergency-response team is preparing a controlled entry into an indoor release area. The airborne contaminant concentration cannot be reasonably estimated; oxygen is 20.8%. Entry authorization, communication, and rescue arrangements are in place. Which respiratory equipment meets OSHA's selection requirements for this entry?

Accepted Answer

Full-face pressure-demand SCBA with at least a 30-minute rated service life.

Answer

Full-face demand-mode supplied air without an auxiliary escape cylinder.

Answer

A powered air-purifying hood with combination vapor cartridges and high-efficiency particulate filters.

Answer

A full-face air-purifying respirator with canisters approved for the suspected vapor mixture.

Question 9

Following remediation of a plumbing leak, wood framing is structurally sound, cleaned of visible mold and debris, and as dry as comparable unaffected framing. The leak is corrected; no hidden damage or musty odor remains. A contractor proposes replacing the framing solely because wood is porous. The supervisor's best response is to:

Accepted Answer

Retain the framing and document the successful cleaning and drying.

Answer

Replace the framing because porous structural material cannot be retained after mold growth.

Answer

Require fungicidal fogging before retaining the framing, even though physical cleaning is complete.

Answer

Defer the retention decision until air cultures demonstrate that no viable mold spores remain.

Question 10

For a solvent-cleaning task, the industrial hygienist specifies an additive exposure assessment using project 8-hour limits of 100 ppm for toluene and 200 ppm for 2-butanone. Personal 8-hour TWAs are 70 ppm and 120 ppm, respectively. What combined exposure index and conclusion should be recorded?

Accepted Answer

1.30; the combined exposure criterion is exceeded.

Answer

0.65; the combined exposure criterion is satisfied.

Answer

0.70; the combined exposure criterion is satisfied.

Answer

1.90; the combined exposure criterion is exceeded.

Free CIES Practice Questions

Domain 1: Understand and execute successful remediation of asbestos in the indoor environment

Question 1

Question 2

Domain 2: Understand and execute successful remediation of lead in the indoor environment

Question 3

Question 4

Domain 3: Understand and execute successful remediation of hazardous materials in the indoor environment

Question 5

Question 6

Domain 4: Understand and execute successful remediation of microbial contaminants and allergens in the indoor environment

Question 7

Question 8

Domain 5: Understand and execute successful remediation of chemicals in the indoor environment

Question 9

Question 10

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