Silica Competent Person

First published: September 2, 2026Last verified: September 4, 2026Reviewed by the CertQuestUSA team

TL;DR

Silica Competent Person: a 100-question practice bank for the real OSHA Safety & Health standard, 5 full papers of 17 questions each with no repeats, every question citing the real regulation it comes from.

Where these questions come from

Every question in this bank cites a real source -- primarily 29 CFR (89%) and OSHA Letter of Interpretation (11%) of this exam's citations.

Not sure where you stand? Take the free diagnostic — 10 real questions across the exam's domains, no sign-up required, with a domain-by-domain breakdown at the end.

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5

full papers, no repeats

17

questions per paper

100

questions in the bank

What this exam covers

Exposure Control Plan Inspection and Implementation Duties (1926.1153)100%

5 real sample questions

What must a written exposure control plan describe?

A. The tasks that involve silica exposure, the controls and respiratory protection used for each task, the housekeeping measures used, and the procedures to restrict access to work areas

B. Only the company's general safety mission statement

C. Only the brand names of tools purchased that quarter

D. Only employees' personal medical histories

Source: 1926.1153(g)(1)

Under the silica standard, what makes someone a "competent person"?

A. The ability to identify existing and foreseeable respirable crystalline silica hazards, combined with authorization to take prompt corrective measures

B. Owning a personal air-monitoring device

C. Having completed a general OSHA 10-hour course, with no silica-specific content

D. Being the employee who orders the dust-control equipment

Source: 1926.1153(b): Competent person, definition

What specific duty does 1926.1153(g)(4) assign to a designated competent person?

A. To make frequent and regular inspections of job sites, materials, and equipment to implement the written exposure control plan

B. To personally perform every employee's medical surveillance exam

C. To manufacture the dust-suppression equipment used on site

D. To set the company's wage rates for silica-exposed trades

Source: 1926.1153(g)(4)

For a task listed on Table 1, what must the employer do?

A. Fully and properly implement the engineering controls, work practices, and respiratory protection specified for that task on Table 1

B. Choose any combination of controls the employer prefers, regardless of what Table 1 lists

C. Ignore Table 1 if the crew has performed the task before without incident

D. Use Table 1 only as an optional suggestion

Source: 1926.1153(c)

What is the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for respirable crystalline silica under this standard?

A. 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air (μg/m³), calculated as an 8-hour time-weighted average

B. 250 μg/m³, calculated as an 8-hour time-weighted average

C. 50 milligrams per cubic meter of air, calculated as a 15-minute average

D. There is no numeric PEL; only Table 1 compliance is required

Source: 1926.1153(d)(1)

Real-world data for this exam

Respirable Crystalline Silica (Construction)2023-01-01–2026-07-303,848 citations Respirable Crystalline Silica (General Industry)2023-01-01–2026-07-302,554 citations

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the CertQuestUSA Silica Competent Person practice test?

100 questions total, split into 5 full papers of 17 each with no repeats across papers.

What topics does the Silica Competent Person test cover?

1 domains, with the heaviest weight on Exposure Control Plan Inspection and Implementation Duties (1926.1153) (100%).

Where do CertQuestUSA's Silica Competent Person questions come from?

Primarily 29 CFR (89%) and OSHA Letter of Interpretation (11%) of this bank's citations -- computed directly from this exam's own question sources, not a generic description.

Is there a free diagnostic for Silica Competent Person?

Yes -- 10 real questions across the exam's domains, no sign-up required, with a domain-by-domain breakdown at the end.