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Twenty-five practice questions for the CITB Health, Safety and Environment test, with answers and explanations. Read them here, print them, or download the free PDF.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to assess risks and put sensible controls in place. You should be told the findings that apply to your work.
Holding the load close to the body at waist height reduces the strain on your back. Bend your knees, get a good grip and move your feet rather than twisting.
Section 9 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 bans employers charging employees for anything they must provide by law, such as PPE required under the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992.
The COSHH assessment sets out the risks and controls for the task, and the supplier's safety data sheet gives the hazards, PPE, first aid and spill advice.
Section 7 of the Act requires employees to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others affected by what they do, and to co-operate with their employer.
A red tag means the scaffold is incomplete or has not been inspected and passed. Only use a scaffold when the tag shows it is safe for use.
Some medicines affect alertness and co-ordination. Your supervisor needs to know so you can be kept away from safety-critical tasks such as driving plant or working at height.
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 require hazardous manual handling to be avoided where reasonably practicable, for example by using a trolley, hoist or telehandler.
Section 8 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 makes it an offence for anyone to intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided for health and safety.
HSE guidance is that a ladder used to reach another level should be tied and extend at least 1 metre above the landing point, giving a secure handhold for stepping on and off.
Being suspended in a harness can restrict blood flow and quickly become life-threatening. Anyone using fall arrest must have a rescue plan in place before work starts.
Hazard pictograms under the GB CLP Regulation are diamonds with a red border and a black symbol on a white background. Yellow triangles, blue circles and green squares are safety signs.
Industrial plugs and sockets are colour coded by voltage: yellow for 110 volts, blue for 230 volts and red for 400 volts. Yellow 110-volt equipment is the standard for site power tools.
Only trained, competent and authorised people may operate plant. Keys should be removed when plant is left, and untrained use is a common cause of serious accidents.
Asbestos was widely used in buildings until it was fully banned in the UK in 1999. HSE advises that any building built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it, including homes, schools and offices.
An induction tells you about the risks on that site, the site rules, welfare and what to do in an emergency. Under CDM 2015 every worker must receive a suitable site induction.
Under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, 86 dB(A) is above the upper exposure action value of 85 dB(A), so hearing protection must be provided and worn and hearing protection zones marked. At the lower action value of 80 dB(A) it must be made available on request.
There is no minimum height. Work at height means any place where a person could fall a distance liable to cause injury, including the edge of an excavation or an opening in a floor.
PPE only protects the wearer, and only if it is worn correctly. Removing the hazard, safer methods and engineering controls come first, with PPE as the last resort.
Talking and listening help. Encourage them to speak to a mental health first aider, their supervisor, their GP or a support line. If they are in immediate danger, call 999.
If you suspect asbestos, stop straight away, keep others out and report it. Work must not restart until the material has been identified and dealt with under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.
A method statement is only safe for the conditions it was written for. If things change, stop and get it reviewed by the person in charge before work continues.
CO2 does not conduct electricity and leaves no residue, so it is the usual choice for fires in electrical equipment. Water, including a hose reel, and wet chemical conduct electricity and could give you a shock.
Red square or rectangular signs show the location of fire equipment, such as extinguishers, fire hose reels and fire alarm call points.
Even a day's stubble lets dusty air leak past the seal. You must be clean shaven where a tight-fitting mask touches your face, or use RPE that does not rely on a face seal, such as a powered hood.
Read each question and decide on your answer before you look at the one marked correct. The explanations matter more than the answers: the real test words its questions differently, so you need to understand why the safe choice is safe.
These questions are a sample from across the test. The full mock test draws from a bank that covers all five areas, including specialist activities such as lifting operations, demolition and hot work. It will show whether you are ready for the 90% pass mark.
Yes. The download button at the top of this page gives you a free PDF of all 25 questions with answers and explanations. No sign-up is needed.
No. CITB publishes its own revision book and app. These questions were written for BookCourse to test the same topics, so they make good extra practice.
Take the full CSCS mock test, which gives you 50 questions in 45 minutes with the real 90% pass mark, drawn from a bank of 100.
Questions last checked: 17 October 2026. These are practice questions written for BookCourse, not the official exam papers.
Practise with our free mock tests until you pass comfortably, then book your course.