21 Compliance, Safety & Fair Housing Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. A technician is handed an unfamiliar drain-cleaning chemical to clear a kitchen sink. Under hazard communication requirements, what must the technician do BEFORE using the product?

   • A.Transfer it to an unlabeled hand sprayer
   • B.Consult the product's safety data sheet✓ Answer
   • C.Ask the resident if it is safe to use
   • D.Dilute the product in warm water first

   The safety data sheet is the document that tells the user the product's hazards, the incompatible chemicals, the personal protective equipment needed and the first-aid and spill steps, so it has to be read before exposure occurs rather than after. Employers must keep these sheets accessible to workers during every shift for exactly this reason.

   Source: OSHA Hazard Communication Standard — safety data sheet access and useReport a problem with this question

2. 2. A technician plans to combine a chlorine bleach cleaner with an ammonia-based glass cleaner to make a stronger mix. Why is this practice prohibited?

   • A.The mixture corrodes plastic spray bottles quickly
   • B.The mixture loses cleaning power within minutes
   • C.The mixture permanently stains porcelain fixtures
   • D.The mixture can release a toxic irritant gas✓ Answer

   Chlorine-releasing cleaners react with ammonia to form chloramine vapours, which attack the eyes and the lining of the airway and can cause serious respiratory injury in a small bathroom or closet. The general rule taught in maintenance safety is never to combine cleaning chemicals, because incompatibilities are listed on the safety data sheet for a reason.

   Source: OSHA Hazard Communication Standard; chemical incompatibility of chlorine bleach and ammoniaReport a problem with this question

3. 3. A technician will pour a concentrated acidic coil cleaner from a drum into a smaller container. Which personal protective equipment is MOST appropriate for that task?

   • A.Splash goggles, chemical-resistant gloves and apron✓ Answer
   • B.A face shield alone over prescription eyeglasses
   • C.Leather gloves, ear plugs and safety work boots
   • D.Safety glasses, cotton work gloves and a dust mask

   Protective equipment is chosen from the hazard of the task, and decanting a corrosive liquid creates a splash hazard to the eyes, hands and torso rather than a dust or noise hazard. Cotton and leather absorb acid and hold it against the skin, and safety glasses leave the sides of the eyes open, so sealed goggles with chemical-resistant gloves and an apron are the correct selection.

   Source: OSHA personal protective equipment requirements — hazard assessment and PPE selectionReport a problem with this question

4. 4. A technician locked and tagged the disconnect for a rooftop unit and then left for the day with the lock still in place. Who is permitted to remove that lock?

   • A.Any technician who needs to use the equipment
   • B.Only the technician who applied the lock✓ Answer
   • C.The resident who first reported the problem
   • D.The vendor scheduled to work there next

   A lockout device is a personal guarantee that the worker who applied it is clear of the machine, so allowing anyone else to remove it destroys the protection it provides. If the person who applied the lock is unavailable, removal must follow the employer's documented exception procedure rather than being done by whoever needs the equipment.

   Source: OSHA Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) — removal by the authorized employee who applied the deviceReport a problem with this question

5. 5. A technician drops a wrench into an underground pump vault that has a single access hatch and no ventilation. What is the MOST appropriate action?

   • A.Lower a portable light and enter once it is lit
   • B.Stop and report it to management as a confined space✓ Answer
   • C.Enter quickly while another technician watches above
   • D.Enter after propping the hatch open for a while

   A space large enough to enter, with limited means of entry and exit and not designed for continuous occupancy, meets the definition of a confined space, and an unventilated below-grade vault can hold an oxygen-deficient or toxic atmosphere that gives no warning. Entry requires atmospheric testing, ventilation, an attendant and rescue arrangements, so the technician stops and escalates rather than improvising.

   Source: OSHA Permit-Required Confined Spaces standardReport a problem with this question

6. 6. A technician sets an extension ladder against a breezeway wall to change a light fixture. Which practice BEST reduces the risk of a fall?

   • A.Set the ladder nearly vertical for more stability
   • B.Climb onto the ladder's top cap to reach the fixture
   • C.Secure the ladder and keep three contact points✓ Answer
   • D.Lean out sideways instead of moving the ladder

   Most ladder falls come from the ladder sliding at the base or top, or from the worker's centre of gravity moving outside the side rails, and securing the ladder plus keeping two hands and a foot or two feet and a hand in contact addresses both causes. Standing on the top cap and setting the ladder too steep both raise the centre of gravity and make a backward tip-over more likely.

   Source: OSHA walking-working surfaces and portable ladder requirementsReport a problem with this question

7. 7. While repairing a bathroom faucet in an occupied unit, a technician finds a used hypodermic needle on the floor. What is the BEST response?

   • A.Pick it up with gloved hands and drop it in the trash
   • B.Stop work, leave it undisturbed, and notify management✓ Answer
   • C.Sweep it into a dustpan and set it on the counter
   • D.Ask the resident to remove it before work continues

   Under universal precautions any sharp that may carry blood or body fluid is treated as infectious, and general maintenance gloves do not stop a needlestick. Contaminated sharps may only be handled by trained personnel using a rigid, labelled sharps container, so the technician marks the hazard, leaves it alone and reports it.

   Source: OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard — universal precautions and contaminated sharpsReport a problem with this question

8. 8. Two residents report the same non-urgent repair on the same morning. The technician postpones the request from the household with several young children because he assumes the unit will be untidy. This is MOST accurately described as:

   • A.A fair housing violation based on familial status✓ Answer
   • B.A lease matter to be settled between the parties later
   • C.Acceptable scheduling based on the technician's judgment
   • D.A safety decision that requires no further documentation

   The Fair Housing Act reaches the provision of services and facilities, not just renting and selling, so a slower or lesser maintenance response to a household because it includes children is discrimination on the basis of familial status. Intent does not matter: the law looks at whether service differed by protected characteristic, and the work order record is what shows it did or did not.

   Source: Fair Housing Act — discrimination in the provision of services and facilities; familial statusReport a problem with this question

9. 9. A resident who uses a wheelchair asks the property to install grab bars in her bathroom. Under the federal Fair Housing Act, this request is BEST described as:

   • A.An ordinary maintenance repair covered by rent
   • B.A reasonable accommodation charged to the owner
   • C.A request the property may decline without review
   • D.A reasonable modification, paid for by the resident✓ Answer

   The Act draws a line between a change to rules, policies or services, which is a reasonable accommodation, and a physical or structural change to the dwelling, which is a reasonable modification. Grab bars are a structural change, and under the Fair Housing Act alone the owner must permit the work but the cost is generally the resident's, whereas an accommodation is a policy change the owner grants.

   Source: Fair Housing Act reasonable modification provision; HUD-DOJ Joint Statement on Reasonable ModificationsReport a problem with this question

10. 10. A resident tells a technician she needs a parking space reserved near her door because of a medical condition. What should the technician do?

    • A.Tell her the property reserves no parking spaces
    • B.Ask for medical records before passing it along
    • C.Pass the request to management without questions✓ Answer
    • D.Reserve a space with a cone until management replies

    A reserved accessible space is a change in policy, so it is a reasonable accommodation request, and any staff member who receives one must route it to management for the property's established review. The technician has no authority to grant or deny it and must not question the resident about the nature or severity of a disability, which is itself a fair housing risk.

    Source: HUD-DOJ Joint Statement on Reasonable Accommodations under the Fair Housing ActReport a problem with this question

11. 11. A community enforces a no-pets policy, and a resident with a disability has an approved assistance animal. How should maintenance staff treat that animal?

    • A.As an approved accommodation, not as a pet✓ Answer
    • B.As a pet subject to the community's standard fee
    • C.As a lease violation to report to management
    • D.As a pet allowed only in outdoor common areas

    An assistance animal is granted as a reasonable accommodation to a no-pets rule, so it is not a pet and pet fees, pet deposits and pet-area restrictions do not apply to it. Treating it as a lease violation or charging a pet fee would undo the accommodation the property already approved and expose the owner to a fair housing complaint.

    Source: Fair Housing Act — assistance animals as a reasonable accommodation (HUD assistance animal guidance)Report a problem with this question

12. 12. A prospective resident who uses a walker asks a technician which building to look at, and he tells her she would be happier in the ground-floor building. His comment is BEST described as:

    • A.Acceptable if the office later shows all units
    • B.Helpful advice that fair housing law permits
    • C.Steering, which the Fair Housing Act prohibits✓ Answer
    • D.A permitted safety exception for disabled people

    Steering is any attempt to influence a person's choice of housing on the basis of a protected characteristic, and it is unlawful even when the speaker believes he is being helpful. Fair housing governs what staff say as well as what they do, so the prospect must be shown the same range of housing choices as anyone else and left to decide for herself.

    Source: Fair Housing Act — prohibition on steeringReport a problem with this question

13. 13. A technician must repair a window sash in an apartment building constructed in 1965, and the work will disturb painted surfaces. Which requirement applies?

    • A.Burn off the old paint using an open-flame torch
    • B.Dry sand the sash and sweep up the dust afterward
    • C.Presume lead-based paint and use a certified renovator✓ Answer
    • D.Power sand the sash outdoors onto a drop cloth

    Housing built before 1978 is presumed to contain lead-based paint unless testing shows otherwise, and paid renovation that disturbs those surfaces must be performed by a certified renovator using containment and lead-safe cleanup. Open-flame burning, dry sanding and uncontained power sanding are expressly prohibited because they turn bound paint into fine lead dust and fume that spreads through the unit.

    Source: EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule — pre-1978 target housing and certified renovatorsReport a problem with this question

14. 14. A resident of a building constructed before 1978 asks a technician how she should care for chipping paint on a window sill. What is the BEST response?

    • A.Tell her to scrape the loose paint off right away
    • B.Tell her to sand the sill smooth and repaint it herself
    • C.Explain safe cleaning and report it to management✓ Answer
    • D.Tell her exterior paint poses no risk indoors

    Educating residents on how to care for surfaces that may contain lead-based paint is part of the technician's job, and the safe advice is wet cleaning of sills and floors with disposable cloths and no scraping, sanding or dry sweeping. Deteriorating paint in pre-1978 housing is a reportable condition, so the technician also documents it and routes it to management for a certified repair.

    Source: EPA lead-safe practices and resident education; Protect Your Family From Lead in Your HomeReport a problem with this question

15. 15. While removing a damaged section of vinyl floor tile installed in the 1960s, a technician finds the tile brittle and bedded in black mastic. What is the MOST appropriate action?

    • A.Scrape the tile up and sweep the debris into a bag
    • B.Stop and have the material tested before removal✓ Answer
    • C.Wet the tile and pull it up with a floor scraper
    • D.Break the tile out and put it in the normal trash

    Resilient floor tile and the black cutback mastic under it from that era are treated as presumed asbestos-containing material, and breaking, scraping or sweeping releases fibres that cannot be seen and do not settle quickly. Work on suspect material is left undisturbed and escalated for testing and, if positive, for a trained abatement contractor rather than handled by maintenance staff.

    Source: OSHA asbestos standard — presumed asbestos-containing material in resilient flooring and masticReport a problem with this question

16. 16. A technician is sent to a unit where mould keeps returning on the bathroom ceiling, which has already been painted over twice. What is the durable remedy?

    • A.Find and correct the moisture source, then clean the surface✓ Answer
    • B.Apply a stain-blocking primer and a mould-resistant paint
    • C.Wipe the ceiling with bleach and raise the room temperature
    • D.Replace the drywall and repaint the ceiling the same day

    Mould is a moisture problem before it is a surface problem: the spores are always present and grow only where water or condensation feeds them, so anything that leaves the water in place lets the growth return. Painting or sealing over mould is not remediation, and replacing materials without fixing the leak or the ventilation only resets the clock on the same failure.

    Source: EPA Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings — correct the moisture sourceReport a problem with this question

17. 17. A resident reports cockroaches, and the property runs an integrated pest management program using a licensed applicator. What is the technician's correct role?

    • A.Seal entry points and report it to management✓ Answer
    • B.Apply a restricted-use insecticide from stock
    • C.Wait until several units report the same pests
    • D.Tell the resident to buy an insecticide spray

    Integrated pest management puts sanitation, exclusion and monitoring ahead of chemicals, and sealing gaps around pipes, cabinets and baseboards is squarely the technician's work. Applying restricted-use pesticides requires a certified applicator, so a technician who is not licensed for that product must route the treatment to the program's applicator rather than spraying or delegating it to the resident.

    Source: FIFRA pesticide applicator certification; integrated pest management practiceReport a problem with this question

18. 18. After a lighting retrofit a technician has spent fluorescent lamps, old ballasts, dead batteries and leftover solvent. Which handling is correct?

    • A.Crush the lamps and place them in the compactor
    • B.Keep them separated for a hazardous-waste hauler✓ Answer
    • C.Pour the leftover solvent into the storm drain
    • D.Set the batteries out with the building recycling

    Fluorescent lamps contain mercury, older ballasts may contain regulated oils, and batteries and solvents carry their own toxic constituents, so all of them are collected separately and released to a permitted hauler with records kept. A storm drain discharges to surface water without treatment, which is why pouring any chemical into one is prohibited outright.

    Source: RCRA universal waste and hazardous waste rules; Clean Water Act stormwater discharge prohibitionReport a problem with this question

19. 19. A technician writes the note on a work order for a jammed garbage disposal. Which entry BEST follows the documentation rule taught for maintenance records?

    • A."Jammed again; this family is careless with it"
    • B."Jammed; removed glass pieces; unit now runs"✓ Answer
    • C."Jammed; the resident's children broke it again"
    • D."Jammed; the elderly tenant cannot operate it"

    The rule is to document the problem, not the person: record the condition found, the action taken and the result, and never characterise the resident or refer to age, family make-up or any other protected characteristic. Every work order can end up as evidence in a claim or a fair housing complaint, and a note about who lives in the unit is exactly what turns a routine record into a liability.

    Source: NAAEI CAMT Skill Standards — document the problem, not the personReport a problem with this question

20. 20. Beyond tracking labour and parts, why does a complete, dated record of what was found and what was done matter?

    • A.It is proof the property responded to the condition✓ Answer
    • B.It removes the need for any follow-up inspection
    • C.It shifts responsibility for the repair to the resident
    • D.It allows the technician to bill overtime to the resident

    Maintenance records are a liability instrument: in a habitability dispute, an injury claim or a fair housing investigation, the dated work order is the property's only reliable evidence of when it learned of a condition and what it did about it. Without a detailed description of the work performed, the property cannot prove the repair happened at all, and gaps or delays read as an inadequate or unequal response.

    Source: NAAEI CAMT Skill Standards — service request records as documentation of responseReport a problem with this question

21. 21. A part is on back order and a service request cannot be completed for another week. What should the technician do?

    • A.Mark the request complete and note the part as pending
    • B.Hold the request in his truck until the part comes
    • C.Tell the resident and note the reason on the form✓ Answer
    • D.Close the request and open a new one when it arrives

    A delayed request stays open with the reason for the delay written on it, and the resident is told, because an unexplained gap between the request and the repair is what later looks like an unequal or inadequate response. Closing, reopening or holding the paperwork breaks the continuous record of when the property learned of the problem and how long it actually took to fix.

    Source: NAAEI CAMT Skill Standards — handling delayed service requestsReport a problem with this question

Practice questions based on the published NAAEI CAMT domains — Essential Trade Skills, Compliance, Facilities Operations, and Professional Development & Collaboration — and on standard trade practice. CAMT and NAAEI are marks of the National Apartment Association; this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by NAA or NAAEI. Code requirements, licensing boundaries and permit rules vary by jurisdiction and revise on a cycle, so none is tested here as a recalled figure — always verify the code having jurisdiction and use a licensed contractor where the work requires one. Confirm current program requirements with NAAEI before testing. About the CAMT credential →