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Module

NCSO Hazard Assessment practice questions

Written and fact-checked by the NCSO Prep team, Alberta · · Sources

Short answer

The Hazard Assessment module of the Alberta NCSO exam covers formal and field-level hazard assessments, the hierarchy of controls, risk ranking, and control selection. NCSO Prep has 41 practice questions in this module, each showing the legislation behind the answer. Sample questions are free to try below, and the full module is included with any NCSO Prep plan — CA$19 per month, CA$129 per year or CA$199 once. The NCSO exam overall requires 75% to pass.

What the Hazard Assessment module covers

On the Alberta NCSO exam, Hazard Assessment covers formal and field-level hazard assessments, the hierarchy of controls, risk ranking, and control selection. It is one of ten modules, and the exam draws across all of them — which is why candidates who are strong on site but narrow in coverage still fail.

Where candidates lose marks. The hierarchy of controls is tested repeatedly and candidates routinely reverse the order or confuse administrative controls with engineering controls.

Try 41 Hazard Assessment questions

These are real questions from the NCSO Prep bank, shown with their answers and the reasoning behind them. Every question in the app explains the rule it comes from, so you learn where a requirement lives rather than memorising a letter.

Sample question 1

The Hierarchy of Controls lists controls from MOST to LEAST effective. The correct order is:

  1. Admin → PPE → Engineering → Elimination → Substitution
  2. Elimination → Substitution → Engineering → Administrative → PPE correct
  3. PPE → Admin → Engineering → Substitution → Elimination
  4. Engineering → Elimination → PPE → Admin → Substitution
Why

Always start at the TOP of the hierarchy: Elimination (remove the hazard entirely). PPE is always LAST - it depends on human behaviour every single time and only protects the individual wearing it. Never start your control plan with PPE.

CSA - Hierarchy of Controls

Sample question 2

A HAZARD is defined as:

  1. An injury that has already occurred
  2. A government compliance violation notice
  3. Any condition, object, or practice with POTENTIAL to cause harm correct
  4. A reported equipment defect or malfunction
Why

A hazard is a POTENTIAL source of harm - it has not yet caused injury. The word 'potential' is key. Proactively identifying hazards before they cause harm is the entire foundation of OHS.

CSA - Hazard Definition

Sample question 3

RISK in OHS means:

  1. Any task with an element of danger
  2. A regulatory compliance requirement
  3. The combination of the LIKELIHOOD of harm and the SEVERITY of that harm correct
  4. A type of WCB insurance claim
Why

Risk = Likelihood × Severity. A high-likelihood, high-severity hazard = extreme risk = highest priority control. This relationship drives ALL prioritization decisions in hazard management.

CSA - Risk Definition

Practise the full Hazard Assessment module →

How to study this module

  1. Answer before you read. Cover the options and try to produce the answer from memory. Recognition feels like knowledge and collapses under exam pressure.
  2. Space your review. Come back to missed questions after a day, then three days, then a week. NCSO Prep schedules this automatically.
  3. Check the source. When you miss one, read the explanation and note which instrument the rule sits in — Act, Regulation or Code.
  4. Time yourself once you are consistent. The full exam allows up to 2 hours and requires 75%.

Questions people ask

What is on the NCSO Hazard Assessment module?

The Hazard Assessment module covers formal and field-level hazard assessments, the hierarchy of controls, risk ranking, and control selection.

How many Hazard Assessment questions does NCSO Prep have?

41 questions in the Hazard Assessment module, each with an explanation citing the underlying legislation.

What score do I need to pass the NCSO exam?

An overall score of 75%, per ACSA’s NCSO Information Booklet (February 2025). Candidates have up to 2 hours and write online.

Is there a free NCSO Hazard Assessment practice test?

The full Legislation module is free on NCSO Prep with no credit card. Sample questions from the Hazard Assessment module are shown free on this page, and the complete module is included with any paid plan from CA$19 per month.

The other nine modules

Last updated 9 August 2026.

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Sources

Exam facts on this page are taken from the certifying body's own published material. Last verified 9 August 2026.

NCSO Prep is an independent study tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by ACSA or the CFCSA.