The best plan is to prevent exposing employees to hazardous materials. One method is to

• A. Provide barriers between the material and your employees to prevent physical access
• B. Eliminate the hazard by substituting a nonhazardous material
• C. Either a or b
• D. Neither a nor b

Answer: (C)

The main idea is preventing worker exposure by removing or isolating the hazard. Substituting a nonhazardous material eliminates the hazard at its source, which is the most effective approach because there’s nothing for workers to be exposed to. If substitution isn’t possible, using barriers or enclosing the material keeps workers physically separate from the hazard, which reduces exposure through engineering controls. Both methods align with the goal of preventing exposure, so the option that says either approach is acceptable is the best choice. Dismissal of both would not meet the goal, since we do have valid ways to prevent exposure.