Management Flashcards
True or false? The sooner you deal with an employee discipline problem, the better the outcome will be
True
True or false? Operators use turbidity and particle counting measurements as a means of determining the treatment processes’ ability to remove or inactivate oocysts
True
Must planning be done before or after other managing functions?
Before
True or False? Employers are required to do everything possible to accommodate disabled persons
False
True or false? Good listening skills are as important in communication as the information you need to communicate
True
True or false? A steady distribution system pressure in spite of fluctuating flows shows that the operators are in control of the system
True
True or false? Nothing will destroy morale more quickly than unequal treatment of employees
True
True or false? When an organizational plan is in place, employees know who is their immediate boss and confusion about job tasks is eliminated
True
True or false? On-the-job training is a good way of preventing accidents with an inexperienced operator.
False
True or false? Consumer complaints can be valuable in determining consumer acceptance and pinpointing water quality problems
True
When should a new employee’s safety training begin?
a. Upon completion of the probationary period
b. On the first day of employment
c. In the field with the crew at the first job assignment
d. At the first scheduled tailgate safety meeting
On the first day of employment
What is the purpose of a safety data sheet (SDS)?
a. To provide comprehensive information about a substance or mixture for use in workplace chemical management
b. To guide utility managers in developing a safety program
c. To give industry-by-industry specifications for the use and storage of chemical
d. To promote standard criteria for classifying chemicals according to their health, physical, and environmental hazards
To provide comprehensive information about a substance or mixture for use in workplace chemical management
What is the first step in analyzing a distribution system’s staffing needs?
a. Prepare a detailed list of all the tasks to be performed to operate and maintain the distribution system
b. Determine the hours of training required by staff
c. Prepare an inventory of the entire distribution system
d. Estimate the number of staff hours currently available
prepare a detailed list of all the tasks to be performed to operate and maintain the distribution system
What is the first step in organizing an effective public relations campaign?
a. Prepare a budget
b. Meet with the media
c. Contact stakeholders
d. Establish objectives
establish objectives
What is the purpose of a water distribution system’s organizational plan?
a. To show community stakeholders how to work with the media
b. To show how reports are submitted to regulatory agencies
c. To show who reports to whom and to identify the lines of authority
d. To show who determines candidates for future elected board positions
To show who reports to whom and to identify the lines of authority
Who is key to the effectiveness and success of a utility’s safety program?
a. Operators
b. Safety inspectors
c. Safety officer
d. Supervisors
Supervisors
Who is responsible for keeping contaminants out of potable water system on the user’s premises?
a. Plumbing agency and building inspectors
b. Water user
c. Water supplier
d. Local or state health agency
Water user
Why should operators avoid recycling filter backwash water during periods of high intake water turbidity?
a. May cause excessive levels of turbidity in the clear well
b. May create shortages of backwash water
c. May concentrate Cryptosporidium oocysts in the filter media
d. May increase the solids levels in the recycle and product waters
May concentrate Cryptosporidium oocysts in the filter media
Which factor has consistently caused more water borne disease outbreaks in the United States than any other reported factor?
a. Natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes
b. Leakage in the water supply system caused by corrosion
c. Contamination through cross-connections
d. Reliance on reactive maintenance rather than proactive maintenance
Contamination through cross-connections
How can giving a governing board a tour of the distribution system and treatment process contribute to an overall goal to gain financing for capital improvements?
a. Increase in positive relationships between operators and the governing board
b. Encourage an exchange of knowledge about technical aspects of system operation
c. Increase in the governing board’s understanding of the need for enhancement and support for future funding
d. Enhance governing board members’ ability to visualize the flow of water through the system
Increase in the governing board’s understanding of the need for enhancement and support for future funding
Who does a manger have the most contact with for union-related matters when a utility belongs to a union?
a. Office staff of the union
b. Shop steward
c. Union employees
d. President of the local union
Shop steward
Which management tasks are included in organizing?
a. Deciding who does what work and delegating authority to the appropriate operators
b. Determining goals, policies, procedures, and other elements to achieve the goals and objectives of the agency
c. Guiding, teaching, motivating, and supervising water distribution system operators and staff members
d. Recruiting new operators and staff and determining if there are enough qualified operators and staff to fill available position
Deciding who does what work and delegating authority do the appropriate operators
What does the operating ratio of a water distribution system agency measure?
a. Ability of the utility to pay the principal and interest on loans and bonds in addition to any unexpected expenses
b. Total debt service
c. Total revenues divided by the total operating expenses
d. Total revenue collected by the utility
Total revenues divided by the total operating expenses
What does delegation mean?
a. Answering to those above in the chain of command to explain how and why you have used your authority
b. The act in which power is given to another person in the organization to accomplish a specific job
c. An employee being accountable for the results when a manager gives power/responsibility to the employee
d. The power and resources to do a specific job or to get that job done
The act in which power is given to another person in the organization to accomplish a specific job
Which management tasks are included in directing?
a. Guiding, teaching, motivation, and supervising water distribution system operators and staff members
b. Recruiting new operators and staff and determining if there are enough qualified operators and staff to fill positions
c. Deciding who does what work and delegating authority to the appropriate operators
d. Determining goals, policies, procedures, and other elements to achieve the goals and objectives of the agency
Guiding, teaching, motivation, and supervising water distribution system operators and staff members
What is the purpose of an equipment repair/replacement fund?
a. To provide a fund for the allocation of excess revenue or profit
b. To prevent revenue shortages during periods of numerous emergency responses
c. To allow an agency to maintain constant water rates
d. To generate additional revenue to pay for the repair and replacement of capital equipment as the equipment wears out
To generate additional revenue to pay for the repair and replacement of capital equipment as the equipment wears out
Why must a water distribution system have an emergency response plan?
a. To deal with natural or human disasters
b. To deal with potential droughts
c. To deal with problem consumers
d. To deal with inquisitive reporters
to deal with natural or human disasters
What is the goal of managing maintenance?
a. To optimize use of computer to plan and schedule maintenance
b. To respond promptly to all types of emergency maintenance calls
c. To minimize investments of labors, materials, money, and equipment
d. To minimize leakage and water main breaks
To minimize investments of labor, material, money, and equipment
What is human factors engineering?
a. The generalized study of how humans think
b. The use of engineering to reduce accidents
c. The specialized study of technology relating to the design of operator-machine interfaces
d. The design of safety manuals easily understood by operators
the specialized study of technology relating to the design of operator-machine interfaces
What is first aid?
a. Request for emergency assistance at the scene of an accident
b. First person arriving at the scene of an accident provides aid
c. Emergency treatment for injury or sudden illness, before regular medical treatment is available
d. First tasks performed on an accident victim to make the victim comfortable
Emergency treatment for injury or sudden illness, before regular medical treatment is available
Which items might be used to develop a job qualification profile?
- Specific vocational preparation
- Working condition
- Physical demands
- Temperament
- Interests
- Specific vocational preparation
- Working conditions
- Physical demands
- Temperament
- Interests
Which items should be discussed during a job interview?
- Details of the job
- Working conditions
- Benefits
- Potential for advancement
- Wages
- Details of the job
- Working conditions
- Benefits
- Potential for advancement
- Wages
What types of potential emergencies should utilities plan responses for?
- Civil disorder
- Employee strikes
- Vandalism
- Terrorist-included chemical or biological warfare
- Toxic spills
- civil disorder
- employee strikes
- Vandalism
- terrorist-induced chemical or biology warfare
- toxic spills
What are the basic elements of a safety program?
- Accident investigation
- Accident reporting
- Monetary penalties for offenders
- Safety training and promotion
- Safety policy statement
- accident investigation
- accident reporting
- safety training and promotion
- safety policy statement
Which adverse effects could result from damage to the nation’s water supply or distribution facilities caused by terrorist attack?
- Loss of life
- Contamination of drinking water supplies
- Catastrophic environmental damage
- Long-term public health impacts
- Disruption to commerce and the economy
- Loss of life
- contamination of drinking water supplies
- catastrophic environmental damage
- long-term public health impacts
- disruption to commerce and the economy
What information about a chemical can be found on a safety data sheet (SDS)?
- First-aid measures
- Stability and reactivity data
- Hazards identification
- Handling and storage
- Firefighting measures
- First-aid measures
- Stability and reactivity data
- Hazards identification
- Handling and storage
- Firefighting measures
Which federal regulations influence personnel administration?
- Clean Water Act (CWA)
- Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Act
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Act
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Which maintenance supplies does a distribution system need to keep on hand to operate the facilities?
- Tools
- Spare valves
- Lubricants
- Electrical supplies
- Repair parts
- tools
- spare valves
- lubricants
- electrical supplies
- Repair parts
Which steps should be taken to conduct a productive meeting?
- Clearly state the purpose and objectives if the meeting
- Keep the discussion on track and on time using an agenda
- Make clear assignments for participants
- Restate your understanding of the results of group decisions
- Involve all participants
- Clearly state the purpose and objectives of the meeting
- Keep the discussion on track and on time using an agenda
- Make clear assignments for participants
- Restate your understanding of the results of group discussions
- Involve all participants
Which areas in a watershed could be contaminated with high concentrations of cryptosporidium oocysts?
- Wastewater treatment plants
- Beaver dams
- Pastures where livestock graze
- Cattle feedlots
- Duck ponds
- Wastewater treatment plants
- pastures where live stocks graze
- cattle feedlots
What are some causes of operator injuries?
- Falls
- Chemicals
- Machinery
- Handling objects
- Unsafe acts
- Falls
- Chemicals
- Machinery
- Handling objects
- Unsafe acts
What are the functions of a water distribution system manager?
- Organizing
- Planning
- Directing
- Controlling
- Staffing
- organizing
- Planning
- directing
- controlling
- staffing
Which items are considered forms of violence in the workplace?
- Psychological harm
- Accident statistics
- Physical harm
- Property damage
- Safety hazards training
- psychological harm
- physical harm
- property damage
What does a manager need to understand to budget effectively?
- The needs of the utility
- The needs of the consumers
- How the money has been spent over the last year
- How to institute water rate increase
- How the needs of the utility should be prioritized
- The needs of the utility
- How the money has been spent over the last year
- How the needs of the utilities should be prioritized
Which groups share responsibilities in the implementation of cross-connection control programs?
- Health agencies
- Water conservation organizations
- Water users (businesses and industries)
- Plumbing officials
- Water suppliers
- health agencies
- water users (businesses and industries)
- plumbing officials
- Water suppliers
What characterizes distribution system agencies taking a corrective maintenance approach?
- Poor use of resources
- The inability to budget adequately
- The inability to plan and schedule
- A high incidence of equipment and system failure
- Lack of system
- Poor use of resources
- The inability to budget adequately
- The inability to plan and schedule work
- A high incidence of equipment and system failures
What does a SCADA system do?
- Allows fingertip control of alarms, equipment, and processes
- Keeps operators fully informed and fully in control
- Provides the information that operators need to solve minor problems
- Transmits alarm signal, when necessary
- Collects, stores, and analyzes information about all aspects of O&M
- allows fingertip control of alarms, equipment, and processes.
- keeps operators fully informed and fully in control
- provides the information that operators need to solve minor problems
- transmits alarm signals, when necessary
- collects, stores, and analyzes information about all aspects of O&M
What are the benefits of an operator certification program?
- Protection of the public’s investments in water distribution and treatment facilities
- Operators learn to identify safety hazards
- Operators learn to follow safe procedures
- Operator pride and recognition
- Operators have health insurance for themselves and their families
- Protection of the public’s investment in water distribution and treatment facilities
- Operators learn to identify safety hazards
- operators learn to follow safe procedures
- operator pride and recognition
Which topics should be documented in the personnel file for each operator?
- Disciplinary actions
- Political activities
- Performance reviews
- Promotions
- Hiring information
- disciplinary actions
- performance reviews
- promotions
- Hiring information
How can employees answering phone inquiries from customers convey a positive image for the distribution system agency?
- Put the caller on hold
- Answer calls promptly
- Minimize transfers
- Identify themselves by name
- Pay attention to the caller
- Answer calls promptly
- Minimize transfers
- Identify themselves by name
- Pay attention to the caller
