Which term is used to describe guidelines that may be adopted as regulations but are not inherently enforceable on their own?

• A. Regulation
• B. NIOSH FACE program
• C. Standards
• D. Lift planning

Answer: (C)

Standards describe guidelines that set criteria or performance expectations. They can be adopted into regulations or referenced by regulatory bodies, which is why they may become enforceable, but on their own they aren’t lawfully enforceable. In safety contexts, standards provide the agreed-upon methods and criteria for how tasks should be done, and organizations may voluntarily follow them or regulatory bodies may require them by referencing them in rules. This differs from a regulation, which is a legal rule with penalties for noncompliance, and from the NIOSH FACE program, which is a research and surveillance initiative that reports on injuries rather than issuing general guidelines. Lift planning is a specific process or procedure used during lifting operations, not a term for guidelines that may be adopted as regulations.