USPS · Safety and Procedures

You witness a workplace injury — a coworker slips and hurts their ankle. What is the BEST immediate action?

Correct answer

Stop, ensure the injured coworker is safe (don't move them if seriously injured), call for medical help or supervisor immediately, secure the area to prevent additional injuries, and stay until help arrives

  1. A Continue working
  2. B Stop, ensure the injured coworker is safe (don't move them if seriously injured), call for medical help or supervisor immediately, secure the area to prevent additional injuries, and stay until help arrives
  3. C Take a photo for social media
  4. D Move the coworker quickly

Why this is the answer

Workplace injury response is heavily scripted at USPS for liability, employee welfare, and regulatory reasons. The exam is screening for: (1) prioritize the injured person — don't continue normal work; (2) don't move someone with a serious injury (back, neck, head, leg injuries can be worsened by movement); (3) call for help immediately — facility first aid, supervisor, 911 if serious; (4) secure the area — block off the hazard so other workers don't slip in the same spot, mark equipment unsafe; (5) stay until trained help arrives. Continuing to work fails the basic ethical standard. Photography/social media is grossly inappropriate and may be a privacy violation. Moving someone with a serious injury can permanently worsen it. The right answer combines compassion + procedure + maintaining the scene so the situation doesn't escalate.
Source: USPS VEA-MH, Injury Response