Virginia Marine Facility Contracting Qualified Individual Examination

Under 18VAC50-22-30, the Board for Contractors abbreviation for marine facility contracting is:

• AMCC
• BMFC
• CMRC
• DVCC

18VAC50-22-30 defines marine facility contracting as construction, repair, improvement, or removal of any structure whose purpose is to:

• AProvide access to, impede, or alter a body of surface water
• BHold or convey sanitary, storm, waste, or potable water
• CGenerate alternative energy measured from the customer's meter
• DConstruct accessory-use buildings annexed to a dwelling

Which Board for Contractors classifications also provide the marine facility contracting function defined in 18VAC50-22-30?

• ACBC and H/H
• BRBC and ELE
• CHVA and PLB
• DAES and VCC

The MCC specialty expressly does not provide for which of the following?

• AConstruction of accessory structures
• BRemoval of an existing timber pier
• CRepair of a vinyl bulkhead
• DImprovement of a fixed private dock

An MCC contractor is hired to rebuild a private pier. The owner also wants new 120-volt receptacles and lighting on the pier. Under 18VAC50-22-30, the MCC specialty:

• ADoes not provide the electrical functions; that work requires an appropriate electrical l…
• BMay install the receptacles and lighting because they are annexed to the pier
• CMay run conductors only if they operate at 50 volts or less
• DMay perform the electrical work if the pier is over state-owned bottom

A waterfront owner asks the MCC contractor to install a packaged heat-pump unit in a shoreline pump house that serves the dwelling. The MCC specialty:

• ADoes not provide HVAC functions
• BMay install the unit because the pump house is at the water's edge
• CMay install the unit if no refrigerant charging is required
• DMay install the unit if the H/H classification also covers marine work

Which task is outside MCC specialty scope under 18VAC50-22-30?

• AInstalling potable-water piping and a hose bib as a new plumbing run on a rebuilt dock
• BDriving treated timber piles for a new private pier
• CReplacing failed vinyl sheet-pile bulkhead panels
• DPlacing graded riprap to armor an eroding shoreline

A client wants a deteriorated timber pier completely taken out and not replaced. Is that work inside the MCC specialty?

• AYes. The definition includes removal of a structure that provided access to surface water
• BNo. Removal is reserved to the H/H classification only
• CNo. MCC covers new construction only
• DOnly if the pier is attached to a commercial building

How does the MCC specialty differ from vessel construction contracting (VCC)?

• AMCC covers structures that access, impede, or alter surface water; VCC covers nonresident…
• BMCC and VCC are interchangeable abbreviations for the same specialty
• CVCC covers private piers and MCC covers only commercial marinas
• DMCC covers boats and barges; VCC covers docks and bulkheads

A waterfront contract includes (1) a new timber pier, (2) a detached storage shed on upland, and (3) a 120-volt dock pedestal. Which statement correctly maps the work to MCC?

• AOnly the pier is MCC; the shed is an accessory structure and the pedestal is electrical
• BAll three items are MCC because they are part of one waterfront contract
• CThe pier and shed are MCC; only the pedestal is excluded
• DThe pier and pedestal are MCC; only the shed is excluded

Which project is inside MCC specialty scope?

• AConstructing a timber jetty intended to alter current and trap sand along a creek mouth
• BBuilding a new detached garage on the same waterfront lot
• CInstalling a ducted HVAC system in the waterfront dwelling
• DRunning a new underground electrical service to the dwelling

A Class C MCC firm is asked to reconstruct a failed timber bulkhead and, as a separate line item, to add a small upland bathhouse with a toilet and shower. The correct specialty reading is:

• AThe bulkhead is MCC; the bathhouse is an accessory structure with plumbing and is outside…
• BBoth items are MCC because they serve the same waterfront owner
• CNeither item is MCC because Class C firms cannot work on bulkheads
• DThe bathhouse is MCC if it is used only by people who arrive by boat

Untreated timber piles are generally acceptable only when:

• AThe top of the pile remains below the permanent water table so the wood stays continuousl…
• BThe pile is in the intertidal splash zone where it dries between tides
• CThe pile head is left above mean high water without a cap
• DThe pile is used only as a temporary mooring dolphin

In pile driving, the cushion between the helmet and the pile head is provided primarily to:

• AProtect the pile head and moderate the peak impact stress
• BIncrease the hammer's rated energy without changing the stroke
• CReplace the need for a helmet or drive cap
• DKeep untreated wood piles from floating during jetting

While a pile is being hoisted into the leads, OSHA 1926.603 requires that:

• AAll employees be kept clear
• BOnly the loft worker may stand under the suspended pile
• CTwo employees steady the pile tip by hand
• DThe hammer remain resting on the pile head

Shipworms and Limnoria damage marine timber primarily by:

• ABoring and consuming untreated or inadequately treated wood in salt or brackish water
• BDissolving concrete pile jackets with acid
• CStripping hot-dip galvanizing from steel H-piles
• DCausing freeze-thaw spalling above mean high water

For Southern Pine piles in salt or brackish water, AWPA marine use categories UC5A, UC5B, and UC5C are selected mainly according to:

• AGeographic water temperature / borer hazard (northern, central, or southern waters)
• BWhether the pile is round or sawn square
• CThe contractor's Class A, B, or C license
• DThe color of the treatment tag

After a treated timber pile is cut off to finished elevation, the newly exposed heartwood should be:

• AField-treated with an approved preservative and protected with a durable pile cap
• BLeft raw so the wood can dry and season in place
• CPainted with leftover latex house paint only
• DWrapped in polyethylene sheeting and left uncapped

When leads must be inclined to drive batter piles, OSHA 1926.603 requires that:

• AProvisions be made to stabilize the leads
• BThe loft worker ride the hammer to keep the leads plumb
• CGuys and outriggers be removed so the leads can swing freely
• DStop blocks be taken out of the leads

OSHA requires stop blocks on pile-driver leads in order to:

• APrevent the hammer from being raised against the head block
• BLock the barge spuds so the rig cannot swing
• CHold the pile cushion in compression between blows
• DReplace the need for a blocking device when workers are under the hammer

Whenever employees work under a pile-driving hammer, OSHA 1926.603 requires:

• AA blocking device in the leads capable of safely supporting the hammer's weight
• BThe hammer to be left hanging on the hoist line only
• CThe loft worker to hold the hammer with the safety belt lanyard
• DSteam pressure to be increased so the hammer cannot drop

A steam hose leading to a steam hammer or jet pipe must be securely attached to the hammer with an adequate length of chain or cable of at least what diameter?

• A1/4 inch
• B1/16 inch
• C1 inch
• D2 inches

The steel helmet (drive cap) used when driving a timber pile is intended to:

• ACenter the hammer blow and protect the pile head from brooming
• BIncrease the pile's design axial capacity after driving
• CSubstitute for preservative treatment of the cutoff
• DServe as the finished structural pile cap under the beams

A common specified CCA retention for Southern Pine piles in brackish or salt water is:

• A2.5 pounds per cubic foot
• B0.06 pounds per cubic foot
• C0.25 pounds per cubic foot
• D25 pounds per cubic foot

A fixed pier pile must penetrate 16 feet below the mudline, the water is 9 feet deep at the driving tide, and the finished pile cutoff is 5 feet above that water surface. Ignoring driving waste, what minimum pile length is required?

• A30 feet
• B21 feet
• C16 feet
• D9 feet

The longest pile on a driving barge is 38 feet. Under OSHA 1926.603, pile-cutoff work may continue at the same time as driving only if the cutting is at least how far from the driver?

• A76 feet
• B38 feet
• C19 feet
• D10 feet

Jetting a timber pile is most appropriately used to:

• AAdvance the pile through loose sand when impact driving alone will not achieve the requir…
• BReplace specified tip embedment with a shorter pile
• CEliminate the need for a helmet, cushion, or leads
• DWash preservative out of the pile so it will take paint

A batter pile is driven on a 1 horizontal to 4 vertical slope. If the pile is embedded so that the vertical drop from cutoff to tip is 20 feet, the horizontal offset between cutoff and tip is:

• A5 feet
• B4 feet
• C20 feet
• D80 feet

Compared with a fixed pile-supported pier, a floating dock:

• ARises and falls with the tide and is typically held in place by piles or anchors with pil…
• BIs founded on driven piles that keep the deck at a constant elevation
• CDoes not require any lateral restraint
• DMust be built of untreated lumber so it remains buoyant

A bulkhead used for shoreline stabilization is best described as:

• AA nearly vertical retaining wall that holds soil and presents a hard face to the water
• BA sloped layer of armor stone on a prepared bank
• CA floating walkway that tracks the tide
• DA timber deck spanning between pile bents

A riprap revetment differs from a bulkhead in that the revetment:

• AIs a sloped, energy-dissipating armor layer rather than a vertical retaining wall
• BMust always be built of treated timber sheet piles
• CCannot be used where waves are present
• DDoes not need a filter or toe

On a private pier, a finger pier is:

• AA narrower side walkway that creates or separates a boat slip
• BThe main walkway from shore to the T-head
• CThe vertical pile bent that carries the beams
• DThe deadman buried in the upland behind a bulkhead

A deadman used with a timber or vinyl bulkhead is:

• AA buried anchor block or pile connected by tie-rods to resist the wall's outward movement
• BA sacrificial timber worn by ice at the waterline
• CThe top wale that aligns the sheet piles
• DA floating fender hung on the channel face

Filter fabric is placed against the soil face of a bulkhead primarily to:

• ALet water pass while retaining soil so backfill does not pipe through joints
• BIncrease the wall's structural bending strength
• CEliminate the need for tie-backs or deadmen
• DReplace the requirement for corrosion-resistant hardware

When driving vinyl sheet-pile bulkhead panels, the contractor should:

• AKeep adjacent panels fully engaged in the interlock and drive in a sequence that does not…
• BDrive each panel independently with the interlock left open for drainage
• CHeat the panels until they sag so they match an uneven mudline
• DOmit the top wale if the panels interlock

Weep holes or a drainage layer behind a bulkhead are provided to:

• ARelieve hydrostatic pressure in the backfill
• BAllow retained soil to wash out so the wall can settle uniformly
• CIncrease wave reflection off the face
• DVent preservative fumes from treated timber

Pile guides on a floating dock are installed so that the dock:

• ACan rise and fall with the tide while remaining on station
• BIs permanently clamped at one tidal elevation
• CNeeds no piles, chains, or anchors
• DTransfers all berthing load into the decking screws only

Code of Virginia § 28.2-1203 allows maintenance or replacement of a previously authorized pier without a new Commission permit when the pier is reconstructed:

• AWithin the footprint of the existing pier
• BAt any larger size the owner prefers
• COnly if it is converted to a commercial marina
• DOnly if it is moved to the neighbor's riparian area

Walers on a sheet-pile bulkhead are installed primarily to:

• ADistribute tie-rod or cap loads along the wall and keep the sheets aligned
• BAct as sacrificial fenders for boats
• CReplace the need for interlocks between sheets
• DServe as the only foundation in place of driven sheets

A private noncommercial pier will have an L-head that is 16 feet by 20 feet and no additional floating platforms. The aggregate head area is:

• A320 square feet, which is within the 400-square-foot statutory head limit in § 28.2-1203
• B36 square feet, which is the perimeter of the head
• C400 square feet, because every L-head is deemed to be 400 square feet
• D640 square feet, which exceeds the statutory head limit

A proposed private noncommercial pier walkway is 8 feet wide. Under the dimensional limits in Code of Virginia § 28.2-1203(A)(5), that walkway:

• AExceeds the six-foot maximum pier width in that exemption path
• BIs automatically approved because it is less than 10 feet
• CIs treated as a finger pier and may be 8 feet wide
• DIs exempt if the T-head is kept under 400 square feet

A private pier plan shows a 6-foot-wide finger and a 12-foot by 20-foot T-head (240 sq ft) with no extra floats. Which statement is correct under § 28.2-1203(A)(5)?

• AThe T-head area is within 400 square feet, but the 6-foot finger exceeds the 5-foot finge…
• BBoth dimensions comply, so no further review is ever required
• CThe T-head exceeds 400 square feet
• DFinger width may be 6 feet whenever the main pier is 6 feet

Composite deck boards on a dock expand and contract mainly because of:

• ATemperature change, especially along the length of the board
• BDaily tides soaking the boards like untreated lumber
• CUltraviolet light shrinking the boards permanently on the first day
• DSalt spray dissolving the polymer so joints must be glued

Side-to-side and end-to-end gaps in composite dock decking should be set:

• AAccording to the decking manufacturer's installation table for the installation temperatu…
• BBy butting every board tight so no water reaches the joists
• CAt a uniform 2-inch gap regardless of product
• DOnly at the picture-frame border, with field boards nailed tight

Hidden fastener clips on grooved composite decking are used to:

• AFasten boards from the side and automatically set the manufacturer side gap
• BEliminate the need for any joists under the decking
• CBond the boards into a watertight membrane
• DReplace corrosion-resistant structural through-bolts at the pile caps

Which fastener is unacceptable for composite or treated-timber dock decking?

• AInterior zinc-plated drywall screws
• B316 stainless steel deck screws
• CManufacturer-specified hidden clips with stainless screws
• DHot-dip galvanized timber screws rated for treated wood, where the specification allows t…