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INTERVIEW Q A Safety Professional
INTERVIEW Q A Safety Professional
Before you begin priming yourself for an interview for the position of an HSE officer, sit
down and think about what your specific job duties will be. What exactly does an HSE
(health, safety and environment) officer do? Once you know this, you will be able to
determine at least some of the likely questions that will be posed to you during an
interview.
To put it briefly, an HSE officer is responsible for providing safe working conditions to
employees within an organization. He conducts risk assessments and mitigations before
the beginning of a project and takes preventive measures to make sure that accidents,
injuries and diseases do not bog employees down. Now that you know what role you are
in for, let us discuss the interview.
At an interview for an HSE officer’s position, you will be tested on safety policy
development and implementation, investigation techniques and compliance abilities.
Most of the questions will revolve around these three areas so if you have these covered,
no one can stop you from excelling at the interview.
Some questions (and possible answers that you can provide) are given below:
What unsafe conditions do you think are usually taken for granted in an
organization?
In my five years of work in safety, I have come across many situations that have
transpired by human negligence. Loose stair treads and wires that have not been
earthed are two of the common things that people take for granted and can prove to be
fatal.
What are some of the areas that you would want to focus on in your HSE officer
role?
I believe that fire safety, chemical safety, biohazard safety, radiation prevention and First
Aid and CPR training are the areas that need to be the prime focus in this role.
Which areas of your profession do you think you are best at?
I believe myself to be an all-rounder since if and when I feel I am week in a certain area,
I immediately make effort to improve in that area. I am an expert in risk analysis,
incident evaluation, safety auditing and HSE policy implementation.
You may be surprised to know that there are different types of interviews that you may
be subjected to when you have been shortlisted for a position. The standard “two sides
of the table” interview is not a choice in many instances now. While many employers still
conform to standard interview procedures, others analyse situations to determine what
type of interviews need to be conducted. Some popular interview types include:
On-site or second round interviews are usually conducted once an employer is quite sure
that he will be hiring the candidate in question. Interviews conducted over meals are
usually done for jobs that are “relaxed” in nature – such as freelance work.
Whichever type of interview that will be conducted for you, it is up to you to ace it.
Preparedness spells success. So if you are appearing for an interview for a construction
safety officer interview, you should prepare beforehand with the following questions:
As a safety officer, the essence of your work is ensuring other people’s and property’s
safety so it stands to reason that at an interview for this position, you will be tested
along these lines primarily. If you are comfortable in your safety officer role, it will show
in an interview; your knowledge of the work and how you execute it will be a great asset
when you sit across the table from an interviewer.
An interview for a safety officer’s position will focus mostly on your abilities of
implementing security policies and handling adverse situations. You should be confident
in both these areas if you want to excel in the interview. Remember, you only get one
chance to make a first impression so be prepared to give the interviewer what he wants!
While you will most probably be asked situation-based questions during an interview for
a safety officer position, you must prepare yourself for other types of questions as well.
These may include your knowledge of using safety equipment or understanding of safety
procedures and protocols.
Given below is a set of interview questions and answers that you could be asked when
appearing for an interview:
What is a near-miss? Share a near-miss experience and what you learnt from
it?
Near miss is a situation where an accident could happen but did not. These indicate leaks
in security arrangements. Last year, during a renovation project someone placed heavy
tiles on the first floor just where the floor was not strong enough to carry their weight.
The floor gave in and a couple of tiles fell down, no one was hurt but I learnt to always
place safety tags on weak parts of structures being renovated.
What is the biggest hazard in construction and what can be done to remove it?
Biggest hazard that applies to construction sites is that of collapse. This is avoided
through proper and secure scaffolding at sensitive structural points.
In the event of a fire inside a building, what thought will be foremost in your
mind?
Evacuation. I would want every living being inside the building to safely step out and run
as far away from the building as possible.
Have you ever been involved in a situation which has tested your mettle as a
safety officer on a personal level?
There was this situation in which the university that I was working for fell under a
vandalism attack. All security personnel looked for the perpetrator for three months but I
was the one who managed to pinpoint a student responsible for the vile acts. It was
unfortunate that the student was the son of my best friend. I had no option but to hand
him in even though I knew I could very well let him go with a warning and none would
be the wiser! My ethics said otherwise.
You may be surprised to know that there are different types of interviews that you may
be subjected to when you have been shortlisted for a position. The standard “two sides
of the table” interview is not a choice in many instances now. While many employers still
conform to standard interview procedures, others analyse situations to determine what
type of interviews need to be conducted. Some popular interview types include:
On-site or second round interviews are usually conducted once an employer is quite sure
that he will be hiring the candidate in question. Interviews conducted per meals are
usually done for jobs that are “relaxed” in nature – such as freelance work.
Whichever type of interview that will be conducted for you, it is up to you to ace it.
Preparedness spells success. So if you are appearing for an interview for a construction
safety officer interview, you should prepare beforehand with the following questions:
Tell us about a typical day at work. How does it start? What do you do?
At the beginning of each day, I inspect the work site to make sure that it is hazard-free.
Once the work site is secured, I verify that all tools and equipment are adequate in
supply. As soon as the work orders are delivered, I provide workers with security
guidelines and carry out drills. During the workday, it is my duty to monitor workers to
ensure that they are working according to the enforced safety policies and that any
problems or accidents are quickly addressed.