Top 50 Safety Questions and Answers for Job Interviews
1. What is Safety?
Answer: Safety is a condition where risks and hazards are controlled to prevent accidents, injuries, and occupational illnesses in the workplace.
2. What is a Hazard?
Answer: A hazard is any source, situation, or act with the potential to cause harm, injury, illness, or damage.
3. What is Risk?
Answer: Risk is the likelihood or probability that a person may be harmed or suffers an adverse effect if exposed to a hazard.
4. What is a Near Miss?
Answer: A near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, damage, or loss but had the potential to do so.
5. What is a Permit to Work (PTW)?
Answer: A PTW is an official written document that authorizes specific work under controlled conditions to ensure safety.
6. What are the types of work permits?
Answer:
- Hot Work Permit
- Cold Work Permit
- Confined Space Entry Permit
- Electrical Work Permit
- Excavation Permit
- Working at Height Permit
7. What is the difference between a Hazard and Risk?
Answer: A hazard is the potential source of harm, while risk is the likelihood that the harm will occur.
8. What are the responsibilities of a Safety Officer?
Answer:
- Conduct safety audits and inspections
- Develop safety policies and procedures
- Provide safety training
- Monitor compliance
- Investigate incidents
9. What is PPE?
Answer: PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment. It includes helmets, gloves, goggles, safety shoes, harnesses, etc., used to protect workers from hazards.
10. What is a Toolbox Talk?
Answer: A short safety meeting conducted before starting a job to discuss potential hazards and safety measures.
11. What is Incident Investigation?
Answer: A systematic process of identifying the root causes of an incident to prevent recurrence.
12. What is HIRA?
Answer: HIRA stands for Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment, a method to recognize hazards and assess the associated risks.
13. What is the purpose of Risk Assessment?
Answer: To identify hazards, evaluate risks, and implement control measures to prevent accidents.
14. What is a Safety Audit?
Answer: A detailed examination of workplace safety systems and procedures to identify areas for improvement.
15. What is a Confined Space?
Answer: A space with limited entry/exit and not designed for continuous occupancy, such as tanks, vessels, silos, etc.
16. What are the hazards of confined space entry?
Answer:
- Lack of oxygen
- Toxic gases
- Flammable atmosphere
- Engulfment
- Restricted movement
17. What is LOTO?
Answer: Lockout/Tagout is a safety procedure to ensure equipment is de-energized and cannot be started during maintenance.
18. What is a Fire Triangle?
Answer: The three elements required for fire: Heat, Fuel, and Oxygen.
19. What are the classes of fire?
Answer:
- Class A – Ordinary combustibles
- Class B – Flammable liquids
- Class C – Electrical fires
- Class D – Combustible metals
- Class K – Cooking oils and fats
20. What is an MSDS?
Answer: Material Safety Data Sheet (now called SDS) provides information about chemicals, including handling, hazards, and first aid.
21. What is an Emergency Evacuation Plan?
Answer: A plan that outlines the procedures for safe evacuation during an emergency.
22. What is a Safety Sign?
Answer: A visual display that conveys safety information like warnings, instructions, or prohibited actions.
23. What is an Unsafe Act?
Answer: Any human action that violates safety practices and increases the risk of an incident.
24. What is an Unsafe Condition?
Answer: A physical state of the workplace or equipment that could cause injury or damage.
25. What is a JSA/JHA?
Answer: Job Safety Analysis / Job Hazard Analysis – a tool used to analyze job steps and identify hazards and controls.
26. What is the difference between LTI and MTI?
Answer:
- LTI: Lost Time Injury
- MTI: Medical Treatment Injury
27. What is the hierarchy of controls?
Answer:
- Elimination
- Substitution
- Engineering Controls
- Administrative Controls
- PPE
28. What is the purpose of Safety Training?
Answer: To educate workers about potential hazards, safe practices, and emergency procedures.
29. What is Occupational Health?
Answer: The promotion and maintenance of the physical, mental, and social well-being of workers.
30. What is Ergonomics?
Answer: The science of designing the workplace and tools to fit the worker to reduce strain and injuries.
31. What are leading and lagging indicators in safety?
Answer:
- Leading: Proactive measures (training, audits)
- Lagging: Reactive data (accidents, LTI rate)
32. What is the Golden Rule of Safety?
Answer: Stop work if it’s unsafe.
33. What is Behavior-Based Safety (BBS)?
Answer: A process that focuses on workers’ behavior to improve safety performance.
34. What are critical safety equipment on-site?
Answer:
- Fire extinguishers
- SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus)
- Gas detectors
- First aid kits
- Safety harnesses
35. What is the importance of Incident Reporting?
Answer: Helps in identifying root causes, preventing recurrence, and improving workplace safety.
36. What is a Safety Culture?
Answer: The shared attitudes, beliefs, and practices that shape behavior towards safety in an organization.
37. What is a Safety Data Sheet (SDS)?
Answer: A document that provides details on chemical properties, hazards, protective measures, and emergency responses.
38. What are leading causes of workplace accidents?
Answer:
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Inadequate training
- Unsafe equipment
- Human error
- Lack of PPE
39. What is a Flash Point?
Answer: The lowest temperature at which a substance can vaporize to form an ignitable mixture in air.
40. What is EHS?
Answer: Environment, Health, and Safety – a discipline focused on compliance, risk reduction, and worker welfare.
41. What are the components of a Fire Extinguisher?
Answer:
- Cylinder
- Nozzle
- Trigger
- Pressure gauge
- Safety pin
42. What are the types of extinguishers?
Answer:
- Water
- Foam
- CO2
- Dry Powder
- Wet Chemical
43. What is PTW validity duration?
Answer: Usually valid for 24 hours, depending on the company’s policy.
44. What should you do in case of a gas leak?
Answer:
- Raise an alarm
- Evacuate the area
- Inform authorities
- Do not use electrical equipment
45. What is the minimum height for fall protection?
Answer: Generally 1.8 meters (6 feet) as per OSHA standards.
46. What are the color codes of safety signs?
Answer:
- Red – Prohibition or fire equipment
- Yellow – Caution
- Blue – Mandatory
- Green – Safe condition/first aid
47. What is an Emergency Response Plan (ERP)?
Answer: A documented procedure to handle potential emergencies such as fire, chemical spill, or natural disasters.
48. What is SCBA?
Answer: Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus – used in oxygen-deficient or toxic environments.
49. What is the meaning of ALARP?
Answer: As Low As Reasonably Practicable – a principle to reduce risks to an acceptable level.
50. What are the key elements of a safety management system?
Answer:
- Policy
- Planning
- Implementation
- Monitoring
- Review
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