Screening for Safety

Interviewing techniques with a focus on workplace safety attitudes

and behaviors

What is different about “safety focused interviews”?

We typically interview/ screen based on:

– Skill set

– Personal appearance and body language

– Quality/completeness of the application

– Work history

All are valid qualifiers!

Some additional facts:

Studies and statistics show that over one-half of the claims filed by RCS clients occur in the first 30 days of employment.

Study numbers vary, but most agree the majority of workplace injuries are directly related to unsafe acts of employees.

A commonly quoted study indicates 88% of injuries are the result of unsafe acts.

What else can we do?

Target areas that are relevant to your business.

SAFETY is certainly relevant!

How do we “Screen for Safety”?

Screening for Safety

What are the safety issues that are pertinent to your business?

– Business Mix

– Types of injuries that are frequent or severe at your client sites

– Who are your applicants? What are the market conditions

in your area?

What type of applicant does your business mix and branch location attract?

When you have answered these questions for yourself...

Screening for Safety

Light industrial, skilled trades, food service, fleet safety, even clerical...

– All have safety-specific issues that can be addressed in an interview

Training experiences

– Safety incentives

– Safety meetings

Safety accomplishments

Job Analysis

Build a standardized hiring process and use it

Analyze your frequent job orders

Learn the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities for those jobs

Evaluate your candidates based on a common set of criteria for each particular job

How does claims experience relate?

“Zero in” on issues like hand/finger injuries by relating these to the applicant’s experience and asking for suggestions.

– Yes, even as early as the interview.

– However, be careful not to ask health- or injury-related questions.

You can assess the applicants attitude toward involvement and compliance by asking some scenario based questions.

Have you ever been faced with X? How did you handle it?

How do market conditions relate?

What is the unemployment rate in your market?

– Do you have more applicants than orders, or exactly the opposite?

– Are your applicants:

Frequent users of staffing services

– Develop a form for past staffing service experience

“Between Jobs”

Educated and experienced

– What group does your branch location, business mix, advertising, and recruiting strategy attract?

Open-ended interview questions

Tell me about your experience in manufacturing...

What is the most important aspect of machine operation…

Tell me what elements make up a “good work environment”…

To avoid “yes” or “no” answers, begin questions with “Tell me about, Who, What, When, and How?”

Develop these questions depending on the skill set of the applicant

Safety as a topic

Have you ever been in a position when you believed your safety was compromised?

– How did you handle that situation?

If you saw a co-worker doing something unsafe, what would you do?

What major challenges or problems did you face on previous jobs?

– How did you handle them?

These types of questions should enable you to make some assessment of applicant’s personal safety culture.

Applicant’s responses

Did the applicant hear your questions?

Did the applicant share a story or ramble off topic?

– If the applicant can answer your questions with previous experience references, you have a prepared applicant.

– If the applicant rambles off topic, maybe this applicant did not care enough to pay attention.

“Past behavior is the best predictor of future performance”

In Summary:

Safety has a moral and financial impact on your company

Discussing safety frequently during the intake process helps define your expectations with the applicant.

– Not only in orientation, but also in the interview.

Analyze your specific needs and develop specific questions and techniques.

Use what you know about your customers, your applicant pool, and your market to get the best qualified employees for you and your clients.