Get ready to practice the top 10 interview questions for Health and Safety Managers. As you prepare for the interview, focus your responses on how you will ensure that your employer is legally compiling with all health and safety legislation. Duties for this position include carrying out safety inspections and training employees to follow, manage, and improve company standards.

Part 1: STAR METHOD – Interview Questions for Health and Safety Managers

Let’s practice ten interview questions so you are ready to rock your interview!

When answering interview questions, use the STAR Method to give detailed responses sharing past experiences. 

  • Situation – Describe the situation or event. How did the need arise?
  • Task – What were your goals?
  • Action – Talk about the steps you took, actually things you did, to accomplish the goals. Talk in the first person to show you were the one doing the work!
  • Result – What was the outcome? How did the situation or even end? What was accomplished? What did you learn?

Part 2: #1. – #5. Interview Questions for Health and Safety Managers

#1. Tell me about yourself. 

Be personable in this answer, yet stay focused on your professional life. It is good to start with something about your personal life and then give some background about your career over the years. Give details about your experience directly related to the position you are applying for at this time.

#2. Why should we hire you? What would you bring to our company?

With this question, the interviewer gets to hear your perspective of why you would be a good fit on their team. This question allows you to sell yourself and highlight why you are qualified for this role.

#3. Why do you want to leave your current position? / Why did you leave your last job?

This type of question lets the interviewer see how you describe your past work experiences and the kind of work relationships you have had. It is always good to focus on how you are excited to grow, and therefore, you are looking for new challenges and responsibilities.

#4. What is your management style?

Here the interviewer wants to see how you interact with others and lead the team. 

Take a quiz here to learn more about different management styles.

#5. In the Health and Safety field, change is a constant. What do you do to stay updated, informed, and continually growing? Discuss your personal development in the past couple of years regarding your professional calling.

Competent Health and Safety Managers are constantly learning and always on top of new laws and regulations. Share how you continue learning. Do you have any favorite blogs, podcasts, or other sources that keep you on track?

Additionally, talk about any certifications you have gotten and any courses you have taken.

Part 3: #5. – #10. Interview Questions for Health and Safety Managers

#6. What steps would you take to improve the safety culture of our company?

Share what you know about the current situation where you are interviewing. Talk about an experience using the STAR method to show an initiative you took and were successful at in the past.

#7. Discuss a situation where a coworker failed to follow protocol and the issues that followed. How did you deal with the situation and make sure it wouldn’t happen again in the future?

Include how you work with non-compliant workers in this answer and how to get everyone invested in the same goals. Again, share using the STAR method. 

#8. Talk about your views on productivity and how they relate to health and safety.

How do you balance these two views? Who do you collaborate with to ensure success on both sides?

#9. What characteristics make a good health and safety manager?

Choose a few qualities to discuss. Be direct and to the point. Give details, but don’t tell long stories here. Include what you have seen throughout your professional life. 

#10. Discuss a time that was difficult dealing with a person or a situation. How did you manage it?

Without a doubt, there are always challenges at work. The power comes in how people react when there is conflict or problems. Share about how you solve problems. Be sure to show how you positively impacted the scenario.

QEOSH HSE Recruitment & Staffing

As quality, environmental, occupational health, and safety industry experts with more than ten years of top HSE talent search, acquisition, and recruitment experience, we are ready to help clients in all sizes and sectors across Canada. We are proud to collaborate and add value to build lasting relationships between clients and candidates.

If you want to learn more in addition to the Top 10 Interview Questions for Health and Safety Managers, read Is it worth using an HSE recruiter?