BY ORDER OF THE AIR FORCE PAMPHLET 91-215 SECRETARY ...

A2.B.10. THE INTERVIEW TOOL
A2.B.10.1. FORMAL NAME. The interview tool
A2.B.10.2. ALTERNATIVE NAMES. None
A2.B.10.3. PURPOSE. Some of the most knowledgeable personnel in the area of risk are the personnel
who are operating the system. They are there every working hour of every working day, seeing the
problems and hopefully occasionally think about potential solutions. The purpose of the interview tool is
to capture the risk related experience of these personnel in ways that are efficient and positive for the
people involved. Properly implemented, the interview tool can be among the most valuable hazard ID
tools.
A2.B.10.4. APPLICATION. Because of its versatility, there is no reason that every organization can’t
use the interview tool in one form or another.
A2.B.10.5. METHOD. The interview tool’s great strength is versatility. Figure A2.28 illustrates the
many options available to collect interview data. A key to all of these is to create a situation in which
personnel feel free to honestly report what they know without fear of any retribution or adverse
consequences. This means absolute confidentiality. This may be guaranteed by not using names in
connection with data.
Figure A2.28. Interview Tool Alternatives.
1. Direct interviews with operational personnel.
2. Supervisors interview their subordinates and report results.
3. Questionnaire interviews are completed and returns (see the exit interview above).
4. Group interview sessions (several personnel at one time).
5. Hazards reported formally or informally.
6. Coworkers interview each other.
A2.B.10.6. RESOURCES. It is possible to operate the interview process on a base-wide basis with the
data being supplied to individual units. Safety offices often operate such systems. Interview processes can
also be integrated in other interview activities. For example, leader-subordinate counseling sessions can be
modified to include a hazard interview segment. In these ways, the expertise and resource demands of the
interview tool can be minimized.
A2.B.10.7. COMMENTS. The heart of the mishap problem and the key source of risk is human errors.
Of all the hazard ID tools, the interview tool is potentially the most effective at capturing human error
data. By choosing from among the many variations of the tool, it can also be among the most efficient.
A2.B.10.8. EXAMPLES. Figure A2.28 illustrates several variations of the interview tool. One or more
of these can be effective in your organization. For example, the exit interview tool asks individuals leaving
the command to report hazards on a short form (Figure A2.29) completed during the outprocessing cycle.
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