What type of evaluation is an interview primarily utilized for in health and safety audits?

Interviews are primarily utilized for qualitative evaluations in health and safety audits because they gather in-depth insights and subjective information from individuals. Qualitative evaluations focus on understanding behaviors, opinions, and experiences that cannot easily be measured through numerical data. By conducting interviews, auditors can explore the perspectives of employees, supervisors, and management regarding safety practices, concerns, and the overall safety culture within an organization. This type of information is crucial for identifying areas for improvement and understanding the effectiveness of existing safety measures.

In contrast, quantitative evaluations typically rely on numerical data that can be statistically analyzed, comparative evaluations look at performance against benchmarks or peers, and descriptive evaluations summarize features or characteristics without a subjective interpretation. These methods do not capture the nuanced information provided through interviews, highlighting why qualitative evaluation is the most appropriate category for this type of data collection in health and safety audits.