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Building Safety Culture in Mines – DGMS Exam Notes, Indian Examples & 25 MCQs

🏗️ Introduction
In mining, safety culture is not just a regulation—it is the mindset and behavior of management and workers towards preventing accidents.
For DGMS exams, safety culture is a frequently tested topic because poor safety practices have caused major disasters in Indian mines (e.g., Chasnala 1975, Bagdigi 2001). This blog explains what safety culture means, why DGMS focuses on it, and how managers and workers can build it, with simple exam notes and MCQs.
🔹 What is Safety Culture?
  • Definition: The shared values, beliefs, and practices of both management and workers towards safety.
  • Core Idea: “Safety first, production next.”
  • In a strong safety culture:
    1. Workers wear PPE voluntarily.
    2. Managers encourage reporting of hazards.
    3. Accidents are treated as preventable, not fate.
📌 Example: In Neyveli opencast mines, safety slogans and daily toolbox talks improved PPE usage significantly.
🔹 DGMS Focus on Safety Culture
  • DGMS mandates statutory training (MVTR 1966).
  • DGMS issues safety circulars after every major accident → emphasizing root causes (often lack of safety culture).
  • Regulations (CMR 2017, MMR 1961) require:
    • Competent persons for supervision.
    • Regular PME/IME for workers.
    • Accident reporting and root cause analysis.
👉 In DGMS exams, questions like “Why safety culture is more effective than only safety rules?” are common.
🔹 Role of Management
  • Management is statutory head of mine safety.
  • Responsibilities:
    1. Appoint sufficient Assistant Managers (Reg. 7 CMR/MMR).
    2. Conduct safety meetings & risk assessments.
    3. Provide PPE, training, and emergency drills.
    4. Lead by example (manager must wear helmet/PPE on site).
📌 Example: In SCCL mines, Managers who strictly followed PPE created higher compliance among workers.
🔹 Worker Participation
  • Safety culture works only if workers are active participants.
  • Methods:
    • Toolbox talks at start of shift.
    • Hazard reporting cards.
    • Reward for accident-free shifts.
    • Safety committees (statutory requirement).
📌 Example: In Tata Steel Joda mines, “Zero Accident Bonus” scheme motivated workers to self-monitor safety.
🔹 Quick One-Liners (DGMS Revision)
  1. Safety culture = shared values & practices for accident prevention.
  2. DGMS stresses culture > rules.
  3. CMR/MMR require competent persons for supervision.
  4. PPE compliance = indicator of safety culture.
  5. Fatal accidents often linked to poor safety culture.
  6. Toolbox talks → effective safety culture practice.
  7. Manager = statutory head of mine safety.
  8. Worker participation is essential for safety culture.
  9. DGMS safety circulars stress safety behavior.
  10. “Safety First, Production Next” = foundation of safety culture.
🔹 Practice MCQs – Safety Culture in Mines
 Q1. Safety culture in mines means:
 A) Only DGMS inspections
B) Shared values & practices towards safety
C) Buying PPE only
D) Accident reporting only
E) None Answer: B
Solution: Safety culture is collective belief and practice.
Q2. DGMS stresses safety culture because:
 A) Laws alone cannot prevent accidents
B) PPE is expensive
C) Production must be maximized
D) Coal India demanded it
E) None Answer: A
Solution: Culture ensures voluntary compliance beyond rules.
Q3. Example of positive safety culture is:
 A) Ignoring misfires
B) Workers refusing PPE
C) Voluntary hazard reporting
D) Not recording accidents
E) None Answer: C
Solution: Hazard reporting shows strong safety culture.
Q4. Manager’s role in safety culture includes:
 A) Safety meetings & supervision
B) Buying explosives
C) Selling coal
D) Conducting wage settlement
E) None Answer: A
Solution: Manager leads safety initiatives.
Q5. Worker participation in safety culture is promoted through:
 A) Hazard cards, toolbox talks, rewards
B) Overtime bonus
C) Accident concealment
D) Extra blasting
E) None Answer: A
Solution: Worker involvement ensures safety culture.
Q6. Which regulation requires appointment of sufficient Assistant Managers?
 A) Mines Act Sec. 10
B) CMR 2017 Reg. 7 / MMR 1961 Reg. 7
C) MVTR 1966
D) Mines Rescue Rules
E) None Answer: B
Solution: Reg. 7 = AM appointment.
Q7. DGMS safety circulars are issued mainly after:
 A) Wage disputes
B) Accidents and disasters
C) Production target failure
D) Overburden removal
E) None Answer: B
Solution: Circulars aim to prevent recurrence of accidents.
Q8. Safety slogan “Safety First, Production Next” means:
 A) Ignore production
B) Production at any cost
C) Safety is priority over production
D) DGMS motto only
E) None Answer: C
Solution: Safety must be prioritized.
Q9. Which is NOT part of safety culture?
 A) Toolbox talk
B) PPE use
C) Hazard reporting
D) Concealing accidents
E) Safety meetings Answer: D
Solution: Concealing accidents = weak safety culture.
Q10. In DGMS exams, safety culture is linked with:
 A) Accident prevention
B) Productivity
C) Statutory compliance
D) All of the above
E) None Answer: D
Solution: Safety culture covers all 
 Q11. Which Indian mine disaster highlighted poor safety culture?
A) Chasnala (1975)
B) Bhopal Gas (1984)
C) Hirakud (1961)
D) Raniganj (1907)
E) None Answer: A
Solution: Chasnala disaster due to weak safety practices.
Q12. Toolbox talk is conducted at:
 A) End of year
B) Start of every shift
C) Only after accident
D) Once in a month
E) None Answer: B
Solution: Toolbox talk = start of shift safety briefing.
Q13. Safety Committee in mines is formed to:
 A) Handle wage issues
B) Discuss production
C) Review safety problems
D) Approve blasting
E) None Answer: C
Solution: Statutory Safety Committee reviews accidents & safety.
Q14. DGMS mandates PME/IME under:
 A) Mines Act 1952
B) MVTR 1966
C) Coal Mines Regulations
D) Safety Circulars
E) None Answer: B
Solution: Medical check-ups under MVTR 1966.
Q15. Reward system for accident-free shifts builds:
 A) Production culture
B) Safety culture
C) Profit culture
D) Overburden culture
E) None Answer: B
Solution: Rewards strengthen safety culture.
Q16. Which leadership style is best for safety culture?
 A) Autocratic
B) Democratic
C) Laissez-faire
D) Indifferent
E) None Answer: B
Solution: Democratic = participative safety approach.
Q17. Accident root cause analysis (RCA) helps in:
 A) Increasing coal production
B) Identifying unsafe practices
C) Filing DGMS returns only
D) Reducing manpower
E) None Answer: B
Solution: RCA → improves safety culture.
Q18. In a positive safety culture, workers:
 A) Conceal incidents
B) Report near-misses
C) Ignore training
D) Work overtime blindly
E) None Answer: B
Solution: Near-miss reporting shows awareness.
Q19. DGMS prohibits “unsafe practices” under which Act?
 A) Mines Act 1952
B) Factories Act 1948
C) Petroleum Act 1934
D) Electricity Act
E) None Answer: A
Solution: Mines Act ensures safe practices.
Q20. Example of poor safety culture is:
 A) Using PPE
B) Daily safety meetings
C) Ignoring misfires
D) Reporting accidents
E) None Answer: C
Solution: Ignoring misfire = unsafe practice.
Q21. Safety posters & slogans are used to:
 A) Motivate workers
B) Increase production
C) Reduce wages
D) Satisfy DGMS only
E) None Answer: A
Solution: Posters create safety awareness.
Q22. Who is responsible for safety culture in mine?
 A) Manager only
B) Workers only
C) Both management & workers
D) DGMS only
E) None Answer: C
Solution: Shared responsibility = culture.
Q23. “Zero Harm Vision” in Indian mining means:
 A) Target of no accidents
B) No production loss
C) No overtime
D) Zero ventilation cost
E) None Answer: A
Solution: Vision = no harm to workers.
Q24. DGMS inspectors during visit check:
 A) Production targets
B) Safety culture & compliance
C) Profits
D) Machinery sales
E) None Answer: B
Solution: DGMS focus = safety enforcement.
Q25. Strong safety culture leads to:
 A) More accidents
B) Lower morale
C) Accident-free mines
D) Weak supervision
E) None Answer: C
Solution: Positive culture → accident prevention.


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