Campaign on Risk Calculator – DGMS Risk Assessment Initiative for Safer Mines

Online Mining Exam

🧾 DETAILED NOTES

1️⃣ Introduction

The “Risk Calculator” Campaign launched by the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) aims to enhance risk-based safety management across coal and metal mines in India. It provides a quantitative method to evaluate potential hazards by multiplying the Likelihood of an event by its Severity.

2️⃣ Objective of the Campaign

Promote proactive risk management instead of reactive accident response.
Help mine management identify critical hazards and take preventive action.
Train supervisors and workmen in risk perception and prioritization.
Support the implementation of the Safety Management Plan (SMP).

3️⃣ What is a Risk Calculator?

A Risk Calculator is a simple digital or manual tool that calculates Risk = Likelihood × Severity.

Likelihood Scores:

Likelihood	Description	Score
Rare	Very unlikely to occur	1
Unlikely	Could happen occasionally	2
Possible	Might occur sometimes	3
Likely	Will probably occur	4
Almost Certain	Expected to occur often	5

Severity Scores:

Severity	Description	Score
Insignificant	No injury	1
Minor	First aid injury	2
Moderate	Lost time injury	3
Major	Permanent disability	4
Catastrophic	Fatality	5

4️⃣ Risk Levels (DGMS Recommended)

Risk Score	Category	Action
1–4	Low	Manage with routine controls
5–9	Medium	Implement additional safeguards
10–16	High	Immediate corrective measures
17–25	Extreme	Stop work and control risk immediately

5️⃣ Implementation in Mines

Identify hazards (e.g., roof fall, machinery, haul roads).
Evaluate likelihood and severity using the calculator.
Compute risk score and rank hazards.
Document in the Risk Assessment Register.
Review weekly during Safety Committee meetings.
Integrate into Safety Management Plan (SMP) and Take-5 risk cards.

6️⃣ Benefits of Using the Risk Calculator

Promotes awareness and ownership among workers.
Enables measurable and auditable safety performance.
Reduces accident frequency and severity.
Supports compliance with CMR 2017 Regulation 106 & 109 and MMR 1961 Regulation 109 & 110.

7️⃣ DGMS Legal References

Mines Act, 1952 – Section 18: Duties of mine management for safety.
CMR 2017 Regulation 109: Duties regarding risk assessment.
DGMS Circular (Safety): Launch of “Risk Calculator” Campaign (2019).

⚙️ QUICK ONE-LINERS (Revision Points)

Risk = Likelihood × Severity.
DGMS launched the “Risk Calculator” campaign in 2019.
Purpose – promote quantitative risk assessment.
High risk = Score 10–16.
Extreme risk = Score 17–25 (immediate control needed).
Supports Safety Management Plan (SMP).
Reviewed in safety meetings.
Applies to all coal and metal mines.
Risk calculator helps prioritize hazards.
Implemented under DGMS Circular guidelines.

🧮 DESCRIPTIVE MODEL QUESTION

Q. Explain the “Risk Calculator” campaign initiated by DGMS and its significance in mine safety.

Answer:
The Risk Calculator campaign was introduced by DGMS to promote systematic and quantifiable risk assessment in mining operations. It enables mine officials to calculate the risk score for each hazard based on its likelihood and severity. The resulting score classifies risks into Low, Medium, High, or Extreme categories, guiding management in prioritizing safety actions. This initiative strengthens the Safety Management Plan and ensures compliance with Regulation 109 of CMR 2017.

🧩 25 MCQs (Dynamic Answer Keys: A–E)

Q1. The DGMS “Risk Calculator” campaign promotes:

Solution: The campaign focuses on using risk assessment as a core part of safety management.

Q2. Risk is calculated as:

Solution: The standard formula used in risk calculators is multiplying the likelihood score by the severity score.

Q3. The maximum risk score possible is:

Solution: With maximum Likelihood = 5 and maximum Severity = 5, the highest score is 5 × 5 = 25.

Q4. “Extreme Risk” requires:

Solution: Extreme risk (scores 17-25) indicates an unacceptable level of danger requiring immediate cessation of work until controls are implemented.

Q5. The term “Likelihood” means:

Solution: Likelihood refers to the probability or frequency of the hazardous event occurring.

Q6. DGMS introduced the Risk Calculator campaign in:

Solution: The campaign was launched around 2019 as part of DGMS's push for risk-based safety.

Q8. The campaign is mainly aimed at:

Solution: The risk assessment principles apply to all types of mines under DGMS jurisdiction.

Q9. Which regulation mandates risk assessment?

Solution: Regulation 109 of CMR 2017 specifically outlines duties related to hazard identification and risk assessment.

Q10. A risk score of 5 × 2 = 10 indicates:

Solution: A score of 10 falls within the High Risk category (10-16) requiring immediate corrective measures.

Q11. Risk score range for medium risk:

Solution: Scores from 5 to 9 are typically classified as Medium Risk.

Q12. The campaign integrates with:

Solution: The principles of the Risk Calculator are directly applicable to personal risk assessments like Take-5.

Q13. A score of 4×5 = 20 means:

Solution: A score of 20 falls into the Extreme Risk category (17-25).

Q14. DGMS is part of which Ministry?

Solution: DGMS functions under the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India.

Q15. The key advantage of using a risk calculator is:

Solution: It provides a numerical score, allowing for a more objective comparison and prioritization of risks.

Q16. The output of risk calculator helps in:

Solution: By ranking risks, management can focus resources on controlling the most critical hazards first.

Q17. Which of the following is NOT a risk parameter in the standard calculation?

Solution: Load is a factor that might contribute to a hazard but is not one of the two primary parameters in the Risk = L x S calculation.

Q18. Risk register should be reviewed:

Solution: Regular review, often weekly in safety meetings, is crucial to track controls and identify new risks.

Q19. The risk calculator aligns with which DGMS document?

Solution: Risk assessment using tools like the calculator is a fundamental part of developing and implementing the SMP.

Q21. Severity level “Major” means:

Solution: "Major" severity (Score 4) typically corresponds to serious injuries resulting in permanent disability.

Q22. The highest likelihood rating is:

Solution: "Almost certain" (Score 5) represents the highest frequency or probability of occurrence.

Q23. DGMS promotes risk calculator use to:

Solution: The calculator is a tool to implement and strengthen a proactive, risk-based approach to safety management.

Q24. Risk = 4×4 = 16 indicates:

Solution: A score of 16 falls within the High Risk category (10-16).

Q25. The campaign supports which type of management?

Solution: The Risk Calculator is fundamentally a tool for improving Safety Management.

🔗 INTERNAL LINKS

Related Topic	Read More On...
Take 5 Safety	Take 5 (Personal Risk Assessment) – DGMS Safety Practice
Safety Management Plan	Integrated Safety Management Plan for Coal & Metal Mines
Risk Matrix	Risk Matrix, TARP & Behavioural Safety
Accident Reporting	Accident Reporting, Hazard ID & Risk Management

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