What is the difference between 'hazard' and 'risk' in the NSW mining context?

What is the difference between 'hazard' and 'risk' in the NSW mining context?

• A. A hazard is a source of potential harm; risk is the combination of likelihood and consequence of that harm.
• B. Hazard is always safe; risk means harm.
• C. Hazard means danger present now; risk means probability of injury.
• D. Hazard is the same as risk; no difference.

Answer: (A)

In mining safety, a hazard is any source or condition with the potential to cause harm. It’s about the possibility of harm existing, not that harm is happening right now. Risk, however, is about how likely that harm is to occur and how severe it would be if it does occur. It combines likelihood and consequence to give a measure of how serious the potential harm is in practice. In the NSW mining context, you identify hazards first, then assess risk to determine where to apply controls. For example, a loose roof is a hazard because it could cause a rockfall. The risk is the chance of a fall occurring and the severity of the injury or damage if it happens, which helps decide what safety measures are needed. Controls such as rock bolting, supports, or exclusion zones reduce risk by lowering either the likelihood of the harm or the consequence, or both. The other descriptions either suggest hazards are safe, equate hazard with risk, or imply risk is only about present danger or only the probability of injury. Those do not capture the essential distinction that risk requires both likelihood and consequence, whereas a hazard is just the potential source of harm.

In mining safety, a hazard is any source or condition with the potential to cause harm. It’s about the possibility of harm existing, not that harm is happening right now. Risk, however, is about how likely that harm is to occur and how severe it would be if it does occur. It combines likelihood and consequence to give a measure of how serious the potential harm is in practice.

In the NSW mining context, you identify hazards first, then assess risk to determine where to apply controls. For example, a loose roof is a hazard because it could cause a rockfall. The risk is the chance of a fall occurring and the severity of the injury or damage if it happens, which helps decide what safety measures are needed. Controls such as rock bolting, supports, or exclusion zones reduce risk by lowering either the likelihood of the harm or the consequence, or both.

The other descriptions either suggest hazards are safe, equate hazard with risk, or imply risk is only about present danger or only the probability of injury. Those do not capture the essential distinction that risk requires both likelihood and consequence, whereas a hazard is just the potential source of harm.