Critical Risk Management is the process of identifying, analysing and controlling Critical Risks which in the mining industry are generally risks that can lead to a single fatality or multiple fatality outcome.

Risks with significant environmental, community, financial and reputational impacts may also be classed as Critical.

Other terms for Critical Risks within the mining industry include: 

• Material Unwanted Events
• Priority Unwanted Events
• Catastrophic Hazards
• Material Risks

The purpose of a Broad Brush Risk Assessment (also known as a Baseline Risk Assessment) is to look across the organisation or site to identify Critical Risks. 

The Broad Brush Risk Assessment is commonly completed using a Workplace Risk Assessment and Control (WRAC) methodology.

A robust broad Brush Risk Assessment consists of the following elements:

• Scoping section which describes:
  • Context (internal, external)
  • Scope (process, geography, stakeholders, timeline)
  • Materiality criteria/consequences of interest
  • External influences
  • Consequences of interest
  • Internal and external requirements
• Process Map/Process Diagram
• Risk Analysis Table which includes an assessment of:
  • Description of the unwanted event
  • Risk owner
  • Maximum consequence
  • Current controls
  • Likelihood of unwanted event
  • Consequence types 
  • Risk ranking
  • Recommendations/additional controls

• Action Plan

A Bowtie analysis is a type of risk assessment used to analyse Critical Risks 

Specifically it is intended to:

• Clarify the definition of the the loss of control event (e.g. surface fire)
• Identify the causes of the loss of control event (e.g. lightning strike)
• Identify the controls and Critical Controls that prevent the cause leading to the unwanted event (e.g. lightning protection device)
• Identify the consequences of the loss of control event (e.g. destruction of surface buildings)
• Identify the controls and Critical Controls that prevent the loss of control event resulting in the consequence (e.g. fire sprinkler system)

For more information on Bowtie Analysis please see this article.

The Bowtie Analysis is important because it enables the mine to identify causes, and consequences of a Critical Risk, and the controls and Critical Controls required to prevent or mitigate the impacts of the Critical Risk.