Battery Recycling & Materials Recovery worked example

Battery Fire Risk Score with thermal event severity score of 4 score: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop thermal event severity score to 4 score, then walk the calculation through step by step. Score battery fire risk from thermal severity, likelihood of occurrence, and detection or control weakness for a lot or process step.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Thermal event severity score: 4 score (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 8)
  • Fire occurrence likelihood score: 6 score (held at the documented default)
  • Detection/control weakness score: 7 score (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Battery fire risk score = severity score × 40% + occurrence score × 35% + detection/control weakness score × 25%.
  • Battery fire risk score works out to 5.45 risk score at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Thermal event severity works out to 4 score at these inputs.
  • Fire occurrence likelihood works out to 6 score at these inputs.
  • Detection/control weakness works out to 7 score at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where thermal event severity score sits at 8 score and the headline result is 7.05 risk score, this scenario comes in 22.7% below the baseline at 5.45 risk score.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to thermal event severity score, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It is a relative ranking tool, not an absolute probability — a 7.05 does not mean a 70.5% chance of fire, and scores are only comparable when every input uses the same rubric.

Results at a glance

  • Battery fire risk score: 5.45 risk score (headline result)
  • Thermal event severity: 4 score
  • Fire occurrence likelihood: 6 score
  • Detection/control weakness: 7 score

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Battery Fire Risk Score calculator, set thermal event severity score to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.