Recently completed projects

Expected results:

The main outcomes will be the identification of critical properties/factors that should be measured at a mine site and the development of a set of relationships so that nozzle design/positioning, spray properties, etc. can be matched correctly to the dust and on-site conditions for a specific location, so that dust suppression (dust control) efficiency can be maximised.

This will provide the industry with best practice guidelines and allow for a more accurate engineering approach to the design and application of water spraying dust suppression systems in coal mines (with minimal water consumption).

Properties studied including dust particle size distribution, dust concentration, particle composition (via sampling), air velocity, droplet size distribution, droplet concentration, droplet velocity and spray flow rate (water usage) will become part of a database of information that can be used as reference material in future design guidelines.

Expected results:

This research will provide valuable information for organisations about the challenges and benefits of introducing and implementing a healthy weight framework and initiative into the workplace.

This project has anticipated outcomes of a reduction in weight at the individual level, but importantly the project is about mine site ownership and engagement in the entire RESHAPE process. The process involves consultation with employees and selecting interventions that best-fit the workforce and site needs is necessary to ensure sustainability.

Attention must also be given to embedding this practice into health and safety organisation policy. There are also subsequent health benefits of a healthier workforce at the company level and overflow benefits to family and coal mining communities. The literature indicates a reduction in prevalence of overweight and obesity would lead to significant social and economic benefits for individuals, the community and the workplace.

Research results include dissemination of findings at a mine level, in academic peer reviewed journals and at appropriate industry relevant conferences.

Expected results:

At present, it is not clear how the existing standards for safe workplace exposure to coal dust have been generated, with the literature and the evidence upon which they are based pre-dating current mining practices. The advancement of coal technology, from the coalface to techniques of preparation, has not been replicated and/or complemented by a consistent development of supporting guidelines for safe exposures to PM along the handling and transportation chain.

It is unknown if Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) protocols appropriately incorporate the levels of exposure to different types of coal dust (e.g. fines and tailings). Coal dust type will differ (e.g. chemical elements and compounds) due to coal seam composition variation and mining method (e.g. long wall vs open-cut mining). Coal dust type will also have different levels of effects on respiratory health, depending on the dust constituent properties, concentration and duration of exposure.

We will address these important issues and define improved, evidence-based standards for safe exposure to different types of coal dust in Australian mining sites and transport and handling corridors. We will do this by characterising the biological and health effects of exposures to different types and levels of coal dust found in the workplace, from the mining source to the port and including all handling and transportation operations, with the goal of informing new regulations for re-defining risk, early identification of effects and safe PM exposures for coal and associated workers.

Expected results:

This research will provide evidence of the extent of the problem of overweight and obesity within the NSW coal mining industry. It will provide information on the current situation with regards to the management of overweight and obesity within the NSW coal mining industry at a site level, with an understanding of what weight management initiatives have been trialled, how these have been received by employees, how they have been evaluated and measured and what outcomes have been achieved at a site level.

This research will provide valuable information about the challenges and benefits of current weight management initiatives within the NSW coal mining industry. This will inform implementation of appropriate programs, with a shift from an ad hoc site by site approach to engagement of key stakeholders in developing a coordinated, comprehensive, industry wide approach to the management of overweight and obesity in the future.

Expected results:

MATES in Construction has been well evaluated and been found to; have high social validity within the construction industry, improving knowledge around suicidality as well as promoting increased help seeking and help offering. The program has been associated with reduction in suicide rates in the Queensland construction industry against the state trend over the same period. This project will test the transferability of MATES in Construction to the mining industry as an ongoing industry based and run mental health and suicide prevention program. Program evaluation will focus on showing improved mental health, help seeking and help offering as well as improved mental health literacy amongst the workforce. The project will also seek to show reduced stigma around suicide and mental health issues generally across the industry.