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Objectives: Non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 71% of deaths in 2021. The chronic and pervasive nature of these diseases spurs the need for novel treatment approaches, including using the workplace as a front for the promotion and dissemination of health messages and activities. Taking this into consideration, this study aimed to assess the efficacy of a workplace health promotion program that targeted nutrition, physical activity, and obesity outcomes in a New South Wales (NSW) coal mine site. Design: A 12-week quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test study. Setting: A coal mine site in rural NSW, Australia. Participants: At baseline there were n = 389 participants, with similar numbers at follow-up (n = 420) as well as 61 participants from both timepoints (8.2% repeated measures), with 89% of participants being male. Intervention: A multicomponent wellness intervention was implemented incorporating aspects of education, goal setting, and competition. Outcomes: Physical activity, nutrition, and weight. Results: The mean BMI at baseline was 30.01 kg/m2, and at follow-up 29.79 kg/m2 (p = 0.39). At follow-up, participants reported 81% lower odds of engaging in the exercise category 'no moderate physical exercise' (OR = 0.09, p < 0.001), as well as 111% higher odds of meeting physical activity and exercise guidelines (OR = 2.11, p = 0.057). There were no changes to diet outcomes and no association between employment characteristics and participating in physical activity. Conclusions: Workplace health promotion programs can be an efficacious strategy in improving physical activity outcomes and marginally improving weight outcomes in those in the mining industry. Further research is needed to determine the true effectiveness of these programs long-term, particularly in an environment as challenging and dynamic as the mining industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2014, a fire at an open cut coal mine in South-eastern Australia burned for about 6 weeks. Residents of the adjacent town were exposed to high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during this period. Three and a half years after the event, this study aimed to investigate potential long-term impacts of short-term exposure to coal mine fire smoke on asthma. A cross-sectional analysis was undertaken in a group of exposed participants with asthma from Morwell (n = 165) and a group of unexposed participants with asthma from the control town of Sale (n = 64). Exposure was determined by modeled PM2.5 data for the mine fire period. Respiratory symptoms were assessed with a validated respiratory health questionnaire and symptom severity score. Asthma control was assessed with a validated questionnaire. Lung function testing included spirometry, bronchodilator response, and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide. There was no evidence that exposed participants had more severe asthma symptoms, worse lung function, or more eosinophilic airway inflammation than unexposed participants. However, there was some evidence that Morwell participants had more uncontrolled than well-controlled asthma, compared to the participants from Sale (adjusted relative risk ratio 2.71 95% CI: 1.02, 7.21, p =.046). Three and a half years after exposure, coal mine fire smoke did not appear to be associated with more severe asthma symptoms or worse lung function but might be associated with poorer asthma control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for coking coal in international trade is determined mainly by demand from the steel industry, which, in turn, is dependent on the global economic situation and the condition of the steel market. Business cycles in commodity markets are normal, but in the 21st century the good and bad times in the global coal market have shortened, and the amplitudes of price fluctuations have been much greater than they used to be. China, as the world's biggest producer and consumer of coking coals, and at the same time the largest importer and major participant in the Asian spot market, played a leading role in these events. On the supply side, the main factor for these events is the concentration of production of premium hard coals on the east coast of Australia (in Queensland), in an area exposed to strong weather conditions (floods, hurricanes). Australia's share of coal supply to the international metallurgical coal market (seaborne) is about 60%. Coal prices on the international market are mainly shaped by the relationships between Australian suppliers and Asian customers. The increased share of China and India in global coking coal trade has weakened the bargaining power of Japanese giant companies in benchmark price negotiations. Using the example of FOB prices of the Australian Premium HCC, the article shows how prices in metallurgical coal trade have evolved (in a long time horizon) against the background of market conditions. It also describes how the ongoing changes have affected the way benchmark prices are set in international coking coal trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overweight and obesity has reach pandemic levels, with two-thirds (67%) of adult Australians classified as overweight or obese. As two of the most significant behavioral risk factors for obesity are modifiable (diet and exercise), there exists an opportunity for treatment through workplace health promotion initiatives. As one of Australia's largest industries with its own unique workplace factors, the mining industry has previously reported higher than population levels of overweight and obesity. This represented an opportune setting to test the RESHAPE workplace wellness program. RESHAPE is an eight-step framework (based on the WHO 'Health Workplace Framework and Model') which aims to provide a sustained approach to wellness in the workplace. This paper presents baseline findings from a pilot study that aimed to implement RESHAPE at three mine sites in NSW, Australia, and investigates the issue of overweight and obesity in the coal mining industry. Across three mine sites, 949 coal miners were examined cross-sectionally on a range of workplace, wellness, health, diet, and exercise factors using a paper-based survey. This was a predominantly male sample (90.4%) with the majority (59.2%) of participants aged 25–44 years. Self-reported height and weight measures indicated that less than 20 percent (18.9%) of participants were in a healthy BMI range, while there were effectively equal numbers of overweight (40.9%) and obese (39.1%) participants. Only 3.5% of participants met the daily recommendation for vegetables (5 serves) and shift-workers had greater association with elevated BMI compared to non-shift workers (B = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.23, 2.20, p = 0.016). Poor nutrition is likely to be a key component in elevated levels of overweight and obesity within this industry, with workplace factors compounding challenges workers face in implementing health behavior change. Future studies would benefit from assessing diet and physical activity knowledge in relation to recommendations and serving sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To stop global warming at well below 2° C, the bulk of the world’s fossil fuel reserves will have to be left in the ground. Coal is the fossil fuel with the greatest proportion that cannot be used, and various advocacy groups are campaigning for a ban on the opening of new coal mines. Recently, both China and the USA implemented temporary moratoria on the approval of new coal mining leases. This article examines whether these coal mining bans reflect the emergence of a global norm to keep coal under the ground. To that end, we review recent coal mining policies in the four largest coal producers and explain them comparatively with a framework based on interests, ideas and institutions. We find that the norm of keeping coal in the ground remains essentially contested. Even in those countries that have introduced some form of a coal mining moratorium, the ban can easily be, or has already been, reversed. To the extent that the norm of keeping coal in the ground has momentum, it is primarily due to non-climate reasons: the Chinese moratorium was mostly an instance of industrial policy (aiming to protect Chinese coal companies and their workers from the overcapacity and low prices that are hitting the industry), while the USA’s lease restrictions were mainly motivated by concerns over fiscal justice. We do not find evidence of norm internalisation, which means that the emerging norm fails to gain much traction amid relevant national actors and other (large) coal producing states. If proponents of a moratorium succeed in framing the issue in non-climate terms, they should have a greater chance of building domestic political coalitions in favour of the norm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The popularity of non-mechanically agitated flotation machines (flotation columns) has varied significantly over the last fifty years. There are various philosophies on the use of column flotation. These range from support of the concept of all column flotation plants, to the opposite extreme where the risks are considered to outweigh any potential gains of column flotation. The majority of mineral processing engineers support the installation of columns based on a logical appraisal. In the Australian coal industry, where flotation columns have almost total dominance, the use of anything other than a column would be questioned. Column flotation is also largely the dominant flotation technology in the coal industry in the USA and China, the phosphate industry in the USA and Brazil and the iron ore industry in Brazil. These areas of dominance represent a substantial installed column capacity, but even so are restricted to specific geographic areas and commodities. Within the base metals industry flotation columns are generally accepted in the smaller capacity cleaner roles worldwide. It should be noted that a number of flotation column installations have been dismal failures, but they represent only a fraction of total column installed capacity. This paper provides an analysis of over 4000 installed flotation columns, contained in the Amec Foster Wheeler flotation database. Changing trends in column flotation use by type, commodity and geographical region are reviewed. The reasons for the numerous rises and falls in column flotation use are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the process of industry-wide OHS/safety information management in the Australian coal industry. It uses as a case study the novel RISKGATE interactive database that has been created as part of collaborative efforts between multiple coal mining industry stakeholders over the last five years. The RISKGATE database operates within both the information systems and organisational learning models of knowledge management, capturing inter-organisational expert knowledge and facilitating dissemination to field practitioners through the medium of a digital web-based tool. This discussion will utilise variations of the Data–Information–Knowledge–Wisdom (DIKW) hierarchy as a means of interrogating, firstly, the process of how the various industry stakeholders codify their tacit knowledge on safety issues in the coal mining industry; and secondly, how that data is then made available through the RISKGATE database to practitioners (and others) working in the field. While Frické (2009, 131) thinks the DIKW hierarchy out-dated by reason of its ‘philosophical backdrops of operationalism and inductivism’ amongst other problems, we believe it still has relevance if considered a dynamic entity and not a fixed hierarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steelmaking relies on iron ore and metallurgical coal as main ingredients, the trade of which is hypothesized to theoretically change in tandem. However, strong correlation is not evident in historical trade prices of steelmaking inputs. To determine causes to this occurrence, the market factors that influence the Australian iron ore and metallurgical coal industries were studied. Data was collected over the past decade for worldwide resource production and trade quantities of crude steel, iron ore, and metallurgical coal. The data was analysed to reveal trends, allowing examination of the macroeconomic trade of metallurgical coal and iron ore with relation to worldwide and country specific steel production. It was determined that the influential growth of China's steel production has spurred the growth of worldwide iron ore demand, which was met with increased production and supply, from Australia. The increased metallurgical coal demand has been met with increased production within China locally. Measures of supply elasticity were created for worldwide iron ore and metallurgical coal trade, where comparisons between Australia's industries to the relevant greatest competitor were examined. The results, along with respective resource production data, highlighted the elevated competitive position that Australian iron ore producers enjoy compared to metallurgical coal producers. Trade characteristics revealed the different market structures that iron ore and metallurgical coal industries operate in, prompting a discussion of the effects these markets have on the two Australian industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, Coal Seam Gas (CSG) is a relatively new source of natural gas commonly advocated as a lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions alternative to coal. This study investigates how GHG emissions have been, and potentially could be, assessed within the Australian CSG industry. The research involved a document analysis of several Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) and consultant reports prepared as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for major CSG projects in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland (Qld). There were found to be inconsistencies in the conduct of greenhouse assessment by the CSG industry, including how complete and transparent assessments were, as well as how effectively they addressed project emission intensity and cumulative impacts. There were also found to be large inconsistencies between assessments carried out for Qld projects and those for NSW projects, likely because of differences in how assessment requirements are applied by planning bodies. This study also highlights how alternative assessment approaches, such as Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), have potential to enable a broader and more consistent understanding of emission sources that cross a range of geographical and project boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climatic change is driving research and development in low emissions technologies. One such technology is the use of charcoal from biomass in steelmaking. This paper adapts social life cycle assessment methodologies to analyse the social dimensions of energy supply alternatives in steelmaking using regionalised production scenarios in Australia. Three energy supply alternatives are investigated: charcoal produced from Radiata pine plantation forestry; charcoal produced from Mallee eucalypt revegetation on agricultural land; and metallurgical coal. Impact indicators analysed include land-use, employment, workplace health & safety and a qualitative analysis of identified stakeholder issues. The research finds that biomass alternatives are significant generators of direct employment at the regional level; have concomitantly higher rates of workplace injuries and represent a significant change in land-use. Charcoal produced from Mallee biomass planted as a conservation measure on farmland, however, has the benefit of representing a shared land-use that provides an additional farm revenue stream and assists dryland salinity management. The paper finds that full substitution of coal by pine or Mallee charcoal does not provide a unique solution for optimising the social performance of the energy supply alternatives across all indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers world news briefs related to shipping, shipbuilding and ports as of March 2013. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has authorised coal producers to negotiate collectively with port operator Gladstone Ports Corp. Filipino legislators have submitted bills that would establish the Maritime Industry Authority as the only agency to implement global standards on seafarers. Japan's coastal shipping policy aims to meet carbon dioxide reduction goals.

The article discusses examples of collective organising based on the author's participation in Rising Tide Newcastle from 2006 to 2008 and at Climate Camp 2008 and in the aftermath of the climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark. It states that Rising Tide is an example of the interplay between process and personality between individual empowerment and collective action. It mentions that Rising Tide can be considered effective because it dented the reputation of the coal industry in the Hunter Valley and New South Wales. According to the article, collective action in climate activism in Australia is more poignant after the Copenhagen talks.

Abstract: Coal exports are an important source of revenue for Australia and for this reason Australian coal production and resources have been examined in detail and two recoverable resource estimates determined namely Standard and High. The Standard case calculated the likely recoverable coal resources in Australia to be 317Gt, whereas the High scenario determined the maximal amount of recoverable coal resources at 367Gt. Different modelling approaches (Logistic, Gompertz, Static and Dynamic supply and demand models) were used to project fossil fuel production and the projections of the relative approaches were compared. Good agreement was found between the Logistic, Static and Dynamic supply and demand models with production peaking in 2119±6 at between 1.9 and 3.3Gt/y. Contrasting these projections the Gompertz curves peak in 2084±5 at 1–1.1Gt/y. It was argued that the Logistic, Static and Dynamic models are more likely to produce accurate projections than the Gompertz curve. The production forecast is based on existing technology and constraints and a qualitative discussion is presented on possible influences on future production, namely: export capacity, climate change, overburden management, environmental and social impacts and export market issues. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper examines the hypothesis that there is a single economic market for the international steam coal industry and investigates the degree of steam coal market integration over time. A regression test of convergence is employed to test for group convergence within a panel of steam coal exporting countries. The long-run relations between international steam coal prices are tested through cointegration analysis and the Kalman Filter analysis is employed to examine the convergence path of the price series. Monthly Free on Board (F.O.B.) prices for Australia, China, Colombia, Indonesia, Poland and South Africa between January 1995 and July 2007 are used. Considering the outcomes of the three econometric techniques as a whole, we conclude that the international steam coal market is generally integrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation of a fine coal circuits (1.4 to 0.1 mm size fraction) into plants has raised the issue of the efficiency of size classification at separation sizes in the region of 0.1 mm. Recent work with centrifuges with laser cut screens has indicated they have shown not only good dewatering capabilities but also provide potential for rapid size classification in the size range of interest. An Australian Coal Association Research Program funded project resulted in a detailed investigation of this potential. The experimental results suggest that this type of unit provides a different classification capability that could assist in particular plant situations. The results have been able to be analyzed and described with a general model for size classification that has incorporated the possibility of particle capture in the bed of oversize particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australian coal industry operates a large number of draglines, with more than 30 draglines by the BHPBilliton Mitsubishi Alliance alone. The average age of the fleet is ∼25 years. Although some of the machines have passed their design life, there is pressure to increase the duty and extend their operational life. Unfortunately several large mining structures have recently collapsed, due to fatigue related component failures. It is desirable that tools for assessing and monitoring the structural health of draglines be developed if they are to be managed safely and economically. The use of piezoceramics to produce Lamb waves for use in damage detection has been reported by numerous authors [SPIE, 3044 (1997), 186]. These devices are used to detect damage at the high end of the frequency spectrum, i.e. ∼1 MHz. Lamb waves can propagate over long distances, giving the possibility of inspecting several metres of structure in a single test. This paper will show that by using ultrasonic waves, and by studying both the diffraction pattern and the reflected waves, we can both detect and size cracking in a typical weld cluster. This technique has the advantage that it can be performed automatically without increased downtime or the need to continually access hard to reach regions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents information on the coal trade in Australia. Identification of the coal industry as the largest export industry in Australia; Details on economist Luke Gower in reference to Australia-Japan coal trade; Discussion on Australia's trade relations with Japan.

Explains why the basic laws of supply and demand apply to the Australia-Japan coal trade. Concerns about Japan's de facto conglomerates.

Examines Australian-Japan trade relations in the coal industry. Taylor Report; Trade theory and Australian policy.

The article discusses Australian scientists' criticism of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the expansion to the coal port terminal in Abbot Point, Queensland, referencing an article co-authored by spatial information scientist Alana Grech in the journal "Conservation Letters."

The article details the decision of the Australian government to approve the expansion of existing coal port at Adani Group's Abbot Point near Bowen in north Queensland, provided that the dredge spoils are property disposed.

The article reports on the rejection of the Australian Coal Association (ACA) on the comments attributed to it showing support for a set of timetable for carbon emission trading. According to Mark O'Neill, ACA executive director, the position of their organization had been enormously misreported and misrepresented. He contended that position of ACA remains that the most valuable contribution the country could make for the immediate future would be to invest heavily in research, development and demonstration of low emission technologies for fossil fuels and renewable energy.