Mining Industry In Australia Research Articles

P015 Sleep hygiene and sleep health of mining shift workers in Australia

Abstract Introduction The Australian mining industry operates 24/7/365 days per year, with operations often located in remote areas. This requires fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) shift workers to follow a roster-based work schedule and reside in camp accommodations between consecutive shifts. Initial research reported sleep difficulties in this population. This study evaluated sleep hygiene and sleep health and their respective relationships in FIFO shift workers in the mining industry in Australia. Methods Employing a cross-sectional study design, an online survey was disseminated between June 2023 and February 2024. Sleep hygiene was assessed using the Sleep Hygiene Index and sleep health was assessed using the Sleep Health Index. The sample comprised 488 respondents (139 females, average age: 39±12 years, average BMI: 28±5 kg/m2). Results Findings revealed average scores of 30±7 for the Sleep Hygiene Index and 73±16 for the Sleep Health Index. Better sleep hygiene was associated with better sleep health (β=-0.52, se=0.10, [-0.72, -0.33], p<0.05). Differences in Sleep Health Index scores were found between engagement frequencies for sleep hygiene practices related to sleep regularity, sleep environment, mental health, and time in bed (p<0.05 for all). No differences in Sleep Health Index scores were found between engagement frequencies for sleep hygiene practices related to substance consumption and exercise close to bedtime (p≥0.05 for all). Discussion This study suggests that shift workers in the mining industry may improve their sleep health by improving their sleep hygiene. Specifically, greater emphasis should be placed on improving sleep regularity, sleep environment, mental health, and time in bed.

Coal mining noise in Australia

Noise pollution in open-cut coal mines in NSW is of great concern and affects large numbers of local communities. The management of noise from coal mines has evolved considerably over the last 30 years, in part due to the significant improvement in mobile fleet sound power levels due to new technology and leading practice noise attenuation components. The mining industry in Australia has also developed an innovative way of managing environmental noise driven by the use of proactive noise management systems. Most large open-cut mining operators in NSW have in recent years adopted and successfully implemented proactive noise management systems to assist with managing noise levels during periods of noise-enhancing meteorological conditions. The system allows the mine operator to prepare and adjust operations to reduce noise levels as far as reasonably and feasibly practical in the event anticipated adverse meteorological conditions are experienced. This paper describes the evolution of the regulatory process, the industry response and the key factors that have shaped the changes.

Multiple health-related behaviours among Fly-In Fly-Out workers in the mining industry in Australia: A cross-sectional survey during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundFly-In-Fly-Out (FIFO) workers travel to work at isolated locations, and rotate continuous workdays with leave periods at home, and such work practice is common in the offshore oil and gas and onshore mining industry worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying public health actions appear to have had a negative impact on several health-related behaviours among the general population. However, little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health behaviours of FIFO workers, who have shown higher pre-pandemic rates of risky behaviours than the general population in Australia. This study examined the health-related behaviours of FIFO workers in the mining industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. FIFO workers from an Australian mining company who underwent COVID-19 screening between May and November 2020 completed an online survey about their regular health-related behaviours. The independent sample t-test and Pearson’s chi-square test where appropriate were conducted to examine the differences between males and females for the behavioural outcomes.ResultsA total of 768 FIFO workers (633 males and 135 females) participated in the study. Prevalence of smoking was high (32%). Males smoked more cigarettes per day than females (15.2±7.0 vs 13.1±7.1, p = .174). Most participants (74.7%) drank alcohol on more than two days per week. Compared to females, more males (20.2% vs 8.0%) consumed alcohol at short-term harmful levels (p = .010). About a third (34.4%) of the workers (33.5% of males and 38.5% of females, p = .264) engaged in inadequate moderate-vigorous exercises/physical activity. About a third (33.1%) of workers (33.7% of males and 30.4% of females; p = .699) had multiple risk behaviours.ConclusionsPrevalence of multiple risk behaviours was high. Interventions aimed at the prevention of risky health-related behaviours should target the different behavioural patterns and may require emphasis on gender-informed techniques particularly when addressing alcohol consumption.

Cost of Health-Related Work Productivity Loss among Fly-In Fly-Out Mining Workers in Australia.

Sufficient knowledge on the work productivity impact of the health of fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers in the mining sector in Australia is lacking. This study examined the impact of health and lifestyle behaviours on the work productivity of FIFO workers in the mining industry in Australia. FIFO workers completed an online questionnaire on health and work productivity loss measures. Linear regressions were used to model annual work productivity losses through absenteeism, presenteeism and total productivity loss. Workers with a high risk for health conditions were, on average, associated with 3.87% more productivity loss (absenteeism: 1.27% and presenteeism: 2.88%) than those with low risk. Workers who had multiple health risks classified as medium (3–4 health conditions) and high (5 or more health conditions) reported 1.75% and 7.46% more total productivity loss, respectively, than those with fewer multiple health risks (0–2 health conditions). Health conditions were estimated to account for an annual additional productivity cost due to absenteeism of AUD 8.82 million, presenteeism of AUD 14.08 million and a total productivity loss of AUD 20.96 million per 1000 workers. FIFO workers with high health risks experience more absenteeism, presenteeism and overall productivity loss. These measures provide strong economic justifications that could support the need for targeted workplace health interventions.

Health and related behaviours of fly-in fly-out workers in the mining industry in Australia: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundFly-In Fly-Out (FIFO), which entails travelling mostly from the urban areas to stay and work in remote areas for designated periods and travel back home to spend designated days of leave, has become a common work arrangement in the mining sector globally. This study examined the mental and physical health of FIFO workers and described their health-related behaviours during on-and off-shift periods.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with FIFO workers (N = 216) in the mining industry in Australia who completed an online survey. Paired t-test and McNemer’s analysis examined the differences in health-related behaviours during workers’ on-and off-shift days. Logistic regression examined the predictors of physical health and psychological distress status of FIFO workers.ResultsWorkers reported longer sleep duration (7.5 ± 1.5 h vs 6.3 ± 1.2 h, p < 0.001) and better sleep quality (78.2% vs 46.3%, p < 0.001) during off-shift nights than on on-shift nights. Smoking prevalence was 26.4%, and workers reported smoking a similar number of cigarettes per day during on-and off-shift days. Most workers reported drinking alcohol (86.1%) and more often at risky levels during off-shift than on-shift days (57.9% vs 34.3%, p < 0.001). Fruits and vegetable consumption was low but with higher vegetable intake during off-shift days (2.8 ± 1.4 vs 2.3 ± 1.3 serves, p < 0.001). Workers had good physical health status (91.2%), but 71.4% were overweight/obese and 33.4% indicated high levels of psychological distress. Working on long shifts (OR 6.63, 95% CI 1.84–23.91) and smoking (OR 7.17, 95% CI 2.67–19.26) were linked to high psychological distress.ConclusionsThe prevalence of psychological distress and risky health behaviours was high. Interventions should aim to reduce psychological distress and support multiple behaviour changes, considering FIFO work-related characteristics including long shift hours.

The relationship between neoliberal ideology and state practice: corporate power in the Australian mining industry

ABSTRACT This article explores the relationship between neoliberal ideology and ‘actually existing neoliberalism’. Critical scholarship on neoliberalism identifies significant discrepancies between neoliberal ideology and neoliberal state practice in advanced economies, but struggles to account for the exact relationship between ideology and practice. Through a critical reading of neoliberal thinker Milton Friedman, I propose two hypotheses. Firstly, I argue that access to power resources determine which social actors are able to successfully resist neoliberal reform, and therefore that attention to power relations can account for the variegated, uneven development of neoliberalism. Secondly, I suggest neoliberal reforms limiting the role of government have allowed corporate actors to accrue unprecedented economic and political power, which is leveraged by corporations to create increasingly pro-corporate, but often anti-neoliberal, forms of economic regulation. I test my hypotheses by examining the regulation of the mining industry in Australia from 2009 to 2019, finding strong support for both claims.

Mental Well-Being during COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study of Fly-In Fly-Out Workers in the Mining Industry in Australia

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has devastated the world, and its mental health impact has been recognized in the general population. However, little is known about the mental health impact of COVID-19 on fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers, who are flown to temporarily stay and work in remote areas, during this pandemic. This study examined the mental well-being of FIFO workers in the mining industry during COVID-19 restrictions in Western Australia. An online survey was conducted between May to November 2020 among (N = 842) FIFO workers who underwent COVID-19 screening at a large mining company in Western Australia. The mental well-being score among workers was higher than population norms. One-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc tests showed significant differences in mental well-being by age, being placed under travel quarantine, undertaking self-isolation, impact of social distance guidelines, and experience of COVID-19 related symptoms. Multiple linear regression analysis showed workers who were younger, placed under travel quarantine and experienced two or more COVID-19 related symptoms were more likely to have worse mental well-being. Acknowledging the negative emotions and distress experiences among the vulnerable groups could help in providing suitable support to help lessen these negative experiences in FIFO workers.

Australian evidence on analysts' cash flow forecasts: issuance, accuracy and usefulness

AbstractThis study examines the factors affecting the issuance, accuracy and usefulness of analysts' cash flow forecasts (CFFs) in Australia. Given the economic importance of the mining industry in Australia, we find that analysts are likely to provide CFFs for mining firms with poor financial health and high default risk. In contrast, analysts' provision of CFFs increases with the degree of financial health for non‐mining firms. The determinants of the issuance and accuracy of analysts' CFFs also differ in pre‐ and post‐IFRS adoption periods. Our results add new evidence on the effect of IFRS adoption on analysts' cash flow forecasting behaviours.

Correlates of psychological distress among workers in the mining industry in remote Australia: Evidence from a multi-site cross-sectional survey.

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of psychological distress in employees in the metalliferous mining industry in Australia, and to examine associated demographic, health, and workplace characteristics. A cross sectional survey was conducted among 1,799 participants from four metalliferous mines. Psychological distress was measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), alongside other measures of personal demographics, health history, health behaviour, and workplace characteristics. Univariate and multivariate statistical methods were used to examine associations between psychological distress and personal and workplace characteristics. Levels of moderate to very high psychological distress were significantly higher in this sample (44.4%) compared to the general population (27.2%). Moderate to very high psychological distress was significantly associated with younger age; individual health factors (a prior history of depression, anxiety, or drug/alcohol problems); health behaviours (using illicit drugs in the last month); and a range of workplace factors (concern about losing their job; lower satisfaction with work; working shifts of over 12 hours duration; working in mining for financial reasons and social factors (poorer social networks). The identification of a number of social, personal and workplace factors associated with high psychological distress present useful targets to inform the development of tailored workplace interventions to reduce distress in metalliferous mine employees.

Enhancing corporate entrepreneurship: an empirical test of Stevenson's conceptualisation of entrepreneurial management

Although Stevenson's conceptualisation of opportunity-based entrepreneurial management is widely utilised and cited, less theoretical and empirical attention has been given to this framework in relation to corporate entrepreneurship (corporate entrepreneurial outputs), reflecting a firm's intensity of engagement in innovation in products and services, venturing activities and strategic renewal. We hypothesised the impact of the sub-dimensions of entrepreneurial management on corporate entrepreneurship. Our observation of 298 firms providing products and services to the mining industry of Australia and Iran indicates that the underlying dimensions differently affect corporate entrepreneurship. The results also provide useful insights into the boundary conditions of Stevenson's notion of opportunity-based management style.

Economic Impact Analysis of Automated Mines in Australia

The purpose of this work is to provide economic evaluation of a transformative innovation in the open cut mining industry in Australia. The innovative technology reviewed in this case study is mostly focused on Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs) that, according to experts, can provide the most significant contribution to productivity improvement (Durrant-Whyte et.al, 2007). This study looks at automation of the full supply chain, which has the potential to improve the whole planning process of handling minerals, from the drilling stage through haulage by automated trucks, to the loading and transfer of minerals at ports. Although the contribution of each operation in the supply chain involving automated mining was analysed separately, this document provides evidence that having a full end-to-end automated mine can significantly reduce production costs and increase productivity, even allowing for a relatively slow adoption rate over a 20-year timeframe by the mining industry in Australia. The mining industry has an important role in Australian economic growth. According to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), in 2011 the value of resource exports rose by 16%, accounting for 2 percentage points of the 5.5% growth in nominal GDP over the year to December (RBA, 2012). While the volume of export capacity did not change significantly (only increasing by 1%), the prices of minerals have steadily increased in the last 30 years. This gap between the value and volume of export growth can be addressed by technological solutions to increase productivity. Any technological solution that can increase mining production volume would yield a significant increase in value, which in turn would increase Australia’s GDP. This study found that four major minerals account for 98.9% of Australia’s export capacity: coal, iron ore, bauxite and copper ore. Our findings suggest that in 2013, if 3% of Australian mines had started the process of fully automating their mines, over the next 20 years, on average, every year mining revenues would increase by nearly AUD$436 million for coal, AUD$724 million for iron ore, AUD$291 million for bauxite and AUD$105 million for copper. Due to a different distribution of mines between the states, the main beneficiaries of automated coal mines would be NSW and Queensland, while WA would be the main beneficiary for automated iron ore and bauxite mines. The net present value of automating production in Australia for all four minerals over 20 years of deployment of the technology by around half of the total mines is estimated to be more than AUD$31 billion, while iron ore accounts for 47%, coal 28%, bauxite 19% and copper ore 7%. Coal mines are expected to yield a very high return on investment. In NSW coal production is expected to increase by additional 4,354 thousand tonnes in year 2032, while Queensland mines will increase their coal production by 5,844 thousand tonnes in that year. Similarly, iron ore mines in WA would increase their production by additional 11.8 megatons in 3032. This significant production increase has a very high impact on total mines revenue in the specified States above.

Systems information modeling: From file exchanges to model sharing for electrical instrumentation and control systems

Abstract The mining industry in Australia is in a period of intense introspection as it seeks to improve its productivity and competitiveness in global markets. With mining projects experiencing increasing overruns on capital expenditure, there is a need to re-examine existing business practices to address the prevailing productivity crisis that the industry is experiencing. In addressing this issue, within the context of electrical instrumentation and control systems (EICS), a case study that examines the development of a systems information model (SIM) to improve productivity during the engineering, construction, maintenance, and operations processes of a magnetite iron ore processing plant is presented and discussed. By transforming the established document oriented information exchanges that are typically used in EICS projects to a more collaborative data-sharing environment, processes were streamlined and errors, as a result of duplication and inconsistency, were significantly prevented from occurring. While still working within the restriction of discipline-specific models, the creation of a SIM is the first step towards an integrated and interoperable data without a reliance on drawings.

Taxing Resource Rents in Australia - What a Capital Idea

In this paper I use Marx’s analysis of rent to try to understand the complexities associated with the attempts to tax resource rents in Australia. My aim is to dissect ground rent (what the landlord expropriates in capitalist society by virtue of being the owner of land) into its constituent parts – absolute rent for the use of the land and what Marx calls Differential Rent I and Differential Rent II, rents which arise from different qualities in land and different levels of capital investment in land. I will also discuss monopoly rent. Economic rent in the mining industry in Australia arises in some circumstances because of the barrier to capital that is land and land ownership and the monopoly of ownership that the States and Territories have of minerals and resources. In other circumstances rent arises because of demand which pushes the price (or did before the mining boom in Australia ended in mid-2012) above its price of production and hence gives a greater than average rate of return compared to other industries. Barriers to entry (Marx’s alien forces) prevent new investment that would equalise that above average profit back towards the average. The various rent taxes of the Commonwealth and States and Territories then are attempts by the State to claw back some of the rent (surplus or above normal surplus value) flowing to mining capital. They do this either through levies independent of the production of surplus value, in the case of State and Territory royalties, or as income taxes imposed by the Commonwealth on profits arising after surplus value has been created in the process of production. The Commonwealth could take on the role of minerals landlord and demand rent from mining companies by imposing royalties on them across Australia.

Longwall automation: Delivering enabling technology to achieve safer and more productive underground mining

The ongoing need to deliver improved safety, productivity and environmental benefit in coal mining presents an open challenge as well as a powerful incentive to develop new and improved solutions. This paper assesses the critical role that enabling technologies have played in the delivery of remote and automated capability for longwall mining. A brief historical account is given to highlight key technical contributions which have influenced the direction and development of present-day longwall technology. The current state of longwall automation is discussed with particular attention drawn to the technologies that enable automated capability. Outcomes are presented from an independently conducted case study that assessed the impact that CSIRO’s LASC longwall automation research has made to the longwall mining industry in Australia. Importantly, this study reveals how uptake of this innovative technology has significantly benefitted coal mine productivity, improved working conditions for personnel and enhanced environmental outcomes. These benefits have been widely adopted with CSIRO automation technology being used in 60 per cent of all Australian underground operations. International deployment of the technology is also emerging. The paper concludes with future challenges and opportunities to highlight the ongoing scope for longwall automation research and development.

The socio-economic impact of mine industry commuting labour force on source communities

There has been considerable interest in, and often criticism of, long distance commuting (LDC), an encompassing term for the fly-in/fly-out (FIFO), drive-in/drive-out (DIDO) and bus-in/bus-out (BIBO) work arrangements utilised by the resources industry that have sustained the mining industry in Australia in recent decades. LDC workers leave their resident community and live away from home in a host community, (usually considerable distance away), returning (typically, several days or weeks later) for furlough. The majority of the academic interest has focused on the impact of LDC on the host community (the community where a person works), individual workers and their families. To date there has been limited focus on how LDC impacts on the resident community (where the LDC worker lives when not working) and where their family usually resides.This paper documents a comprehensive research project which examined the socio-economic implications of long distant commute (LDC) workforce arrangements in the resources sector for two source or resident localities and their communities in regional Australia, (as distinct from the host communities where mines operate). They are distant from mining operations, but now home to significant or growing LDC population cohorts. Focusing on two Western Australian case study sites, the project employed a multi-method, iterative approach to identify and document the size and distribution of the LDC cohort in each case study area, and the associated diverse but interrelated effects and issues. This paper reports that LDC takes considerable personal and community effort to be successful, but there are benefits to be had.

“For the benefit of Australians”: Exploring national expectations of the mining industry

This study explores expectations for mining from a national perspective. Data were collected from six workshops involving forty-seven participants. Participants were asked what objectives the onshore or offshore mining industry in Australia should achieve. Similar objectives emerged across the workshops, although higher standards were sought for offshore mining compared to onshore mining. Participants wanted mining activity to minimise environmental impacts, look after local communities, keep Australia׳s economy strong, provide employment for Australians, leave an endowment for future generations and maintain Australia׳s international standing. However, participants׳ attitudes and expectations towards the mining industry shifted as the focus of the workshop discussion changed and different social identities became salient. That is, attitudes towards mining appear to vary according to the inter-group context. Thus, to fully understand social expectations for mining it will be necessary to explore the multiple frames of reference that individuals can adopt towards the industry.

Transcending hunter gatherer pursuits while balancing customary cultural ideals with market forces of advanced western societies: Extending the traditional boundaries of Indigenous Yolngu people of the Northern Territory of Australia

As large multinationals move their operations into remote regions of the world, imperatives of social responsibility and sound business pragmatism compel engagement of the marginalized local Indigenous people. This notion is particularly relevant for the mining industry in Australia, which is undertaken in remote regions, where the local Indigenous communities are significantly socio-economically disadvantaged compared to other Australians. This article reports the job-related outcomes of Indigenous Yolngu people of East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia who were participants in a unique vocational-educational programme set up by the multinational mining company Rio Tinto Alcan. These mainline job-related outcomes are in two main areas: (1) employment in mainline work at the Nhulunbuy refinery or the mine site and (2) entrepreneurial timber-related business (milling timber, house construction, furniture manufacture). Both streams are inaugural achievements for these Indigenous Australians. The concluding sections present challenges for multinational corporations when anchoring institutional processes, structures and the contemporary technologies of the workplace with the contextuality of rural Australian communities.

Managing the cumulative impacts of coal mining on regional communities and environments in Australia

The expansion and contraction of the coal mining industry in Australia has placed pressure on regional communities and environments and multiplied the extent, magnitude and profile of cumulative impacts. While some mining communities have benefited from the expansion of the coal industry through the creation of jobs and the investment in economies, the compounding impacts of multiple mining operations have stretched environmental, social, human and economic systems and rendered conventional mine-by-mine governance approaches ineffective. In this paper we draw from examples in the Bowen Basin, Hunter Valley and Gunnedah Basin to traverse the range of cumulative impacts resulting from mining activities, and detail working examples of management and assessment practices that aim to enhance positive, and avoid and mitigate negative, cumulative impacts.

An Assessment of the Sustainability of the Mining Industry in Australia

The mining industry has a long tradition in Australia, but the question of its “sustainability” still remains a vexed and diffi cult issue. In recent decades, there has been signifi cant improvement in environmental management during operation as well as better efforts at rehabilitation after closure. However, the industry continues to expand signifi cantly as continually growing demand drives the need for new supply. Over time, this has led the mining industry towards lower grade ores and increasingly large scale open cut mining, with subsequent increases in the solid wastes produced. A further issue related to this is known economic resources. This paper will review the history of mineral production in Australia, focusing on the extent of ore grade changes for many key mineral commodities, the known extent of solid wastes produced, the sustainability of reserves versus expanding production rates and the issues of post-mining land use or rehabilitation. For all commodities there is a clear trend of long-term decline in ore grades, even rapid for some (eg. gold), as well as increasing open cut mining and associated waste rock (overburden). In terms of resources, there appears to be increases in resources over time, though some appear to have stabilised while others conversely are increasing signifi cantly. A major challenge in assessing the life span of resources is that of exponentially increasing production. These trends will affect, to some degree, future energy, water and emissions effi ciency per unit mineral production – or sustainability. This paper presents a unique case study in the sustainability debate on Australian mining.

Deriving quantitative dust measurements related to iron ore handling from airborne hyperspectral data

Dust derived from mining and handling of ore has been identified as a major concern for the mining industry in Australia and may be critical to the future viability of some resource industries. Operational techniques to derive accurate measurements of anthropogenic dust on vegetation and infrastructure are necessary for the long-term management and monitoring of the environment surrounding mining operations. Airborne hyperspectral VNIR-SWIR systems can potentially provide these monitoring data. This paper outlines a method developed for deriving quantitative measurements of dust quantity on mangroves using remotely-sensed airborne hyperspectral data. The results show that it is possible to detect and quantitatively map iron oxide dust distribution using properly calibrated airborne visible to short wave infrared (VNIR-SWIR) data.