EXPANSION OF MINING IN AUSTRALIA

 

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Impact of Expansion of mining in Australia

 

 

 

Introduction

 

 

One of the main economic activities of Australia is mining, besides agriculture and manufacturing. It is a large land area with a small population which is why it can undertake extensive mining and manufacturing on a very large scale for the mainstream economic production. The enormous wealth generated by the mining boom in regional Queensland has brought a windfall boom in tax revenues, attractive remuneration for the mine workers and high profitability of the companies. However, with this lucrative side on mining boom, there is also a paramount dark side which has evolved simultaneously. Apparently, the huge profits have led to dominance of individual opportunity over community need. Besides, landlords demanding exorbitant rent of lands, housing pricing rising beyond market standards, there has been a significant rise in serious health effects and environmental degradation. It has been constantly noted that relatively higher-risk groups of workers have always been in mining and quarrying (Verlag, S. 1998). Mining have detrimental health effects as it nearly disturbs the traditional lifestyle of mine workers to a disorderly schedule and distance from resources (MMSD, 2002a). More specifically, rural and remote Australia is each type of occupational health hazards that may range from physical, chemical to psychological hazards of mining and associated metallurgical processes (Donoghue, A.M., 2004). Besides, there has been substantial environmental hazard faced due to extensive mining. The impact of mining on Jarrah Forest for instance, where the trees have become susceptible to the dieback disease PC because of mining operations. Due to significant prominence of the Industrial department the regulation and enforcement of Occupational Health and Safety policies is the responsibility of the Industrial Relations Departments of State and Territory jurisdictions. At the Commonwealth level, the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission coordinate the occupational health and safety policies. Every year, approximately 500 work-related casualties and 10,000 work-related-injuries occur and are noted for workers’ compensation. The numbers of casuaties from work injury and occupational injury vary every year. However, there has been considerable reduction in the resources allocated to occupational health and Safety at both Commonwealth and the state or territory level. As a result, there has been decline in health management of workers. Similarly, there is also need for effective sustainable dimensions of mining to save environment. In this article, we will discuss in detail the impact of mining operations on health and environment. The article will also list the measures and policies developed to work on health, safety and environment.

 

Social Inequalities as root cause of health and environment hazards

 

Mining has been widely associated with social impacts and social inequalities. Clark, A.L. and Cook, C.J., 1999 study observes wide patterns of inequalities between the countries and problems of rapid boom cycles. Mining is considered highly responsible for detrimental health effects, besides economic adversity and a range of social problems (MMSD, 2002a). A rapid increase in jobs opportunities and population in local areas are largely responsible for these impacts like creation of social division and inequalities. The other social impacts, which lead to poverty and unemployment ultimately leading disrupted heath facilities, occur when resources become exhausted and uneconomical to extract. This also becomes the root cause to environmental legacy issues. The MMSD project has contributed to global changeover to sustainable development. It found that costs and benefits of mining are often largely unequally spread between regions and communities in Australia. On the other hand, most of the mining areas have less access to services and resources as compared to urban regions with corporate hubs and shareholders (MMSD, 2002b). Another study examined the relationship of governance and institutional capability of utilizing natural resources. It suggests that not the natural resources but the inability of government to manage mining royalties wisely is to be blamed for social inequalities and its associated health and environmental hazards (Atkinson, G., Hamilton,K.,2003; Davis, G.,Tilton,J.,2005).  Though mining wealth is known to improve the standard of life in regions by generating employment, at finer scale it may still result to inequalities and shortcomings. In order to fill these socio-economic gaps resulting from mining operations requires careful unified governance institutions at these different scales.

 

Social and health problems in local communities

 

Research into the impacts of the coal mining expansion on Moranbah indicates that though initially residents and service providers encouraged mining because of employment opportunity it had brought, gradually the local community could substantially experience its negative impacts. Mining led to separation of families, who could not live in Moranbah, but were forced to love elsewhere while one member commuted to Moranbah for employment. Social isolation among members was prominent. These conditions led to alcohol and substance abuse among the workers, and which ultimately had bad effect on their social life and health.

Mackay Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATODS) service have keenly raised concern for increasing alcohol and substance in Moranbah, which unfortunately has not led to any additional funded positions for ATODS Mackay in either nursing or allied health. This case study well supports the argument that expansion of mining to a previously non-active region caused significant hazard to social life and health of the community.

 

Alarming Health Impacts on Women in Mining Areas

 

A range of factors can affect the physical and mental health of women in the mining areas of Australia. The factors include harsh climate, structural conditions of the towns, isolation from friends and families, limited resources, and odd work schedules. As per the minimal literature available, gender issue is rarely given prominence in the Australian mining communities. Furthermore, relevance of the literature to contemporary mining community is subjected to certain limitations because of radical change that has occurred in the industry, infrastructures, technology and social norms. However, the available literature helps surface several vital challenges faced by women, who either works or just reside in the mining areas. In this article, we will focus on health impact of mining expansion on women. About three decades ago, high incidences of psychological problems and disorders were observed among the residents of newly established remote resource communities because of unbearable climatic conditions. Among the affected residents psychological problems were found high among the wives or daughters of the mine workers (Burvill, P. W. 1975). Further studies indicate the major causes behind the psychological problems. It is observes that even in the relatively safe mining communities there was fear of negative impacts among women in the public spaces. There the women were more likely to be face physical violence and sexual attack from male strangers (Day, K. 2001). (Sharma, S. 2010) in his observed that there is a substantial gender divide in sex ration, income, labour, representation and participation in the mining communities. Moreover, women are mostly limited to their traditional roles, which has made then economically dependent on their male partner, thus more vulnerable. This could be a major reason for increasing evidences of mental illness among women in the mining communities.

 

 

Occupational Health Hazards in Mining

 

 

This section lists the various types of occupational health hazards of mining. Despite substantial occupational health policies to control the hazards there is a lot of scope for further reduction. Exposure to coal dust and crystalline silica is high on causing associated hazards, and there needs to be effective vigilance to control it. Below are outlined specific types of occupational health hazards associated with mining (Donoghue, A.M., 2004).

 

Physical hazards: Physical hazards are mostly caused by rock fall, fires, explosions, accidents etc. Besides, other causes, which are less common though, are flooding of underground workings and air blast from block caving failure etc. Though there has been considerable decline in physical injury cases due to using risk management techniques, there is still a requirement for taking the improvement techniques to broader community. Noise is another big physical hazard in mining which is caused by drilling, blasting, etc. It is also one cause, which has been difficult to control and therefore hearing loss caused due to noise remains common in mining. Exposure to Solar ultraviolet exposures has been causing squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas, which is common among outdoor workers in other industries as well (Donoghue, A.M., 2004). According to another study, there is also comparatively high rate eye injury among workers in the mining industry (Madden, A.C and et al., 2002).

Chemical hazard: Prolonging exposure to crystalline silica is a major cause of spreading chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and renal disease. Coal dust is yet another hazardous component in mining posing many workers, the risk of pneumoconiosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In Australia, the rate of diseases caused by coal dust is somewhat lesser than developing nations, however, it requires further vigilance. HIV infection is also reported to be prevailing among miners and the number has been on increase. Exposure to irritant dermal is often a cause of dermatitis, a common problem in mining (Donoghue, A.M., 2004).

 

Biological Hazards: These hazards include tropical diseases like malaria and dengue, which are very common and substantial in several remote mining locations. Insanitation and rats could cause Leptospirosis and ankylostomiasis, which has been substantially controlled in Australia (Donoghue, A.M., 2004).

 

Ergonomic Hazards: Despite that mining has largely become automated; there is still substantial amount of manual handling involved. It causes cumulative trauma problems among the workers, which is one of the largest categories of occupational disease in mining, and it often results in prolonged disability.  Most mines still operate 24×7, with shiftworks constituted of almost 12 hours per shift in recent years. This is increasingly resulting into sleep deficits, that too requires one work in hot location to together contribute to impairments of cognitive and motor performance among miners (Donoghue, A.M., 2004).

 

Psychological Hazards: At Mount Isa in Queensland, there are massive ore-bodies, mined over nearly a century explains the establishment of a city. However, according to latest studies such establishments tend to be smaller townships, which are not even permanent. This phenomenon has led to ‘fly-in-fly-out’ operations among mine workers, who as a result are separated from their families, resources and communities during work duration. This kind of switch and isolation causes critical psychological hazards among the mine workers (Donoghue, A.M., 2004).

 

 

All these health hazards, unfortunately, still continues to exist and rise in the mining industry. Fatal and traumatic injuries often extend to post-traumatic stress disorders, which develop among employees at management level. This class of employees often consider themselves personally responsible for such injuries (Donoghue, A.M., 2004).

 

Impact of Mining on Environment

 

Environmental hazards of mining include airborne emissions that occur during each stage of mine cycle. The impact is highest during exploration, development, construction and operational activities. Besides, heavy vehicles used in excavation operations and transportation, and which are part of mobile equipment, also contribute in emitting pollutants in the air, depending on the fuel and conditions of the equipment. Pumping and discharging of mine water, in order proceed with the mining, causes a unique set of environmental impacts like accumulation of mine water in rock fractures, tunnels and open pits for uncontrolled release to the environment. Wet tailings impoundments and waste rock etc lead to severe contamination of groundwater beneath these facilities and surface waters. Survival for several mined forests is also at high risk due to mining activities (Guidebook for Evaluating Mining Project EIAs, n.d.).

 

Conclusion

 

The standard of occupational health and safety is neither weak nor substantial enough as per the contemporary conditions. It ranges in the middle as per the standard of developed countries. Though in the past 10 to 15 years great steps have been taken towards the uniformity of laws and standards across different states and territories, there is still a reduction recorded in the resources allocated to occupational health and safety at both the Commonwealth and the state or territory levels due to less attractive job opportunities. It is a crucial drawback, which can hamper the occupational health and safety management in mining on a large scale. However, over the years safety and health has improved in Australian mining industry, which is rated better than other mining-prime developed countries like South Africa and Canada.

 

References:

 

Atkinson, G.,Hamilton,K.,2003.Savings,growthandtheresourcecurse hypothesis. WorldDev.31(11),1793–1807.

 

Burvill, P. W. 1975. Mental health in isolated new mining towns in Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry,

9, 77–83.

 

Clark, A.L. ,Cook  C,J.,1999.The new reality of mineral development: Social and cultural issues in Asia and Pacific nations. Resour.Policy25(3),189–196.

 

Day, K. 2001. Constructing masculinity and women’s fear in public space in Irvine, California. Gender, Place and Culture, 8(2), 109–127.

 

 

Davis, G.,Tilton,J.,2005.Theresourcecurse.Nat.Resour.Forum29,233–242.

 

Donoghue, A.M., 2004. Occupational health hazards in mining: an overview. Occupational Medicine 2004;54:283–289 doi:10.1093/occmed/kqh072

 

Guidebook for Evaluating Mining Project EIAs, n.d. Overview of Mining and its Impacts.

 

MMSD, 2002a. Breakingnew ground:  mining, minerals, and sustainable development. The Report of the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) Project, Earths can Publications, London and  Sterling, VA. S.A. Hajkowiczetal./Resources Policy36(2011)30–38 37

 

MMSD, 2002b.Facingthefuture.TheReportoftheMining,Mineralsand Sustainable Development(MMSD)Australia Project, Earths can Publications,

London and Sterling, VA.

 

Madden, A.C., Simmons, D,  McCarty, C.A., Khan, M.A. and Taylor, H, R., 2002. Eye health in rural Australia. Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology (2002) 30, 316–321

 

Sharma, S. 2010. The impact of mining on women: lessons from the coal mining Bowen Basin of Queensland, Australia. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal. Volume 28, Issue 3.

 

Verlag, S.1998. Concepts In Occupational and environmental health. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 71: 363-371

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