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This study investigates the correlation between previous coal mine safety policies and accidents in China. Data on coal mine accidents and government regulatory information from 2008 to 2021 are collected. The characteristics of coal mine accidents are analyzed, and safety policy indexes are identified. An ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model is established to quantitatively analyze the correlation between accidents and safety policy. The study finds that safety policies have some impact on accident occurrence in coal mines. Although there has been a decrease in accidents and deaths over time, higher mortality rates are observed during periods of increased production intensity and on weekends. Gas accidents are the most common, followed by roof and flood accidents. The study concludes that national safety policies with wider coverage and a stronger system are effective in preventing accidents, but caution should be exercised to avoid reduced vigilance with decreasing death rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of the growing demands of the modern economy, 21stcentury technology, and the challenges of Industry 4.0, the classical management of mining enterprises is not sufficient, and it is transforming into a process approach to the organization. The usage of the process management concept creates a situation for improving the organization at many levels, both at the strategy and operational levels. This provides an opportunity for a comprehensive view of the organization, but it is necessary to define indicators that determine the flexibility of operations, the achievement of profitability, and effective operational management. These indicators, called key performance indicators, focus on crucial aspects of the organization's activity that are fundamental to its current and future success. The contribution goal of the presented paper is to propose a new index for assessing the efficiency of coal mines, called the labor intensity index. The proposal is based on a previous three-area strategic analysis, including production indicators of coal mining companies, the state of coal mining in Poland, and economic factors affecting the current situation of the Polish coal mining industry. The analysis covered the period from 1988 to 2020. The use of new KPIs to assess performance in process terms is necessary to develop better new strategies for mining companies. It is particularly important in light of the industry's restructuring plans to restructure the mining industry and the far-reaching vision of decarbonizing the Polish energy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

The following paper presents data obtained following a technical expertise, extensive technical inspections followed by the preparation of technical projects, technical documentation for authorization, technical details on the execution of repairs/remediation for equipment in the surface mining industry, carried out by the author together with a team of specialists in the field for the Company Complexul Energetic Oltenia S.A. Thus, between the University "Constantin Brâncuși" of Târgu Jiu and the Company Complexul Energetic Oltenia S.A. there are data contained in Contract no.2490/CEOSE/15.11.2016, entitled: Elaboration of documentation for the "Rehabilitation and modernization of the M4A Coal Mining Machine - including the track" - Rovinari S.E.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant problem with the effective functioning of the hard-coal mining industry, especially in relation to mining enterprises and mines located in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, are the high costs of mining. This is due to many reasons, among which, an important aspect is the ineffective use of the working time of mining faces. The unsatisfactory use of working time caused by unplanned shutdowns of mining faces is a significant reason for the fact that the use of the production potential of the expensive, modern mechanized systems built in them, with the production capacity of around 1,000-1,500 tons per hour, is relatively small -- the average daily volume of mining from a longwall working is most often around 3,000 tonnes or even slightly less. A significant reason for this is the occurrence of a large number of interruptions in the continuity of their work, which is mainly caused by equipment failures, the impact of unfavorable geological and mining conditions or technological shutdowns. The article deals with the problem of the unsatisfactory level of the effective use of working time in mining faces (longwalls) in Polish hard-coal mines. The main reason for this is the occurrence of a large number of unplanned stops and interruptions, sometimes lasting several days. Their elimination or at least reduction would significantly contribute to the improvement of the existing situation. The condition for this, however, is reliable analyses aimed at detailed the identification of their causes. It was proposed to use three methods -- the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the development of the Pareto-Lorenz diagram and the 5 Whys method. examples of their practical application are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses labour processes and local labour control strategies in the extractive industries and regions as the reflections of state-capital-labour-nature relations. I argue that, for the analysis of labour control in extractive industries, there is a need to pay attention to (i) the significance of the natural resource for global capital accumulation processes and for the development policies of the state; (ii) the formation of the local labour market through proletarianization of rural population and other means of labour supply; (iii) the organization of work considering both natural limits (such as geological structure of the basin) and workforce composition; and (iv) the use of local political, institutional and community dynamics. Drawing upon the fieldwork carried out in Soma Coal Basin, this paper shows how Turkey's coal rush shapes local labour control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Coal miners are more prone to musculoskeletal injuries to their knees due to specific repetitive movements while working in the seams. We aimed to identify the kinds of and quantify traumatic musculoskeletal injuries to the knee in the coal miners. Methods: A retrospective observational analysis of all consecutive emergency admissions of the coal miners with occupational knee injuries between January 2018 and December 2020 was performed. A total of 94 knee trauma events in 79 knees of 76 patients were analyzed in the study. Musculoskeletal injuries of the meniscal and ligamentous/tendinous structures were identified using magnetic resonance imaging of the affected knees. Results: The medial meniscal and the anterior cruciate ligament injuries were detected in 72.3% and 51.1% of the events, respectively. Grade 2 and 3 medial meniscal injuries were the most common grades (39.7% and 41.2%, respectively). For the anterior cruciate ligament injuries, grade 2 was the most common (56.3%). In 48.9% of the cases, we detected bony bruise/edema in the tibial plateau (52.2%), and the condyles of the femur (45.7%) were almost equally affected. Intraarticular effusions appeared in 59.6% of the cases. Conclusions: Our findings provide detailed identification of the injuries seen in the coal miners. The medial meniscus and the anterior cruciate ligament are the most frequently injured structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise is a serious health hazard in the mining industry. Different sources like drilling, blasting, crushing, excavation, transportation, etc. are responsible for heavy noise generation inside the mines. It is a statutory requirement of every industry, including mine to maintain noise levels within prescribed limits to avoid noise-related health and environmental issues. This study attempted to measure the noise level of various locations within mine premises. The measured data showed that the noise level at the drilling area, the working area near the coalface, and the overburden removal area were far above the warning limit of 85 dB(A) as prescribed by DGMS, 2011. Noise maps were prepared by using ArcGIS to show different noise-affected areas inside the mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underground mining is one of the riskiest industries. It is well established that the investigation of geomechanical parameters at the design stage of an underground mine provides the approximate rock mass characteristics, which are associated with some risks in the design. From a realistic risk assessment point of view, it is essential to classify risky design parameters as relevant to risk groups and determine a suitable weighting strategy for risk-prone elements aiming at risk assessment. Therefore, a realistic weighting procedure is an essential step in making realistic design decisions to increase the safety of mining operations and economic vitality. This study aimed to develop a realistic weighting procedure to assess and compare various geomechanical parameters that pose a risk to opening stability. In this research, sub-level stoping mining methods, which are commonly used in the Kazakhstan mining industry, were selected to test the developed weighting algorithm. In this study, the risk-prone geomechanical parameters for the chosen mining method were defined, and a weighting procedure was developed using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) method. The proposed methodology was verified against available data from the Ridder–Sokolny underground mine, and the analysis results showed good agreement with actual observations in the mine. The obtained preliminary results show that FAHP is a reliable method for weighting geomechanical parameters and can be used as an input in any geomechanical risk assessment practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal fires around the world are challenging and recurrent problems anywhere coal is being mined, processed, stored and transported. Coal spontaneous combustion (SPONCOM) is the reason behind most of these fires. Therefore, when taking preventive actions against the risk of coal fires, it is essential to evaluate their degree of liability to avoid the loss of valuable and unrenewable resources acquired by the mine. The self-heating characteristics of coal is an issue that concerns the mining industry not only in South Africa but also in many other countries. This study reports the database of SPONCOM liability of 442 coal samples collected at various coalfields in South Africa between 2010 and 2020 using the Wits-Ehac testing method. The Wits-Ehac test results were found to match with the reports from the Coalfields. Out of the 442 coal samples evaluated, 11 samples had low liability values, 306 samples had moderate liability values, while 125 samples had high liability. The system for classifying the liability of coal samples toward SPONCOM in this study is very generic, works well for coalfields in South Africa and would be useful for planners and field engineers to take corrective steps in advance to prevent mine fires from occurring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focused on the issue of reducing the coal dust emission from the coal mining industry. Out of various binders for dust suppression, the authors used sodium carboxymethylcellulose (SCMC) with the spraying technology. The PM10 coal dust was recognized as the most harmful fraction. A laboratory setup based on a sealed dust suppression bunker with 10 g dust samples was tested, placed on a square with the dimensions of 250 × 250 mm. The air with the coal dust was blown and spread for one minute, until the concentration was equalized over the volume of the bunker; then, the concentration was measured for one hour. The untreated and treated samples of water and aqueous solutions with the SCMC content of 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.4% were tested and the dust suppression efficiency was calculated. The best obtained efficiency of the 0.1% solution of SCMC was compared with other less or more concentrated solutions or distilled/technical water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present situation, Covid-19 is considered to be an unbeaten global pandemic. In every single fleeting moment, this SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus-2) causes greater damage to our life including the physical world including drastic imbalance of the whole economic condition of any country. The lockdown governed in two consecutive years (2020 and 2021) in the world to control the spreading of the virus poses an undue threat to the industrial sectors including the coal mining sectors that determine the economic growth of the country. With these negative impacts of coronavirus-2 in our life, this present review aims to explore some of the positive influences of the Covid-19 pandemic through the restoration of the environmental system which are otherwise not possible. This quantitative review finds that spreading of the Covid-19 pandemic indirectly improves the air and water quality by reducing the number of vehicles, reduces the CO2, NOx, particulate matter, and other polluting gases emission from coal-based power plants through periodical lockdown in the country. Moreover, the lockdown implemented to minimise the spreading of the Covid-19 significantly reduces the coal dust production from the mining and transportation of coal that indirectly reduces environmental pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term coal mining activities in the Upper Silesia significantly affect the environment in southern Poland. Discharges of brines (with TDS reaching over 110 g/L) from mines are the main source of pollution of many rivers in Poland, including the Vistula River. The Zakrzówek horst is a small geological structure composed of the Upper Jurassic limestones. These limestones were exploited in several quarries. In the largest one (the "Zakrzówek" quarry), exploitation reached the depth of 36 m below the water table, i.e., about 32 m below the average water level in Vistula River which flows 700 m from the quarry. An important part of this inflow into quarries came from the contaminated Vistula River, with a chloride concentration over 2 g/L. The exploitation ceased in 1991, and dewatering ended in 1992. In the old quarry area, pit lakes appeared, which are unique because they present an example of a post-mining site affected by the riverine water contaminated with brines. Investigations of physicochemical parameters of water in the Zakrzówek area were carried out in the period of 1990–2020. Results showed that the largest pit lake was initially meromictic with a distinct stratification. After several years, holomictic conditions developed due to the surface layer freshening and convective mixing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the effect of divestiture on partial or full disposal of a business unit through sale, exchange, closure, or bankruptcy. Topics include the difference between the technicalities of the terms exit and divesture; strategic moves of late to focus on its core surface mining and underground hard rock mining equipment products, technologies, and systems.

The lithium-ion battery (LIB) has the advantages of high energy density, low self-discharge rate, long cycle life, fast charging rate and low maintenance costs. It is one of the most widely used chemical energy storage devices at present. However, the safety of LIB is the main factor that restricts its commercial scalable application, specifically in hazardous environments such as underground coal mines. When a LIB is operating under mechanical and electrical abuse such as extrusion, impact, overcharge and overheating, it will trigger thermal runaway and subsequently cause fire or even an explosion. According to the relevant requirements in IEC60079, the explosion-proof protection of LIB can be adapted to the working environment of high dust and explosive gas environments such as in the mining face of coal production. This paper presents an overview of the LIB-relevant technology, thermal runaway, safety and applications in the general mining industry with implications to establish a theoretical and technical basis for the application of high-capacity LIBs in the industry. These then promote intelligent, safe and efficient production not only for the coal mine industry but also for non-coal applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union's climate policy and the energy transition associated with it force individual countries, their economies and their industrial sectors to carry out thorough changes, often of a deep, high-cost and restructuring nature. The aim of the article is to provide a multidimensional assessment of the forms and effects of the restructuring of coal mining companies in Poland in light of the current energy transition process. The research problem is encapsulated within the following two interdependent questions: Has the restructuring process allowed the coal mining industry to achieve sufficient efficiency to sustainably compete in the open market, and to what extent, if at all, have the objectives of restructuring been achieved from the perspective of changes in the energy mix? The research covers all coal mining companies included in the official statistics. It adopts a long-term perspective (1990–2020), dating from the beginning of the systemic transformation in Poland. The research involved the use of multivariate financial analysis methods, including the logit model for predicting the degree of financial threat, as well as taxonomic methods for assessing the dissimilarity of structures and their concentration. The general conclusion of the research is that there has been a lack of consistency (follow-up) between the forms and effects of restructuring in coal mining companies in Poland on the one hand and changes in the composition of the country's energy mix as a result of the energy transition on the other. In particular, this means that such restructuring, being neither effective nor efficient, has failed to accelerate change in the energy mix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous improvement and economic development of China's coal mining industry, research on the characteristics of wastewater discharge has gained attraction in recent years. Ballasted flocculation technology, has been widely used in recent years. However, its effect on the settling velocity of the flocs in wastewater has not been quantified. This study aimed to screen optimal reaction condition for ballasted flocculation and to derive the settling velocity of the ballasted flocs under these conditions. The results showed that, the size of the ballasted material had no significant effect on the turbidity and suspended solids removal rate; however, the settling time was effectively shortened, and the turbidity removal rate could reach more than 95% within 15 s. Owing to the optimization of the reaction conditions, 90% of the flocs sizes were distributed in the 80–200 µm range. Moreover, the difference between the theoretical and the measured value of the ballasted flocculation was small, indicating that the derived formula could effectively quantify the settling velocity of the ballasted flocs under optimal conditions. These findings may serve as a critical reference for the treatment of high-suspended solids in coal mining water and have significant potential for engineering application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal mining and palm oil plantations are important sectors for supporting development in Indonesia. However, these sectors are criticized as the cause of horizontal conflicts, deforestation, and natural disasters that threaten the human security of local communities. Therefore, this research aims to compare the extent to which coal mining industries and palm oil plantations have impacted the human security of local communities by applying comparative process tracing as in the case of Kalimantan Timur and Kalimantan Tengah. This result showed that palm oil plantations have lower negative impacts on the human security of local communities than coal mining industries. Mining has co-opted the livelihood of local communities as those who initially worked as farmers lose job opportunities due to the transfer of agriculture to mining. In contrast, palm oil plantations cooperate with local laborers and farmers in the Nucleus Estate Smallholder scheme (NES), which prevents unemployment. Therefore, in the context of local communities' human security, government should develop palm oil plantations than coal mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study evaluates the impact of the recent anti-corruption campaign on coal mine mortality in China. • We find provinces with stronger exposure to the anti-corruption campaign have experienced a significantly larger decrease in coalmine death rates. • Further evidence suggests the campaign has led to fewer safety violations, more fixed investments as well as a decrease in profits and an increase in costs of principal business in the coal mining industry. • The findings are most consistent with the interpretation that the campaign has made coal mining firms less likely to shirk on safety by curbing collusion. This study evaluates the impact of the anti-corruption campaign launched by President Xi since 2013 on coal mine mortality in China. Combining several unique provincial-level datasets on coal mines from 2004 to 2017, we find evidence that provinces with stronger exposure to the anti-corruption campaign have experienced a significantly larger decrease in coalmine death rates. This effect survives a vast array of robustness checks and also displays great heterogeneity. Further evidence suggests the campaign has led to fewer safety violations, more fixed investments and a decrease in profits accompanied by an increase in the costs of principal business in the coal mining industry. The above findings are most consistent with the interpretation that the campaign has made coal mining firms less likely to shirk on safety by curbing collusion between coal mines and local officials. We also rule out other channels such as intensified inspection and the change of employment composition in the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper departs from the regional resilience concept -- as part of a broad strand of literature on non-linear dynamic systems in a space-economy -- and introduces the notion of prosilience to highlight the policy challenge of developing radically new and innovative strategies for regions in decline. The mining industry will be used as an illustrative case. The notion of phoenix regions is put forward to argue that an external disruption or shock in an established industrial sector in a region necessitates unconventional survival strategies oriented towards entirely new market demands and based on totally different product packages. Ansoff's model on product diversification in competitive markets forms an inspiration source for the Schumpeterian 'creative destruction' proposition advocated in this study. An illustrative case study is concisely described in the present paper, viz. the South-Limburg coal mining region in the Southern part of the Netherlands. Smart prosilience trajectories supported in particular by evidence-based decision support tools are sketched for such depressed regions, based on the so-called Pentagon intervention model. The paper is concluded with some general policy lessons for an intelligent transformation of regions in decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factors giving rise to the safety leadership of senior managers in the coal mining industry are underexplored. We conducted 24 semistructured interviews with experienced senior managers in this industry. We used hermeneutic content analysis for the interview content, identified five safety leadership dimensions of senior mangers, and designed the Safety Leadership Scale in Coal Mines in China. Data from 845 participants in nine coal mines were analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). We followed a two-step approach, involving data pruning and a second-order CFA, and validated a 21-item measure that shows good validity and reliability. The second-order CFA results show that the measure yielded an acceptable fit. Our results can be used to estimate the safety leadership level among senior managers in China's coal mining industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concern with climate change, and coal's contribution to it, has centred coal in an intensely moralised politics of accusation in Australia. This paper discusses the ordinary ethics through which pro‐coal lobbyists in Australia relate to this moralised landscape and offers an analysis of the everyday and ordinary production of complicity with climate change. It argues that complicity is not just something that insufficiently ethical people engage in, but instead highlights the ways in which the coal industry derives a moral weight for its defenders. This complicity is made and reproduced precisely through the everyday practices of ethical deliberation figured in response to interpersonal moral accusations. These insights are made possible through the author's own positionality and surprising affinities with pro‐coal lobbyists, and thus this paper argues for an anthropology of extractive industry which embraces the interplay of anthropological rapport with complicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Noise pollution in coal mines is of great concern. Personal injuries directly or indirectly related to noise occur from time to time. Its effects impact the health and safety of coal mine workers. This study aimed to identify if and how the level of noise impacts miners' safety behavior in underground coal mines.Methods: In order to study the influence of noise on miners in the mining industry, we built a coal mine noise simulation experiment system, and set the noise test level at 50 dB ~ 120 dB according to the actual working environment at well. We divided the noise gradient into 8 categories and conducted 93 experiments, in which we aim to test miners' attention distribution, fatigue, and reaction under each level, and the experimental results were analyzed by SPSS22.0 software.Results: The results show that the increase of environmental noise level will have an impact on the attention, reaction, and fatigue. The noise is positively related to the fatigue, the noise is negatively related to the attention and reaction. In the noise environment, the sensitivity of the personnel to optic stimuli is higher than that to acoustic stimuli. The test indicators of attention, fatigue, and reaction will change significantly, when the noise level is greater than 70 ~ 80 dB.Conclusions: From the perspective of accident prevention, the noise level can be controlled within the range of less than 70 ~ 80 dB, which can control the occurrence of accidents to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccine hesitancy is a barrier to Covid-19 vaccine uptake and displays a social gradient, compounding health disparities. While social gradients are a vital concept in health, they flatten distinctions between types of disadvantaged community. This paper focuses on vaccine hesitance in post-industrial and de-industrialising coalfields. The social consequences of the decline of coal mining may present barriers to vaccine uptake. We ran parallel surveys in Wales (N = 4187) and US states overlapping with central Appalachia (N = 4864), to examine whether vaccine attitudes and uptake varied between areas with different coal mining histories. These surveys were accompanied by qualitative interviews of 36 residents of these coalfields to explore vaccination decisions and triangulate with survey data. Factor analysis identified four axes of attitudes in the survey data: vaccine confidence , covid scepticism , v accine individualism , and concerned confusion. These themes were echoed in the interviews. Vaccine confidence was lower; and covid scepticism, vaccine individualism, and concerned confusion higher, in residents of areas of Wales with greater mining extent and where pits closed during certain periods. Residents of former US coal counties had lower vaccine confidence and higher covid scepticism, while those in current coal counties had greater vaccine individualism and concerned confusion. In former US coal counties and Welsh areas where pits closed since 1980, vaccine uptake was lower. Differences could not be explained by respondents' income and education. In the interviews, norms of social solidarity were often invoked by vaccinated respondents, while unvaccinated respondents did not frame decisions in the context of the industrial history of their areas. The legacy of coal-mining's decline presents barriers to public health campaigns. We show evidence of this across two historically significant coalfields. Attention is needed to avert negative public health consequences of global energy transition. • Coalfields a distinct class of, often disadvantaged, community. • Industrial history may undermine trust in public health. • We find evidence of greater vaccine hesitancy on Welsh and Appalachian coalfields. • Coalfields may require specific public health campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extractive industry consumes vast amounts of energy and is a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, its climatic impacts have not yet been fully accounted for. In this study, we estimated the GHG emissions from extractive activities globally with a focus on China, and assessed the main emission drivers. In addition, we predicted the Chinese extractive industry emissions in the context of global mineral demand and cycling. As of 2020, GHG emissions from the global extractive industry had reached 7.7 billion tons of CO 2 equivalents (CO 2 e), accounting for approximately 15.0% of the global anthropogenic GHG emissions (excluding GHG emissions from land use, land-use change, and forestry activities (LULUCF), with China being the largest emitter, accounting for 3.5% of global emissions. Extractive industry GHG emissions are projected to peak by 2030 or even earlier to achieve low-carbon peak targets. The most critical pathway for reducing GHG emissions in the extractive industry is to control emissions from coal mining. Therefore, reducing methane emissions from mining and washing coal (MWC) should be prioritized. [Display omitted] • We assess the GHG emissions from the extractive industry in a global context. • In 2020, global GHG emissions of extractive industries accounting for 15.0% of global anthropogenic GHG emissions. • China has been the largest emitter in the global extractive industries. • For China, most effective way to mitigate extractive industries GHG emissions is controlling fuel mining industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steeply inclined seams buried at dip angles of 35–55° are considered hard-excavated seams in the mining industry. A partial backfilling method based on sub-regional features of surrounding rock deformations and failure and support stability was proposed to realize safe, efficient production, to promote sustainable development of coal mining and disaster prevention in western China. Through experiments, calculations, and theoretical analysis, a mechanical model was established, and governing equations for the deflection curve, bending moment, and rotation were deduced. Results reveal the filling percentage, filling ratio, and working-face dip angle as major factors causing roof failure. The degree of roof deformation decreases with increasing filling percentage, filling ratio, and working-face dip angle. With an increase in filling percentage and filling ratio, the range and magnitude of the stress-concentration zone at a T-junction increase, whereas those pertaining to the stress-release zone in the roof decrease. The stress-arch profile of the roof changes from a single peak to double peaks with reduction arch height. Additionally, the maximum arch height shifts towards the centre with increasing moderation of asymmetric features of stress arches. With an increase in working-face dip angle, stress concentration at the coal-wall head T-junction decreases, and a double-peak stress arch develops. Therefore, in order to obtain the best backfill mining effect, a higher filling percentage is preferred; with a maximum filling value of 0.93, the reasonable range for the filling ratio is 1/3 to 1/2 and the reasonable dip angle of the working face is approximately 35°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extra-large complex deep foundation pit excavation has an impact on the surrounding environment. The deformation characteristics of deep foundation pits were investigated during excavation, according to the temporal and spatial variations in displacement, using long-term on-site displacement monitoring. The results show that the deformation characteristics of the supporting structure and surrounding buildings can be divided into four stages: earth excavation, cushion construction, internal support removal and cushion completion. In the stages of earthwork excavation and support removal, the settlement deformation of the supporting pile roof, lattice column and adjacent ground is large, and cushion construction has a weakening effect on foundation pit deformation. In the stages of earthwork excavation, cushion construction and internal support removal, the nonuniform settlement between adjacent lattice columns increases the lattice column deformation, and the deformation of the foundation pit tends to be stable after the completion of the internal support. The foundation pit excavation mainly affects the settlement deformation of the adjacent pipe gallery, and its deformation increases rapidly in the early stage of earthwork excavation. Moreover, the influence degree of foundation pit excavation on the surrounding environment decreases with increasing distance from the excavation area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-hazard assessments are increasingly vital to communities as exposures continue to change. Their data can provide a nuanced understanding of hazard interactions and their contribution to risk reduction. In previous work, the Patterns of Risk using an Integrated Spatial Multi-Hazard (PRISM) approach produces composite measures of vulnerability and risk at the county level for this purpose. The approach has the flexibility to be applied at a local level to benefit hazard vulnerability assessments and community sustainability planning activities. In this article, we use U.S. census tracts as proxy for neighbourhoods for a localized PRISM approach. The goal is to demonstrate the applicability of the PRISM approach at the community level and identify vulnerabilities in social, cultural, economic, and built systems for use in comparative analyses and mitigation planning. Exposure estimates are created using spatial extents and modelled data from 12 natural and 4 technological hazards. Land area, population counts, and property values are used to estimate vulnerability. National patterns of exposure, vulnerability, and risk reveal distinct regional trends that point to the importance of how impacts are defined. Eight case study examples demonstrate how the data can be analyzed to compare drivers of community vulnerability and risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study presented here analyzes mining accidents and fatal injuries in Serbian underground coal mines over a period of 50 years, in order to assess the effectiveness of legislation changes in the overall safety of work environment. Two distinct periods, prior to 2000 and after 2000 were compared. The data from the period after 2000 were further analyzed to provide better understanding of the results. In order to assess the overall state of safety in Serbian mines, the data on fatal injuries were also compared to the international data. It was found that the legislative changes are more easily accepted by the common workers than by the mine management. Consequently, the key recommendation for the safety of coal mine companies in Serbia is the investment in the new technology. Additionally, mine management should be in the focus of the mining inspection with a stronger penal policy regarding mine safety neglect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mining activities have environmental impacts due to sediment movement and contamination of areas and may also pose risks to people's food security. In Brazil, the majority of coal mining activities are in the south, in the Santa Catarina carboniferous region. In this region, previously mined areas contaminated with heavy metals frequently occur nearby inhabited zones. Mining is part of the daily lives of local communities, and its environmental impacts are visible in the landscape; however, plants with medicinal and food use from these areas can be still consumed. Heavy metals are contaminants that do not have odor, color, or taste, and are therefore difficult to detect. We aimed to verify whether people use plants from contaminated mine areas, and understand which factors can influence the use of these resources, even from areas visibly impacted. Methods: We conducted 195 semi-structured interviews with residents from 14 areas nearby abandoned mines in the main municipalities of the Santa Catarina carboniferous region. We asked each interviewee about the length of time they lived in the region, their perception of the quality of the environment, and what plant species were used and for what purpose. We constructed generalized multivariate linear models to verify which variables can affect the group of species mentioned and generalized linear models to verify which variables can affect the total number of citations. We estimated the frequency of citing species collected using the Smith index. Results: From all interviewees, 127 (65%) reported collecting plants for medicinal and food use, directly from contaminated mine areas. Long-term residents, as well as those who noticed more environmental changes (positive and negative), cited more plants used and had more detailed knowledge of plant use in their communities. When asked if they were aware of the possible contamination of mined areas, 85% said they knew about it. However, only 10% associated negative health effects with the use of plant species collected in contaminated mined areas. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that people living nearby contaminated areas use and consume locally sourced plants, e.g., people know little about the danger of this contamination in their food and the risk of these contaminants to their health. These results also reveal a lack of information about contamination, as well as a lack of actions that include local communities in contaminated area restoration strategies. This situation poses a risk to the food security of the people living nearby former coal mining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last few decades, the mining industry has increasingly turned to autonomous systems in its efforts to modernize and advance mining methods and techniques. Vehicle automation in such complex working environments can play a critical role in improving worker safety and mine productivity. Moreover, as the global demand for minerals continues to increase, such technologies will enable access to deeper and more difficult to mine orebodies. The research reported in this article seeks to demonstrate the feasibility of autonomous batch haulage vehicles in the underground coal mining production cycle. By introducing autonomous shuttle cars, the operator can be removed from dusty, noisy, and potentially dangerous conditions and be placed in a relatively safe location, while supervising the machine rather than operating it. This article presents an overview of the approach taken, a description of a lab-scale model and mock mine environment, and preliminary results for autonomous navigation of the prototype shuttle car. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The level of cytogenetic damage was analyzed in coal miners (N = 116) and the control sample (N = 169) using an assay for scoring of chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and the DNA comet assay in lymphocytes, as well as the micronucleus test in buccal epithelial cells (MN in BEC). The group of coal miners was characterized by a statistically significantly increase in the main index values of the used test system, compared to the control group. Specifically, the level of chromosomal aberrations in the miner and control groups was 4.69 ± 0.28 and 2.13 ± 0.10%; the proportion of DNA in the comet tail was 4.33 ± 0.38 and 2.16 ± 0.24%; and the micronucleus level was 1.44 ± 0.21 and 0.23 ± 0.12‰, respectively (Р < 0.05). Moreover, in the sample of coal miners, a considerable increase in the levels of additional test indices was observed. For CAs, these parameters included the frequency of single fragments, chromatid-type aberrations, paired fragments, dicentrics without fragments, chromosome exchanges, and chromosome-type aberrations; for the DNA comet assay, these were the comet tail moment and Olive tail moment; for the MN in BEC, the frequencies of binucleated cells, cells with notched nuclei, geminate nuclei, karyorhexis, and apoptotic bodies. Ranking of the results according to major cytogenetic abnormalities made it possible to establish that, in the group of miners, the proportion of individuals with the index values above the background was 68.97% for CAs, 52.13% for the DNA comet assay, and 36.08% for the MN in BEC. The proportion of individuals with cytogenetic damage higher than the background simultaneously in three test systems was 20% of the total sample of miners. To assess the mutagenic effects from occupational factors of coal mining enterprises, it seems reasonable to use a complex of test systems (CA test, DNA comet assay, and MN in BEC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even if the emphasis on safety in mining industry across the world is increasing, the accidents resulting in several injuries and fatalities are still taking place. Indian mining industry has suffered critically in the past from high rate of fatal and serious accidents. Accident statistics of Indian mines still shows very high rate of injuries and fatalities. The death rate per 1000 person employed in coal and non-coal mines in the year 2018 is 0.21 and 0.25 respectively. The serious injury rate in the current year is also very high. More disturbing is the fact that a few causes are repeated over the years for fatal and non-fatal serious accidents. Even though all the accidents are being investigated by different agencies and recommendations are made in each case, similar accidents are not prevented. Hence question mark is automatically put against the effectiveness of current investigation system. In this paper one fatal mine accident investigation reports have been reviewed and analysed to understand the accident causation along with the status of accident investigation system in Indian mining industry. The review highlights certain deficiencies in current investigation methodology and the author has proposed for changing the focus of investigation from human error to system deficiency along with the lessons to be learnt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discriminating the source of water inrush accurately and efficiently is necessary for water control in the coal mining industry. We combined the Fisher feature extraction and support vector machine (SVM) methods and applied this new model to the Wuhai mining area. The method extracts features from the raw data and integrated SVM, and synthetically considers the influence of geographical factors. Cross-analysis was tested 100 times, which arbitrarily selected 12 samples for the prediction and discrimination process. The results indicate that this new combined model of linear dimension reduction and non-linear dimension elevation was more accurate and efficient in discriminating water inrush sources than the traditional SVM model. Moreover, by reducing the penalty term of SVM model, we analyzed the correlation among the aquifers. We concluded that aquifers II and IV correlated strongly with each other, and that aquifer III was poorly connected with the other aquifers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the challenges in the coal mining industry is self-heating of coal as this can become a problem during mining operations, stockpiling and transportation. This study reviews the mechanism of self-heating, areas of spontaneous combustion, various factors influencing self-heating and different experimental studies to predict its occurrence. The technical control measures applied to minimise self-heating with special consideration to South African coals are also discussed. The distribution and association of unknown materials accelerating spontaneous combustion at different bands within the seam is yet to be studied. A site evaluation of the effects of these parameters is underway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores a great contradiction in rural land debates in India: on the one hand, explosive political contestation that is often able to halt proposed land acquisition; on the other, an unprecedented urban‐industrial expansion that is appropriating rural land. The authors argue that land grabbing for mining proceeds in an incremental manner, yet its cumulative effect leads to territorial transformation. To investigate this incremental appropriation, a temporal study of the North Karanpura coal mining tract in eastern India was conducted, combining remote sensing, interviews and official land‐use data. The results reveal a cumulative land grab of thousands of hectares from the late 1980s to the present day as open‐cut coal mines swallow up vast swathes of agricultural fields and forests. The political economy mechanism behind this immense land grab, which to date has gone undetected, consists of three phases: the reservation of the land as a coalfield with multiple coal blocks; the division of the blocks into separate mines; and the flexible expansion of individual mines wherever reduced resistance to land acquisition is encountered. This research indicates that an aggregate analysis of land dynamics can more robustly place the dramatic rearrangements of the Indian countryside within the international land grabbing debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review discusses Gone Home by Karida Brown as a project about the boom and bust of the coal mining through the eyes of Black Appalachians. Attention is paid to how the boundary-making projects of Blacks in Harlan County, Kentucky were ultimately made against the backdrop of seismic structural changes that built and then ruined the coal industry. This boom–bust cycle is told through the eyes of second-generation coal miners – that is, the children of the coal miners who migrated from the Birmingham, Alabama region. These children experience their childhood in eastern Kentucky but then are shipped off to the North, West, and East because by the time they come of age, the coal industry is kneeling to mechanization technologies. Brown presents a compelling narrative that introduces a "new" story of the Deep South and the African American Great Migration, one well worth reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green Mining Construction (GMC) is the Chinese national strategy of the environmental regulation of the mining industry to motivate mining enterprises to improve their resource utilization efficiency, protect the environment and harmonize the relationship between enterprises and communities. This paper uses system dynamics (SD) and the Malmquist-Luenberger (ML) Index to model the sustainable effect of the policy instruments of Green Mining Construction, namely, environmental taxes and subsidies. A case study of typical coal mining enterprises in Anhui, China, is provided to demonstrate the application of the proposed model in which the corporate performances of three optional strategies in response to the Green Mining Construction policies are examined. The responsive strategies are categorized as scale expansion, technical innovation and environmental protection. The simulation results show the following: (i) The environmental taxes and subsidies with disparate rates can help enterprises that focus on technical innovation and environmental protection perform better, albeit with a certain degree of lag. (ii) The synergy impact of subsidies and taxes is not significantly more than the separate ones. (iii) Environmental regulations reduce the productivity of mining enterprises, but to varying extents. This negative effect of environmental regulation should be compensated by other measures. This study offers insights to help enterprises select optimal strategies in response to the Green Mining Construction policies and to inform the government of possible sustainable policy designs to promote the Green Mining Construction. The limitations of the model are discussed for further improvements in simulating the effect of environmental regulation. • The hybrid model is used to test the effect of mining environmental policy in China. • Environmental taxes and subsidies are effective, but there are delays. • The effect of policy combination is not better than that of the single policy. • The model negates the Porter hypothesis, but there are differences among enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficiency and effectiveness of equipment play a dominant role in modern mining industry to determine the performance of mining equipment as well as mines. Greater the efficiency and effectiveness more productive is the organization (mine). As it is known that mining industry is a very capital intensive industry. Hence, a proper performance measurement is very necessary in this field. Since last many years, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) has been used in different industries as a measure of performance, but due to limitations in the original OEE, it has been modified continuously time to time by different researchers and practitioners in the different field accordingly. Since, last two decades OEE has also been used in mining industry. This research assigns different weightage to different components by using analytical hierarchy process (AHP), and thereby determines the weighted OEE i.e., machine performance index (MPI). The main purpose of assigning the weightage is to show the influence of each component in the evaluation of OEE. In original OEE, the weightage given to each component was equal which was not justifiable logically. To check the applicability of this new method, a case study was done on dumper in an opencast coal mine of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a review of research devoted to the study of genotoxic and carcinogenic effects of exposure to factors of the production environment of the coal mining and coal processing industries. The first part of the review analyzes mutagenic effects: chromosomal aberrations (CA), sister chromatid exchanges (SCE), micronuclei (MN), and DNA comets in coal mining workers (mines) and workers in coal processing (coal heating plants, coking plants) enterprises. The second part is devoted to the study of cancer incidence in workers employed in the coal industry. The third part deals with works that carried out a comprehensive analysis of the mutagenic and carcinogenic effects in miners and workers at coal-fired power plants and coking plants. In general, the analysis of the literature confirmed the high genotoxic and carcinogenic danger of the working conditions for workers employed in the coal mining and coal processing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, various mega infrastructure projects are upcoming for development and growth of the country. Most of these projects are in metros' or midsize cities. With huge population in the country, mega infrastructure civil engineering are in close proximity to community. Mining is also required to be carried out close to populated villages. Although blasting is most economical, adverse environmental impacts such as fly rock, ground vibration, air blast cannot be completely ignored and eliminated. This paper illustrates existing established technologies and various upcoming technologies which are blastfree and are environment friendly. At initial stage planning excavation, determining compressive strength, tensile strength, geological strength index are essential to decide type of excavation method. Surface miner for coal and limestone mines, ripper dozer, hydraulic rock breaker for secondary breaking are successful for more than two decades in India. Foam injection, plasma technology, chemical methods are emerging technologies. Impact hammer for primary breaking can be deployed in many mines in the country in the vicinity of local community. Excavation without blasting is the present need of technological requirement which is also well accepted as environment friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stabilization of highwall slope by implementing presplit blasting and productivity enhancement by improving the powder factor using controlled blasting at Sharda project of South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. (SECL) was the endeavour of the research team of CSIR-CIMFR in the first trench highwall mining of India. Good fragmentation was achieved through improved rock-explosive interactions and redefined design parameters in the trench which had restricted width and lesser initial powder factor (in m³/kg) due to varying rock-geologic and rock-explosive characteristics. Through systemic analysis of blast-results and implementation of scientific theories combined with the usage of rock parameters and its physico-mechanical properties, it could possible to achieve around 2.0 m³/kg powder factor instead of 1.3-1.4 m³/kg maintaining stable highwall benches with 700or more slope angle. The work led to huge cost benefits in explosive consumption for the company i.e. M/s Cuprum Bagrodia Ltd. and also markedly reduced the environmental implications from production blastsduring day-to-day operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]