Dear Sir,

Upon recent events relating to dust in underground coal mines, the emergence of black lung being a recent diagnosis in three cases in Central Queensland, I needed to respond in part.

To the best of my knowledge in the last 40 years I have not heard of one incident where black lung was the cause of death, and I spent 20 years in NSW before moving to the Queensland coal sector for the past 20 years.

In NSW you would have a Coal Board medical prior to starting in the industry, then every three years for the first 10 years of service, then every two years thereafter which always constituted a Chest X-ray which was read and Viewed with you while you were there by the practitioner who took the X-ray.

In Queensland, you get a coal board medical prior to starting in the industry, then every five years thereafter and an exit medical from the industry which also constituted a Chest X-ray of which the result or outcome was discussed with the practitioner who took and viewed the X-ray.

I would have to say I had faith in the examiner, but it goes without saying that all general practitioners are not all specialists.

I would have to say that I believe the industry as a whole has been vigilant with its dust control measures and complying with ever changing statutory compliance.

Obviously in the last 40 years we have seen productivity levels escalate exponentially. Longwalls have gone from 1000 tonne per shift to between 15000 to 25000t per shift due to technological changes.

Coupled with increased productivity one would expect increased dust levels generated due to increased rates of operation and the degasification of coal measures in advance of the mining process to assist in atmosphere management.

As mining rates increased so too has the management of dust by means of controls put in place:

1. Ventilation quantities

2. Use of atmospheric water sprays, which is a continuous process, ever changing for best fit situation

3. The use of scrubber systems to capture, filter and wash dust out of the atmosphere from heavy coal crush zones

4. The use of surfactants (soap) in the water to attract and diminish dust particles.

5. Personnel positioning

6. There has always been provision for the use of Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) which over the years have range from P4 and P5 masks, Air Stream Helmets, Filtered Respirators to the current state-of-the-art models available and in use at some sites in conjunction with the testing of units that are continuously evolving.

The industry is continuously making improvements and developing the efficiency of the operators’ work place.

In conjunction with the above changes, there has always been rigorous independent testing of atmospheres in all types of environment from high production hot spots to areas of a less mediate zone.

This was usually carried out by an independent examiner, the recognised body being SIMTARS to test for atmospheric compliance.

This was done in two ways: by a personnel monitor being placed on sample operators or static dust collection pans being placed at various places in mine roadways and collected after a designated time span.

By use of personnel monitor being a full shift surface to surface, the results would be downloaded, calibrated and forwarded back to the recipient site.

In some instances not all the data was valid as some operators took great delight in taking their units off and leaving them in the dustiest part of the workings to falsify results which did not assist the purpose of the monitoring. Some mines were unjustly penalised from these results.

I would probably say that the practice of such activities today would be of a lesser nature as the equipment is more advanced and the results are vigorously scrutinised to verify authenticity.

Also high producing mines have operational procedures that incorporate the mandatory use of PPE and dust protection where an operator may have to pass or enter a zone temporarily that may be dusty.

The sample of three people being diagnosed with symptoms can not be construed as an epidemic or contagion outbreak or problem, as investigation will find the contributing factors to these isolated events.

Statistically the sample group seems relatively minor and through strategic investigation we may find a common element that may be addressed, as there was not much made of the two candidates that were stated as working at present at the same mine. It would be a shame if such poor publicity was the catalyst for the closure of the mine affecting the entire work force and surrounding communities.

The challenge ahead is to ensure that the practices and procedures are robust and stringent, the personnel have to be well trained in the use and reason for wearing PPE as a mandatory unit. Over the years it has been difficult to get operators to wear PPE.

If we as coal miners, supervisors, coal management and coal mine operators don’t take control of our destiny and at each level employ an implicit approach to managing this situation and not allowing sentiment to run rampant then technology will lead the control measure, where eventually you will do yourself, if not future generations out of a job by means of technology.

We may rue the day when robotics becomes the operator in such atmospheres and the humble coal mine worker no longer exists.

It’s a shame that all parties are not vehemently united, working together to resolve the situation.

Regards,

Peter Shephard