The ultimate uplift capacity of foundations with special reference to transmission tower footings is evaluated. A number of model uplift tests made by the authors and by others were studied and compared with full-scale tests. These tests showed a complex failure mechanism which varied with the depth of the foundation. Using simplifying assumptions a general theory was produced. It was shown that with suitable modification for shape and depth a useful relationship was available for computing the full-scale uplift capacity of foundations. It was further shown by model tests that the theory could be modified to take into account group action. Further research is required to evaluate the effect of combined loads and long-term effects.

Playgrounds provide opportunities for children to engage in physical activity and develop their fundamental motor skills. The aim of this descriptive pilot study was to examine whether playground design facilitated different levels of physical activity and fundamental motor skills. Children aged 5 to 10 (n = 57) were recruited from three independent playgrounds located in Melbourne (Australia). Whilst playing, children wore accelerometers which measured time spent in physical activity and direct observations recorded fundamental motor skills and play equipment use. A general linear model with playground type as the predictor and adjusting for monitor wear-time identified whether mean time in physical activity was different for the three playgrounds. Frequencies and a one-way ANOVA assessed whether the observed mean number of fundamental motor skills varied between playgrounds. On average, 38.1% of time (12.0 min) was spent in moderate- vigorous-intensity physical activity. Children in the traditional playground (n = 16) engaged in more moderate-intensity physical activity (9.4 min) than children in the adventure playground (n = 21), (5.6 min) (p = 0.027). There were no significant associations with vigorous-intensity physical activity or fundamental motor skills between playgrounds. Children performed few fundamental motor skills but used a wider variety of equipment in the contemporary and adventure playgrounds. Playgrounds need to maximise opportunities for children to engage in physical activity and develop fundamental motor skills.

Rural Australians experience a range of health inequities-including higher rates of suicide-when compared to the general population. This retrospective cohort study compares demographic characteristics and suicide death circumstances of farming-and non-farming-related suicides in rural Victoria with the aim of: (a) exploring the contributing factors to farming-related suicide in Australia's largest agricultural producing state; and (b) examining whether farming-related suicides differ from suicide in rural communities. Farming-related suicide deaths were more likely to: (a) be employed at the time of death (52.6% vs. 37.7%, OR = 1.84, 95% CIs 1.28-2.64); and, (b) have died through use of a firearm (30.1% vs. 8.7%, OR = 4.51, 95% CIs 2.97-6.92). However, farming-related suicides were less likely to (a) have a diagnosed mental illness (36.1% vs. 46.1%, OR=0.66, 95% CIs 0.46-0.96) and, (b) have received mental health support more than six weeks prior to death (39.8% vs. 50.0%, OR = 0.66, 95% CIs 0.46-0.95). A range of suicide prevention strategies need adopting across all segments of the rural population irrespective of farming status. However, data from farming-related suicides highlight the need for targeted firearm-related suicide prevention measures and appropriate, tailored and accessible support services to support health, well-being and safety for members of farming communities.The factors contributing to health inequities-including suicide risk and accidental death-are likely to reflect this heterogeneity and require detailed exploration to support any specific prevention and intervention strategies.Farmers are vital for maintaining the production of food and fibre in an environment of ever-increasing populations and market demand. In Australia-as in many other Western nations-agricultural production is increasingly recognised as a vulnerable industry. Farmers are ageing, and facing increasing technological and mechanical demands, in a fluctuating global marketplace with mounting climate uncertainty [6][7][8]. Given that the majority of Australian farms remain family owned and operated [9], this occupational vulnerability is likely to extend beyond those defined as farmers to include family members living and helping out on farms.Australia's farmers have been identified as at risk of psychological distress [10,11] and heightened rates of suicide [12][13][14][15], in the absence of any clear evidence of higher rates of diagnosed mental illness [16]. Poor mental health and suicide risk in farming have been attributed to a complex range of interconnected cultural, environmental, geographical, social and psychological risk factors [11,[17][18][19][20]. These factors include poor access to support services [21,22], an unsustainable work ethic [23], uncertainty and lack of control in farming [23], social disconnection [17,19], poor business profitability [24], acclimatisation to risk taking [25] and access to means [14]. Qualitative research suggests there may be two distinct pathways to suicide for Australia's fa...

A number of uplift tests have been conducted on anchors proposed for use to support high voltage transmission line towers both for the conventional four legged structure and for the guyed-type structure with a single central footing. Tests were carried out at seven sites, six in the Toronto-Barrie Area and one at Thunder Bay, Ontario. The soil conditions included very dense till, soft clay up to 130 ft (39.62 m) in depth, dense sand and gravel and loose to compact silty sand. The test installations included both power installed multi-helix anchors and grouted anchors with a single reinforcing rod. These were installed at various depths. In the very deep clay only multi-helix anchors were tested. Most of the tests were in uplift on anchors installed vertically. A few group tests were conducted both in uplift and compression. The results of all of the tests are presented along with fairly detailed information on the properties of the soil at each site. An attempt to analyze the results of the helix anchor tests using simplified bearing theory was made. The grouted anchor tests were analyzed using either frictional or adhesive bond theory depending on the soil type. The results indicate that the theories using conventional soil properties provide reasonable design parameters for initial planning. Further confirmation by fullscale testing, however, is essential.

Children on farms have been identified as a population vulnerable to injury. This review seeks to identify child farm-related injury rates in Australia and to determine the key hazards and contributing risk factors. This critical review utilised the PRISMA guidelines for database searching. Research from the year 2000 onward was included as well as earlier seminal texts. Reference lists were searched, and the relevant research material was explored. Our primary focus was on Australian peer-reviewed literature with international and grey literature examples included. Evidence suggests that there is limited Australian research focusing on child farm-related injuries. Child representation in farm-related injuries in Australia has remained consistent over time, and the key hazards causing these injuries have remained the same for over 20 years. The factors contributing to child rates of farm injury described in the literature include child development and exposure to dangerous environments, the risk-taking culture, multi-generational farming families, lack of supervision, child labour and lack of regulation, limited targeted farm safety programs, underuse of safe play areas, financial priorities and poor understanding and operationalisation of the hierarchy of control. It is well known that children experience injury on farms, and the key hazards that cause this have been clearly identified. However, the level of exposure to hazards and the typical attitudes, behaviours and actions of children and their parents around the farm that contribute to chid injury remain unexplored.