Low Participation in a Job Transfer Program Designed to Prevent Progression of Pneumoconiosis

Details

• Personal Author:
  Blackley DJ ; Hall NB ; Laney AS ; Reynolds L ; Weissman, David N.
• Description:
  The Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 and, after it, the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 provided periodic chest radiographs to underground coal miners at no cost to themselves. Since the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was established in 1971, it has administered this health surveillance through the Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program (CWHSP). If a miner has radiographic evidence of pneumoconiosis, an interstitial lung disease commonly known as black lung, they are afforded the legal right, authorized under 30 Code of Federal Regulations Part 90, to work under a reduced dust exposure standard through the use of engineering controls or job reassignment to a less dusty working environment. After a miner receives confidential notification from NIOSH that they have radiographic findings consistent with pneumoconiosis and are eligible for Part 90 accommodations, they can exercise this option by informing the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Participation of eligible underground coal miners in exercising their Part 90 rights has historically been low: during the period from 1970 to 1989, participation was 23.2% (2,119 of 9,138); during the period from 1986 to 2016, participation was 14.4% (509 of 3,547)); and, in the most recent time period, 2016-2022, participation among underground coal miners was 22.5% (55 of 244). ... Black lung remains a major problem in the United States more than 50 years after passage of the Coal Act. For working coal miners with early-stage disease, the protections afforded by Part 90 are an opportunity to prevent the most debilitating effects of the disease while keeping their jobs and income. However, these data raise questions about the effectiveness of a voluntary medical mitigation program with benefits limited to special work accommodations from a current employer in regions of the country where opportunities for good-paying alternative employment are limited. Unless participation in Part 90 improves, there will continue to be hundreds of coal miners each year with newly identified black lung who are not afforded the full protections from additional coal mine dust exposure first offered by the Coal Act. As long as there are coal miners working with black lung, the need for an effective Part 90 program will remain. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Coal Miners Coal Mining Disease Prevention Pneumoconiosis Surveillance
• ISSN:
  2329-6933
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  20
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067523
• Citation:
  Ann Am Thorac Soc 2023 Aug; 20(8):1223-1224
• Contact Point Address:
  A Scott Laney, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Surveillance Branch, Respiratory Health Division, Morgnatown, West Virginia, United States
• Email:
  aol4@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of the American Thoracic Society
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:94c82078a3fe981806ad8285032b72818a379b4e86d4d2f80056aba9d2b6399ce6aac48e7ab0cdc716654a71dbe37a92a23953fb4b8751f4f2d136be5b759c16
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231480/cdc_231480_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 520.20 KB ]