For clients and friends of Jackson Kelly PLLC
Volume 11, Number 14
©2015 Jackson Kelly PLLC
On April 24, 2015, the Center for Disease Control (“CDC”) published to the Federal Register a proposed data collection program entitled the Metal and Nonmetal Miner Health Program (“MNMHP”). The purpose of the information collection request is to provide health data pertaining to an estimated 66,000 workers in the metal and nonmetal mining industry along with 81,000 contractors who worked in the sector in 2013. Under the proposal, data will be collected by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (“NIOSH”). NIOSH proposes to implement a health surveillance program to assess the health status and burden of disease among metal and nonmetal mine workers. The CDC seeks a better understanding of the hazards that miners face in metal and nonmetal mines, including: noise, heat, repetitive stress, sleep deprivation, fumes, diesel exhaust, silica and other mine dusts, and radon gas. The CDC notes that there is not currently a comprehensive surveillance system dedicated to collecting health data for the metal and nonmetal mining industry.
The goals of the MNMHP include the following: prevent and reduce work-related airways diseases; prevent and reduce work-related interstitial lung diseases; advance cross-cutting issues that affect all work-related respiratory diseases, in particular surveillance, exposure assessment, and emerging issues; reduce the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders in mine workers; reduce the incidence and mortality of work-related cardiovascular disease, and improve the health and safety of working people through research and surveillance to better understand work organization characteristics and their associations with health and safety outcomes. The CDC proposes that data collection will be performed at selected mine sites, initially focusing on the western states.
Participation in the program is intended for those who are working, or have worked, in the metal nonmetal mining industry and will be voluntary. All data collection activities will be conducted in full compliance with CDC regulations to maintain the privacy of data obtained on persons and to protect the rights and welfare of human subjects. Data collection performed by NIOSH will include:
- Completion of a health status questionnaire;
- Measurement of height, weight, and blood pressure;
- Collection of a fingerstick blood sample for measurement of cholesterol and hemoglobin A1C levels;
- Pulmonary function testing; and
- Chest radiograph.
Members of the public, interested parties, and other federal agencies may comment in writing on the proposed program during the comment period running until June 23, 2015.
This article was authored by Kristin R.B. White, Jackson Kelly PLLC. For more information on the author, click here.
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PRACTICE GROUP
Denver, Colorado
Responsible Attorney
Kristin R.B. White
(303) 390-0006
kwhite@jacksonkelly.com
The Jackson Kelly PLLC Occupational Safety & Health News-Alert is for informational purposes only and not for the purposes of offering legal advice or a legal opinion on any matter. No reader should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any statement in the Jackson Kelly PLLC Occupational Safety & Health News-Alert without seeking advice from qualified legal counsel on the particular facts and circumstances involved.
If you or others would like to receive future copies of the Jackson Kelly PLLC Occupational Safety & Health News-Alert via e-mail, please send your name, job title, and company name, along with your e-mail address, to Janet Kosman at jlkosman@jacksonkelly.com. You may also call her at (303) 390-0038.
If you wish to UNSUBSCRIBE to this legal news alert list, please reply to this e-mail and type the word ‘UNSUBSCRIBE’ in the subject line.
The Rules of the Kentucky Supreme Court require the following: THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT.
KRISTIN R.B. WHTIE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENTS OF THIS ALERT.
Comments