The government should immediately implement a system to clear the backlog of 100,000 outstanding worker medicals, according to Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Queensland district president Stephen Smyth.
The union is also demanding that the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines obtain and process all exposure data for 2015 after three cases of black lung were found in Queensland.
It should also consider the establishment of an industry database for coal mines to monitor all personal exposure data, Smyth said.
The union said the government should ensure that suitably qualified “B Readers” review all x-rays taken of coalmine workers for dust disease, not just medical conditions and identify other at-risk workers by randomly sampling those with 15-20 years’ service in the industry and performing checks.
It also asking the government to implement a community outreach process to encourage people in Ipswich, Collinsville, Blackwater and Moura to come forward and get checked.
“With black lung developing later in careers or during retirement it is vital that healthcare and screening extends beyond the employment of a worker to ensure they receive the support they need when they need it,” Smyth said.
“Chest x-rays should be mandatory and regular for mine workers, as well as on termination.”
“It should also communicate to the wider industry the risks given the three confirmed cases of black lung.”
The CFMEU is calling for public hearings in Brisbane as well as in communities and towns affected by this deadly disease.
One of the most damning revelations has been the release of a 1983 report from the Mines Department showing black lung still existed in the 1980s, with 75 cases identified but covered up, Smyth said.
“The workers involved in that report have never received the treatment they need, and only now are we discovering this as we sit on the edge of another outbreak,” he said.
“Hopefully we have moved on from this era of secrecy and will now have a full public and open process to air grievances and identify the solutions that will eradicate this disease for good.”
