The department is the umbrella body over the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
In a Federal Register filing provided to ILN late last week, it said it wished to modify the regulations contained within “Specifications for Medical Examinations of Underground Coal Miners”, which currently specifies providing, interpreting, classifying, and submitting film-based roentgenograms, more commonly known as chest radiographs or X-rays, for what is commonly referred to as black lung.
Black lung surveillance at US mines is under the oversight of the Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program, administered by mining research group NIOSH.
“The current standards specify requirements that permit the use of film-based radiography systems only; proposed amendments would retain those standards (with minor modifications that reflect more commonly-used terms) and add a parallel set of standards to specify requirements that would permit the use of digital radiography systems,” the documentation said.
“An additional proposed amendment would require coal mine operators to provide NIOSH with employee rosters to assist the program in improving participation by miners.
The HHS is seeking comment on the proposed standards by March 9 and will open that input to the public. It has invited interested parties to send comments via the internet, email or regular mail with the indicators RIN 0920-AA21 and 42 CFR 37 in the subject line.
The NIOSH Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program, required under the Mine Act of 1977, was developed to detect coal workers’ pneumoconiosis and prevent its progression in individual miners, as well as provide information on the disease’s temporal and geographic trends.
Under Mine Act outlines, NIOSH has general authority to issue regulations as appropriate and specifically directs medical examinations for underground coal miners including an exam just after hire and again three years later.
If the second exam reveals evidence of black lung, the miner is entitled to a third test two years later. Miners also must be offered exams every five years.
More information on the CWHSP is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/surveillance/ords/CoalWorkersHealthSurvProgram.html.
