Black lung - Articles - Page 2

NIOSH hits the road to offer miners free health screenings

August 18, 2016

All former and current coal miners in western Virginia are encouraged to take advantage of the free and confidential health screenings the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will be offering starting tomorrow.

A NIOSH Science Blog post

Help set the research priorities for occupational respiratory diseases

June 7, 2016

Work-related respiratory diseases include both those that are uniquely caused by work, such as coal workers pneumoconiosis, and those that are caused by both work and non-work factors. Asthma is an example of this second type of condition.

Black Lung Benefits Act gets a boost

May 6, 2016

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs has issued a final rule that revises the Black Lung Benefits Act in order to give miners greater access to their health information.

MSHA implements 2nd phase of respirable coal dust rule

Main says rule is achieving goal

February 8, 2016

Eighteen months after its landmark rule aimed at preventing black lung disease took effect, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is implementing Phase II. Beginning today, underground coal mine operators are required to collect an increased number of coal dust samples, use a continuous personal dust monitor to measure dust levels in real time, and notify miners more quickly about the results of dust sampling.

Bankruptcy lawyers strip cash from coal miners’ health insurance

Workers often bear the brunt of the coal industry’s decline. One case stands out: 208 Indiana miners, wives and widows whose health care may fall to financial engineering.

Alec MacGillis, ProPublica

October 8, 2015

There was plenty in the complex deal to benefit bankers, lawyers, executives and hedge fund managers. Patriot Coal Corp. was bankrupt, but its mines would be auctioned to pay off mounting debts while financial engineering would generate enough cash to cover the cost of the proceedings.

One year later: Is respirable coal dust rule is working?

MSHA’s Main says industry compliance is at 99 percent

August 19, 2015

One year ago this month, the landmark respirable dust rule went into effect, adding a number of increased protections for coal miners and closing several loopholes that masked their exposure to unhealthy coal mine dust.

Bill would restore bankruptcy-threatened health benefits to retired coal miners

July 7, 2015

Retired coal miners who lost health care benefits as a result of bankruptcy – including many who have black lung disease – have a shot of getting those benefits extended, under bi-partisan legislation introduced today in the U.S. Senate.

Historic coal mine safety law turns 45

April 8, 2015

In 1968, a powerful explosion rocked an underground West Virginia coal mine, killing 78 miners. While the disaster's cause remains uncertain, the Farmington mine disaster was a flashpoint for reform after years of mining fatalities and injuries and a growing awareness of black lung disease.

'Unacceptable practices' at Virginia coal mine

March 3, 2015

Poor ventilation was only one of the hazardous conditions found by Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) inspectors during a special impact inspection last month at Mill Branch Coal Corp's Osaka Mine in Wise County, Virginia.

MSHA’s Joseph Main reviews five years of progress in miner safety

Assistant Secretary of Labor cites industry compliance at WV Coal Mining Symposium

February 3, 2015

At the West Virginia Coal Association’s 42nd Annual Mining Symposium in Charleston, West Virginia last week, Assistant Secretary of Labor Joseph A. Main highlighted strategic actions the Mine Safety and Health Administration has implemented in the past five years to better protect miners and positively affect the mining industry’s approach to safety.