COAL WORKERS' HEALTH SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM
“The first priority and concern of all in the coal or other mining industry must be the health and safety of its most precious resource – the miner.”
(Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, amended 1977)
The NIOSH Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program (CWHSP) was established by the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 to prevent early coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) from progressing to a disabling disease. Through the program, eligible miners can obtain periodic chest radiographs. NIOSH has administered the program since its inception in 1970.
In accordance with the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA’s) recently-published final rule on respirable coal mine dust exposure, NIOSH has expanded its national program of health surveillance for coal miners to include periodic lung function testing (called spirometry), respiratory health assessment questionnaires, and extended health surveillance to workers at surface coal mines.
Mine and Facility Databases
Key Resources
Title 42 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 37
(Specifications for Medical Examinations of Coal Miners)
Connect with CWHSP
NIOSH Surveillance Branch
1095 Willowdale Rd., Morgantown, WV 26505
CWHSP@cdc.gov – 1-888-480-4042
- Page last reviewed: December 15, 2016
- Page last updated: June 2, 2017
- Content source:
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Respiratory Health Division, Surveillance Branch