About Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program

Overview

The CWHSP was established by the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969. Its mission is to detect lung disease early in coal miners and to prevent progression to severe lung disease. The CWHSP offers health screenings for miners and allows researchers to identify trends in disease across the nation.

Black lung screenings

CWHSP provides U.S. coal miners with the opportunity to receive black lung screenings at no cost to miners. They are available when miners initially begin employment in coal mining and at intervals throughout their coal mining careers. For more information, go to the Black Lung Screenings page.

B Reader Program

The NIOSH B Reader Program trains and certifies physicians in the International Labour Organization, International Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconioses. U.S. regulations specify roles for B Readers in classifying chest x-ray images of workers in jobs involving exposure to:

• Coal mine dust
• Crystalline silica
• Asbestos

B Readers also perform classifications in a range of other settings, including research, legal, and evaluation for benefits.

Special notice to coal miners

Part 90

The Mine Safety and Health Administration announced an effort to raise awareness of Part 90. These regulations give coal miners with black lung the right to work in areas with lower dust levels without reduced pay, discrimination, or termination. Learn more at Miner Health Matters.

National autopsy study

The Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 authorizes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide coal miner autopsies and to pay for their submission to NIOSH. Refer to Specification for Medical Examinations of Coal Miners Subpart Autopsies for more information.

At this time, funding is not available to pay for autopsies.

Contacts

Contact the NIOSH Respiratory Disease Division at:

• 1000 Frederick Lane, Morgantown, WV 26508 (mail)
• cwhsp@cdc.gov (email)
• 1-888-480-4042 (phone)

Resources

Medical records, mine plans, forms

• Request for Medical Records
• Mine Plans Due for Renewal
• CWHSP Forms

Mining contacts

• Department of Labor Black Lung Program
• Health Resources & Services Administration Black Lung Clinics Program
• Mining Safety and Health Administration
• NIOSH Mining Program
• State Contacts

Communication materials

• Black Lung Screenings – Fact Sheet (Spanish)
• Faces of Black Lung I (Video)
• Faces of Black Lung II (Video)
• NIOSH Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program – Fact Sheet (Spanish)
• Why Black Lung Screenings are Important for Coal Miners – Infographic (Spanish)