Background to the MSAC Review and Recommendations
In 2021, the NSW Government (Department of Regional NSW) commissioned an independent quality assurance review of the NSW coal industry health surveillance scheme to ensure that the system is providing robust and effective health surveillance for coal mine workers for any health effects due to occupational exposures to dust, chemicals and other workplace hazards. In addition, to provide assurance that the system is effective in the identification of occupational health (or potential) conditions that may affect workers’ health and wellbeing.
The independent Review was a recommendation of, and overseen by, the NSW Mine Safety Advisory Council (MSAC).
The Review found that CS Health has a robust system for health surveillance of coal mine workers in NSW, noting that considerable improvements have been made to the scheme since the re-identification of black lung disease in Australia in 2015.
The report detailed 16 recommendations to further strengthen the health surveillance of coal mine workers and to provide enhanced health protection. These recommendations were unanimously accepted by MSAC, with Coal Services (through CS Health), being tasked to implement the recommendations.
There are two recommendations that are of particular importance to industry:
- Recommendation 2 which advised that CS Health should develop clear, formal guidelines for the management of abnormal findings on spirometry and chest x-ray; and
- Recommendation 14 which advised that CS Health establish formal criteria to return workers with early coal mine dust lung disease (CMDLD) and/or other non-occupational lung diseases to work, and for those with more advance lung disease removal from dust exposure altogether.
In recent years, there have been multiple developments in medical standards relating to how respiratory conditions are identified and managed. These standards have introduced new testing requirements into screening processes.
Based on these standards and testing requirements, the Review provided direction to CS Health on what should occur when lung abnormalities are identified. That is, when a certain degree of lung impairment is identified,
“Regardless of the putative underlying cause(s) of a worker’s lung disease, the severity of lung function abnormalities should, by themselves, prompt consideration for reducing future dust exposure.”
To address Recommendations 2 and 14 respectively, CS Health has developed:
- Clinical pathways for coal mine dust lung disease monitoring
- Guidelines for managing identified lung disease in the coal mining environment
These documents (which form part of the NSW Coal Mining Industry Respiratory Health Standard) have been developed to provide a consistent methodology for approved medical practitioners when performing Order 43 health assessments on NSW coal mine workers.
For more information about the MSAC Review, visit the NSW Resources Regulator website.
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