Current knowledge of US metal and nonmetal miner health: Current and potential data sources for analysis of miner health status

Abstract

Little is known about the current health status of U.S. metal and nonmetal (MNM) miners in part because no health surveillance systems exist for this population. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is developing a program to characterize burden of disease among MNM miners. This report discusses current knowledge and potential data sources of MNM miner health. Recent national surveys were analyzed, and literature specific to MNM miner health status was reviewed. No robust estimates of disease prevalence were identified, and national surveys did not provide information specific to MNM miners. Because substantial gaps exist in the understanding of MNM miners’ current health status, NIOSH plans to develop a health surveillance program for this population to guide intervention efforts to reduce occupational and personal risks for chronic illness.

Evaluating the Impacts of Health, Social Network and Capital on Craft Efficiency and Productivity: A Case Study of Construction Workers in China

“…For mental health management, construction workers’ occupation and the surrounding context affecting their mental health could be grouped into four key themes: the importance of relationships, the impact of lifestyle, work characteristics, and mental health attitudes [ 53 , 65 , 66 ]. Meanwhile, the establishment of worksite health improvement programs can enhance the overall health of workers by developing or strengthening existing organizational health promotion, worker safety, self-protection, emotional control and disease prevention [ 67 ]. Moreover, workers’ health may be linked to a way of maintaining high levels of efficiency and productivity [ 68 ].…”

Morbidity and Health Risk Factors Among New Mexico Miners

“…National surveys, such as the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and a subset of states participating in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, collect information on industry and occupation and have been used to estimate the prevalence of chronic disease and risk factors for disease among miners as a whole, but cannot be used to compare differences among miners in different mining sectors. 26 In contrast to the national surveys that aggregate the sectors, the majority of published studies of miner health are relatively small and highly specific, focused narrowly on a limited number of health outcomes among workers who mine individual commodities, and with data collection methods that differ among studies. Although these studies provide valuable information on specific exposures and health effects among small subsets of miners, lack of standardization in how health outcomes are defined limits our ability to make broad comparisons across sectors regarding the full burden of morbidity and disability among miners.…”

Factors of work environment hazardous for health in opinions of employees working underground in the ‘Bogdanka’ coal mine

“…In the United States, the National Occupational Mortality Surveillance System was implemented in order to estimate the most frequent causes of death among MNM (metal and non-metal) miners. The analyses performed within the System demonstrated that the five most frequent causes of death are: heart diseases, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, cerebrovascular disease and unintentional body injuries [24,25].…”

“…In turn, among the total number of diseases and injuries among MNM miners reported during the period 2007-2011 to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the most frequent were: unclassified diseases (266); dust in the eyes (185); arthritis (182), hearing loss (142); poisonings (91); and exposure to heat/heat illnesses (63) [25,26].…”