Black Lung Benefits Take a Hit from State Workers’ Compensation Measure Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP), also known as black lung disease, is a complicated fatal disease that has been responsible for the deaths of about 78,000 coal miners since the late 1960s. A new tweak to a Kentucky law has caused an uproar with coal... read more
Key Points of This Article A lack of workplace safeguards for coal miners represents an incredible failure of oversight that puts workers at risk of a tragic accident, preventable fatality, or lifelong illness. The presence of harmful substances or related environmental hazards should not occur inside Kentucky coal mines without the proper precautions to keep... read more
Key Points of This Article: Exposure to respirable coal mine dust can cause coal workers’ black lung disease, an irreversible illness to the lungs. A new study led by NIOSH researchers shows the occupations in the mining industry with the most significant exposure to respirable silica or quartz dust involve surface mine workers such as... read more
What You’ll Learn From Reading This Article In 2017, there were more than 30,000 lost-time workplace injury reports filed in Kentucky, many caused by falls or slips, lifting and strains. Nursing and residential care facility employees, and those working in correctional institutions, transportation and trade, natural resources and mining carry the highest workplace injury and... read more
Synopsis Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis (CWP), commonly referred to as black lung disease, is an illness caused by inhaling respirable coal mine dust such as silica. Monthly benefits are available to coal miners disabled by black lung disease and financial support is also awarded to survivors and family members. The Black Lung Disability Trust Fund is now at risk of being able... read more
Synopsis From 1992 through 2017, heat killed 815 workers nationally and injured another 66,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. High temperatures and extreme hot weather can trigger dangerous conditions for workers in outdoor operations, making them sick from exposure and puts them at risk of falling, or mishandling machinery and tools. The U.S.... read more
Substance Abuse and Kentucky’s New Workers’ Compensation Law Workers injured on the job in Kentucky, are covered by the state’s workers’ compensation laws – with few exceptions for independent contractors, domestic workers, and most volunteers. Workers’ compensation provides injured workers with funding for medical costs, temporary disability, or permanent disability if lingering injuries or impairments... read more
Kentucky Coal Miners at Risk of Losing Black Lung Benefits The U.S. Government’s Black Lung Disability Trust Fund currently pays medical bills to more than 14,000 coal miners too sick to work when there’s no liable coal company or insurer who can be held responsible. When approved for use, the fund specifically helps those suffering... read more
First Kentucky Coal Mining Death For 2018 Reported at Panther Mine We are saddened to read reports from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet in regard to the state’s first coal mining death of the year and fourth coal mining related death in the United States. It appears to have happened in Harlan County and... read more
Workers Who Fail to Perform Safety Checks Put Others at Risk A report of has surfaced stating that a Kentucky coal mine supervisor has been sentenced for violating the Mine Safety and Health Act for falsifying a safety-inspection record. The worker was chief of maintenance and responsible for making a weekly inspection report of heavy... read more
