Reported closures and firings at federal offices are creating concerns about the safety and health of coal miners.
On Tuesday, massive layoffs at the Department of Health and Human were expected to result in 873 staff cuts from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), according to CBS News.
This agency conducts research and makes recommendations to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses.
The NIOSH layoffs– along with other recent Trump administration actions — prompted the United Mine Workers of America Union, whose workers face issues like black lung disease, to question whether there’s now a “war” on coal miners.
“The announced significant downsizing of offices in Morgantown, W.Va., and Pittsburgh, Pa., are particularly devastating to the coal industry, which relies on the research done there to improve its safety practices,” said union international president Cecil Roberts.
Union spokesperson Erin Bates noted that the Morgantown office controls the respiratory disease division.
“Without those resources, it’s going to be extremely hard to monitor and control the effects of silica dust levels in the mine,” she said. Exposure to silica dust can cause severe lung disease.
She added that those who have black lung disease used to be able to get x-rays at the Morgantown office to try to qualify for benefits.
The reported NIOSH layoffs come as part of larger firings at the Department of Health and Human Services as the agency seeks to restructure. Reached for comment, an HHS spokesperson directed The Hill toward its larger restructuring plans, which said it was firing 10,000 employees and placing NIOSH within a new agency called the Administration for a Healthy America.
The announcement comes on the heels of reports that the administration would be closing dozens of mine safety offices. According to the agency, these leases are under review.
“Mine Safety and Health Administration inspectors continue to conduct legally required inspections and remain focused on MSHA’s core mission to prevent death, illness, and injury from mining and promote safe and healthful workplaces for U.S. miners,” said a spokesperson for the Department of Labor, which houses MSHA, in a written statement.
Bates raised concerns that if offices that are currently physically close to the mines shutter, it could delay inspections and disaster response.
