Quoting from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-29/black-lung-report-catastrophic-failure-qld-public-administration/8568000
Black lung inquiry finds 'catastrophic failure' in public administration in Queensland
By Leonie Mellor, Rachel Riga and staff
Updated yesterday at 3:59pm
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A parliamentary committee into black lung disease has found "catastrophic failings" in public administration in Queensland.
The Black Lung, White Lies report contains 68 recommendations as well as several findings into the re-identification of coal workers pneumoconiosis (CWP), or black lung disease, in Queensland — a disease long thought eradicated. http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Documents/TableOffice/TabledPapers/2017/5517T815.pdf
The re-detection of the illness sparked a widespread inquiry into how regulatory and monitoring systems failed and how to protect workers in the future.
Since its re-emergence in 2015, 21 miners have been confirmed to have CWP.
The report said more were likely to be diagnosed in the future.
CWP is a type of pneumoconiosis solely caused by prolonged exposure to coal mine dust.
The Black Lung, White Lies report is critical of the treatment of coal workers.
"The committee found that there has been a catastrophic failure, at almost every level of the regulatory system, intended to protect [the] health and safety of coal workers in Queensland," the report said.
"Black lung is not quick, like a mine explosion, but an insidious disease that develops over many years.
"However, like mine explosions, black lung is preventable.
"The results are no different — death, illness and enormous changes in working and family lives. Miners and their families are never the same again."
Doctors, radiologists involved have also failed, MP says
The committee, chaired by Labor MP Jo-Ann Miller and LNP MP Lawrence Springborg, showed bipartisan support for major changes, after receiving nearly 50 submissions, and holding more than 40 public and private hearings.
What is black lung?
Pneumoconiosis is a potentially fatal disease caused by long exposure to coal dust, more commonly known as "black lung" because those with the disease have lungs that look black instead of a healthy pink.
Black lung most often stems from working in the coal industry or in the manufacturing of graphite or man-made carbon products and has no known cure.
The risk of getting black lung depends on how much time has been spent around coal dust.
There are two types of black lung: simple and complicated.
There are relatively few symptoms associated with simple black lung, also known as coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP), and the prognosis is usually good.
But CWP can progress into the more complicated progressive massive fibrosis (PMF), the symptoms of which may include a long-term cough and shortness of breath.
There is no cure for black lung, but doctors may be able to treat complications caused by the disease.
In 2013, coal worker's pneumoconiosis killed 25,000 people, according to UK medical journal The Lancet.
Source: University of Kentucky, US National Library of Medicine and The Lancet
She said there had been no decision on whether to prosecute anyone involved in catastrophic failures over black lung detection.
"There has been a failure in relation to the doctors, the radiologists, at almost every level — the radiologists in particular cannot walk away from this scot-free," Ms Miller said.
"There has been 30 years whereby the doctors have been asked to look after the coal miners' health and they have failed catastrophically as well as the department [of Health].
"The failure in relation to the health scheme is something that every single officer of that department should be ashamed of.
"We will be working out what has happened in relation to the catastrophic failure."
She said under the new health scheme, coal miners would get free medical assessments.
They will urge underground miners to seek check-ups every three years and open-cut miners, or rail, port or shipping workers to seek a health check every six years.
Ms Miller said new legislation would be presented to Parliament in August this year.
"It will be the parliamentary committee that has already been given the green light by the Parliament to draft this legislation," Ms Miller said.
"We will be getting on with it because we will be starting from this day to protect our coal miners in Queensland."
New mining body to be set up in Mackay
The report detailed the "harrowing evidence" received from workers and their families "resulting in tears from some of the toughest of coal miners and their partners, workmates, neighbours and friends".
"As a committee, we too shed tears of sorrow, disbelief and anger, because the system let down these men and women of The Deep," the report said.
The report recommended a new independent safety and health authority be established to administer a new Coal Mine Workers' Health Scheme and to better protect coal workers.
It seeks to improve compliance, transparency and accountability for all industry stakeholders and wants the acceptable exposure levels of coal dust and silica to be immediately reduced to become the lowest in Australia.
Ms Miller said the committee had recommended a miner health and safety body be set up in central Queensland.
"The Mining Safety and Health Authority [will] be set up here in Mackay, which is in the heart of the Queensland coal fields," she said.
"We are also recommending that the Safety and Mining Testing and Research Station be a part of that body."
The committee said the state should use mining royalties to pay for the authority and health and safety activities.
In its preliminary report in March, the parliamentary committee flagged broad changes to monitoring requirements and the Coal Mine Workers' Health Scheme. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-22/black-lung-interim-report-handed-down-in-queensland-parliament/8376076
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