Dusty Trades Program
The Dusty Trades Program as administered by the Division of Public Health was discontinued June 30, 2002 . The N.C. Industrial Commission now holds the authority for enforcing compliance with the statutory requirements set out by the Workers Compensation Act. The section that addresses silica- and asbestos-related disease reporting can be found at the General Statutes link below. Scroll down and review 97-61.1 through 97-73. http://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByChapter/Chapter_97.html
History prior to June 30, 2002:
The Dusty Trades Program was established in 1935 by the North Carolina legislature as part of the Workers' Compensation Act (G.S. 97-60). The program was created to protect workers in mines, quarries, mineral processing plants, foundries, etc. by minimizing lung disease caused by exposure to silica and/or asbestos. Prior to June 30, 2002, industrial hygiene consultants and occupational surveillance staff in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology (OEE) Branch of the N.C. Division of Public Health worked with affected companies to prevent disease in workers and to implement health surveillance programs for the early detection of lung disease in workers.
OEE staff were responsible for determining if employees in certain types of jobs had significant exposure to silica or asbestos, and for recommending that a company be included in the Dusty Trades Program. Once a company was enrolled in the program, industrial hygiene consultants periodically evaluated employee exposure to silica or asbestos hazards and made recommendations for control of those hazards where appropriate, including process changes, engineering improvements, or work practice changes to reduce employee exposure and decrease the risk of developing lung disease.
Until June 30, 2002, the provisions of the program were jointly executed by the N.C. Industrial Commission and Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology. The N.C. Industrial Commission now holds the authority for enforcing compliance with the statutory requirements.
Return to the Occupational Illnesses & Injuries
homepage.
[
Topics A-Z |
Communicable Disease Control |
Exposure to Chemicals |
Environmental Contaminants ]
[ Fish Consumption Advisories |
HIV/STDs |
Hurricane Information |
Indoor Air Quality ]
[ Medical Evaluation & Risk Assessment |
Occupational & Environmental Epidemiology ]
[ Occupational Illness & Injury |
Ozone |
Pfiesteria ]
[ Rabies |
Tuberculosis |
Veterinary Public Health ]
[ North Carolina Department of Health and
Human Services ]
Page last updated on Friday, 02-Sep-05 09:45:02