Coal Mine Workers Health Scheme (CMWHS)

The Coal Mine Workers Health Scheme (CMWHS) form has 4 sections:

1. Section 1 is completed by your employer. It includes information about the Appointed Medical Advisor (AMA), the employer, your job position and the health risks associated with the role.
2. Section 2 is completed by yourself (the employee). It documents all of your personal details, as well as your working and medical history information. Photo ID is required at the assessment.
3. Section 3 is completed by an Examining Medical Officer (EMO) this is where clinical findings, chest x-ray results and spirometry test results from your assessments is documented.
4. Section 4 (your health assessment report) is completed and signed off by the AMA. This specifies your fitness for duty, work restrictions and requirements for a subsequent follow up and assessment. This is the only section of your health assessment that will get sent to your employer.

The Coal Mine Workers’ Health Scheme (CMWHS) is to protect the health and wellbeing of Queensland coal mine workers. It is regulated by the Queensland Government, Resources Safety & Health Queensland under the Coal Mining Safety and Health Regulation 2017. The health assessment helps detect early symptoms and health changes for diseases like coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP), also known as ‘Black Lung’ and silicosis. It also helps determine your fitness to work safely. It is a requirement to undergo compulsory health assessments, at least every 5 years.

The Section 4 is your health assessment report and determines your fitness for duty. This is completed considering your physical exam, chest x-ray results and spirometry test results.

You need a completed Section 4 in order to work in the coal mines.

Your employer can only view your Section 4. All other medical information contained within the completed assessment is protected by legislation and can only be released with your written consent. All medical information is required to be submitted to the department of Resources, Safety and Health Queensland for record-keeping.

All completed health assessment and exit assessment forms (including the health assessment reports) are the property of Resources Safety & Health Queensland (RSHQ). The confidentiality of these forms and reports are protected by law.

RSHQ can release copies of completed forms and reports to:

• the worker, or another person with the consent of the worker
• a doctor or hospital without the coal mine worker’s consent if the information is needed to treat the worker and the worker is unable to give consent
• to a person, such as a doctor, without the coal mine worker’s consent to enable the person to carry out an assessment or review (this is limited to certain information such as spirometry only for comparative assessment of spirometry)
• an appropriately qualified person for approved research (i.e. approved by a Human Research Ethics Committee under the Public Health Act 2005 or similar body) without the coal mine worker’s consent.

If you require documentation related to a CMWHS (including your Section 4, Chest X-Ray report, B-Read report, medical assessment forms), you can contact Resource Health and Safety Queensland (RSHQ) and access this information free of charge.

Resource Health and Safety Queensland (RSHQ) – Obtaining Copies of Medicals.

Your Employer is not privy to your medical records. They will receive a copy of your Section 4 (S4).  All other medical information contained within the results is protected by legislation and can only be released with written consent.

An Examining Medical Officer (EMO) is the doctor that completes your physical examinations, and completes your section 3.

An Appointed Medical Advisor (AMA) is the doctor that reviews your health assessment and completes your section 4.

Both the Appointed Medical Adviser (AMA) and Examining Medical Officer (EMO) are approved by Resources, Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ). Only those doctors certified by RSHQ can undertake these roles.

No. Employers are responsible to pay for the coal mine worker’s health assessment and exit assessment (for eligible retiring workers).

Medical assessments are required at least every 5 years for the oldest component or more frequently as determined by the AMA.

Renewal – 5 yearly full assessment

Review – short review for a specific health concern or to keep close monitoring on an aspect of your health

An ERT assessment (for Emergency Response Team Members) is required every 2 years for those up to the age of 40 and every year for employees over 40. An ERT medical includes an assessment of cardiovascular fitness via a VO2 Max test.

A standard is required every 5 years, as per the ILO testing requirements.

Lots of medicals need a review. This can be for many reasons, the most common being because there is a piece of missing information in your medical or you are required to provide a GP letter for one of your answers.

Chest x-rays are now a requirement for all workers under the Coal Mine Workers Health Scheme. You must attend the radiology clinic indicated on your referral form. Similar to GP clinics, radiology practices must be registered to work in the coal mine workers health scheme and meet certain quality requirements.. It is important you do not go somewhere else. If you do, you will have to pay for any additional costs associated with attending any radiologist other than the one specified on your referral.

Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) or Black Lung is from the range of mine dust lung diseases (MDLD) and is considered a job-related illness. This is caused by long-term exposure to respirable coal dust, generating amid mining and quarrying activities.

Mine dust lung disease (MDLD) typically takes several years to develop – commonly 10 years or more and can include a range of occupational lung conditions, including:

• coal workers pneumoconiosis (CWP), or ‘Black lung’
• silicosis
• asbestosis
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• lung cancer.

MDLD is diagnosed by Respiratory Physicians, if you have certain triggers in your assessment (defined by RSHQ) the AMA is required to refer you to a respiratory physician.

It is your responsibility as the employer to arrange and pay for the health assessments of all individuals that you employ or intend to employ.

A complete assessment is required every 5 years. The AMA may require assessment at short timeframes for specific concerns.

ERT workers (Emergency Response Team Members) require full assessments every 2 years or annually if they are over 40.

As the employer, you will need to complete the Section 1 of the Coal Mine Workers Health Assessment. The Section 1 specifies information about the Appointed Medical Officer (AMA) and the employer, including important information on the employee’s role and similar exposure groups (SEGs). All of this information is required prior to the Examining Medical Officer (EMO) being able to conduct the medical assessment.

The legislation requires a new assessment on change of employer. However an AMA can decide if they are happy to use previous components. Please contact us to discuss your specific situation.

Yes, if they are due a full medical we will arrange it, and the AMA will sign off on this. If the next assessment is a review, we will need consent from the worker to view the last full assessment. We would then work with the coal mine worker to complete the review.

The AMA can use components from previous medicals, consent is required from the coal mine worker (CMW) to obtain the previous whole assessment.

On Section 4 completed by the AMA 4.3 b, c and d indicates whether a subsequent assessment is required, when it is required and what the brief assessment entails.

Yes. Employers pay for the coal mine workers’ health assessments and exit assessments (for eligible retiring workers).