HHS reverses NIOSH firings that stripped coal miners’ health protections

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has reinstated over 100 federal employees from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which protects coal miners from black lung disease, reversing planned firings following public pressure and a federal court ruling. The decision, announced by Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito, comes after administrative leave was imposed on around 200 NIOSH employees and aims to maintain essential health care programs for miners. U.S. District Judge Irene Berger emphasized the importance of NIOSH’s health surveillance programs, asserting that the dismissals would irreparably harm miners’ health protections.

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