Silicosis as an Industrial and Compensation Problem in British Columbia

Abstract

SUMMARY Out of 703 miners who had been five years or more underground, 105 or 14.9 per cent were silicotics; 62.8 per cent of these were Stage 1, 37.2 per cent were showing disability. Following this survey, silicosis was made a compensa table disease and it was made compulsory for mine owners to have their employees going underground given a yearly examination with x-ray film of the chest. At the present time any workman who has been exposed to silica dust in the mines of British Columbia for a period of three years, or for a lesser period if not exposed outside of British Columbia, is eligible for compensation for disablement due to silicosis. Silicosis as defined under the Act mean a fibrotic condition of the lungs caused by dust containing Silica and evidenced by specific x-ray appearance, accompanied by a substantially lessened capacity for The regulations regarding annual examination of employees are that each employee must have a medical examination and x-ray film of his chest, and a certificate for fitness for underground work issued within two months of the time he starts working underground, and this examination must be repeated annually. These examinations are made the mine doctors at the expense of the employer. The examination forms and x-ray films are forwarded to the Workmen's Compensation Board and reviewed there by the Silicosis Referee who may cancel or re-issue any certificate if he considers it advisable. The policy in regard to issuing certificates is that all cases of suspected active tuberculosis shall be excluded. Cases of silicosis showing progression or complicated by tuberculosis are advised to apply for compensation and removed from underground work. Cases of early silicosis which are not showing progression, especially in the older men, are issued certificates if they wish to continue. We have not found that these cases progress substantially faster when removed from underground work than if allowed to remain at work to which they are accustomed. Compensation is based on disability and it is an economic disaster to remove men from work they have been doing for fifteen or twenty years and ask them to make a living at something else. We consider also that most of the mines of British Columbia are now reasonably safe. Besides compensation and yearly examinations, in September 1937, the Workmen's Compensation Board appointed a competent dust inspector to visit the mines at regular intervals, and to make dust counts and recommendations regarding improvement of ventilation. A second man has recently been appointed. Under their recommendation many hundred thousands of dollars have been spent on improving the dust conditions. They report that in most mines conditions are reasonably good. Their standard is 300 particles of dust or less per cc. of air. In some parts of the mine, as in the raises where the men are drilling, conditions are still hazardous, counts being sometimes as high as 2,000 particles per cc., so that it is not possible as yet to do away entirely with hazardous dust. It is our impression, not as yet confirmed by accurate statistics, that there is a definite fall in recent years in the incidence of new cases of silicosis. It must be remembered that at the time this disease was made compensable, there were a large number of miners who had advanced silicosis, either working or who had just stopped working. There were also a large number of men who had already been exposed for four or five years to old conditions prevailing before 1937. It is therefore going to be some years yet before we can estimate the benefit being derived from general dust prevention measures, as well as the use of aluminum.