Welcome to the July 2025 edition of CORESafety TV, brought to you by the National Mining Association (NMA).

Recently, NMA developed an updated version of CORESafety, the legacy safety and health management system (SHMS) for our member companies.

CORESafety TV is now featuring an overview of each of the ten (10) new modules that comprise the system.

Take a few minutes now for a look at Module 6 —

(Click here to watch)

Want to see this CORESafety TV episode with Spanish subtitles? Click here

CORESafety Module 6:

Occupational health and well-being should be treated on par with worker safety.

A key difference between a worker injured and one who is impaired from an occupational disease is that injury often occurs very rapidly, while the disease can occur over longer periods of time.

Occupational health is accomplished by anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling occupational health hazards leading to illness.

In many ways, quality mental health and well-being are also accomplished by anticipating, recognizing, evaluating and controlling hazards through consistent social support and resources.

Newer standards and programs, including the new CORESafety update, acknowledge worker mental health and well-being as a leading and lagging indicator of worker safety and health.

Well-being at work relates to all aspects of the job experience including the work organization, organization of work, social factors, the environment, equipment and tasks.

CORESafety’s Module 6 encourages companies to treat occupational health, mental health and well-being as equal to safety. 

CORESafety Expectations

• Representative qualitative and quantitative risk (exposure) assessments must be conducted to characterize occupational health hazards and associated risks.
• Results of sampling or exposure assessments must be communicated to affected employees in a timely and understandable way.
• Where sampling or exposure assessments show elevated exposure, additional or improved controls must be implemented to address the elevated exposure.
• Sampling or exposure assessments must be documented for compliance, analysis, and verification purposes.
• Workforce medical confidentiality must be controlled and protected, e.g., HIPPA compliance.
• There must be a process to assess the workforce’s fitness for duty.
• Mental health awareness education, training, and other ongoing resources must be available and provided to all employees periodically (defined by the organization or location) to support physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being.
• An employee assistance program must exist and be available to all employees. The method of obtaining help must be provided.
• A return-to-work process must be defined and followed for all people who return to work after a specific length or type of absence.
• A company-specific drug and alcohol policy and testing procedure must exist and be followed that prohibits the use, distribution, or possession of illegal drugs. Employees must be prohibited from working under the influence of alcohol or prescription medications that could impair performance or safety.

MORE TO KNOW

Be sure to watch CORESafety TV in the coming months as we update you on all ten of the new CORESafety modules!

To visit our CORESafety website, click here.