7th Circuit Affirms Labor Dept’s Access to Mine Employees’ Medical Records

CHICAGO — A federal circuit court has affirmed the authority of the Secretary of Labor to request medical and personnel records of individual miners to assess whether mine operators have been accurately reporting injuries and illnesses.

The 7th Circuit said April 26 that such requests are allowed under federal Mine Safety Act regulations, and that the regulations themselves do not exceed the authority claimed by the Labor Department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration.

The dispute in this case arose when two mine operators refused to comply with demands from MHSA inspectors for employee medical and personnel records as a …