Mine Safety and Health Administration's Part 50 program does not fully capture chronic disease and injury in the Illinois mining industry.

BACKGROUND: The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) requires reporting of injuries and illnesses to their Part 50 program. A 2011 study indicated that the Part 50 program did not capture many cases of injury in Kentucky, causing concern about underreporting in other states.

METHODS: MSHA Part 50 reports from Illinois for 2001-2013 were linked to Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission (IWCC) data. IWCC cases not found in the Part 50 data were considered unreported.

RESULTS: Overall, the Part 50 Program did not capture 66% of IWCC cases from 2001 to 2013. Chronic injuries or illnesses were more likely to be unreported to MSHA.

CONCLUSIONS: The majority of occupational injuries and illnesses found in the IWCC from this time period, were not captured by Part 50. Inaccurate reporting of injuries and illnesses to the Part 50 program hinders MSHA's ability to enforce safety and health standards in the mining industry.