Former Worker Medical Screening
Program
Background:
The Former Worker Medical Screening Program (FWP) supports
the Office of Health and Safety's mission and strategic response
by funding external teams of health experts to independently
offer medical screening to former workers who may be at significant
risk for occupational diseases.
The FWP teams collect available site and deidentified worker
health information, which is made available to DOE and other
interested parties. Individual project final reports will also
be made available to DOE workers and communities.
The FWP was established following the issuance of the Fiscal
Year 1993 Defense Authorization Act (PL 102-484), which
called for DOE to assist workers with determining whether they
had health issues related to their prior work with DOE. Site-
and population-specific medical screening efforts were initiated
in 1996. The FWP has been conducted using cooperative agreements
held by consortia of universities, labor unions, and commercial
organizations with expertise in administration of medical programs.
These medical screening projects provide notification to members
of the at-risk groups and medical screening examinations for
interested individuals. These examinations have been designed
to check for adverse health outcomes related to occupational
exposures (such as beryllium, asbestos, silica, welding fumes,
lead, cadmium, chromium, and solvents).
Workers eligible for this program include all former DOE Federal,
contractor, and subcontractor employees from all DOE sites.
In FY 2005, DOE also initiated a separate beryllium sensitization
screening effort for employees of defunct
DOE beryllium vendors who were employed with these companies
while they performed work for DOE. These individuals typically
have no other access to the beryllium sensitization screening,
because their employers are no longer in business.
Most participants of the FWP and the beryllium vendor screening
program have been reassured that they were not harmed, and those
with medical findings have been assisted with referral for medical
follow-up and/or to the Department of Labor's Energy
Employee Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICP).
Program Manager: Mary
Fields
(301) 903-1613
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