Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced that the National Mining Association (NMA) and NMA’s Senior Vice President for Regulatory Affairs Bruce Watzman were among award winners selected by the department in its inaugural HHSinnovates program. The recognition went to NMA, Watzman and a team of government, labor and others that “developed a personal monitor to measure a miner’s cumulative exposure to dust and enabling reduced disease.”

Nearly 10,000 HHS employees voted on more than 125 innovations submitted last spring from all HHS operating divisions. In announcing the awards, Secretary Sebelius said the program was launched because, “we recognise that innovation is the lifeblood of continued improvement in our Department’s performance in serving Americans.”

The award for the personal dust monitor (PDM) was the only award won by a team that included participation by non-government employees and recognised the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Thermo Scientific, the US Department of Labor, the United Mine Workers of America and the Bituminous Coal Operators Association and the individual participants in the project. Commenting on the award, Watzman said, “The PDM has the potential to revolutionise miner health, and NMA was pleased to participate in this very important team effort.”