Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
• Implementation of an alcohol and drug abuse education program, including the
availability of an Employee Assistance Program for those employees who self-identify as
needing help.
Finally, in terms of worker conditions, shift work has been linked to sleep disturbances, digestive
problems, cardiovascular disease, unhealthy behaviors, and stress from work/family conflict
(IWH, 2002). During operations, the project workers would work in three shifts around the clock.
Some of the negative health impacts expected from shift work may be alleviated if workers are
given some control over their schedule.
As mentioned above, occupational health and safety is generally not assessed in a health impact
assessment. Worker health is regulated by occupational health and safety requirements of Federal
and state agencies. RHR hired an occupational health and safety specialist to draft performance
manuals in the following areas: Health and Safety Program; Radiation Protection Plan for In Situ
Recovery and Conventional Milling; Strathmore Radiation Protection Plan and various safety
manuals, including one on substance abuse. These performance manuals will be under the
scrutiny of MSHA and OSHA and the New Mexico Environment Department. Worker hazards
that are relevant for the general population are discussed in “health effects stemming from
environmental consequences.”
The impacts to health stemming from employment during construction, operation, and
decommissioning phases of the proposed action are expected to be both positive and negative.
The positive impacts of employment on health are expected to be of moderate magnitude, to have
a medium geographic extent, and to be of medium-term duration. There is probable likelihood of
these impacts occurring and the precedence or uniqueness is moderate. Therefore, the overall
impacts to health stemming from employment during construction, operation, and
decommissioning are positive but less than significant.
The negative impacts of employment on health are expected to be of minor to moderate
magnitude, to have a medium geographic extent, and to be of medium to long-term duration.
There is probable likelihood of these impacts occurring and the precedence or uniqueness is slight
to moderate. Therefore, the potential adverse effects on health stemming from employment
during construction, operation, and decommissioning would be less than significant.
Health Effects Stemming from Workforce Migration
Figure 80 depicts potential links between the proposed action and environmental health
outcomes.
An influx of workers into the local area for work opportunities related to the proposed action may
cause specific health effects in the population. There are three distinct mechanisms through which
an in-migrating workforce tends to influence community health outcomes:
1. change in the social functioning of the community;
2. directly and indirectly increasing infectious disease rates;
3. impacts on the capacity of local health care services.
418 DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest