Reform and development of coal mine safety in China: An analysis from government supervision, technical equipment, and miner education

Abstract

Coal mine safety management has been one of the most successful public governance cases in China in the last 20 years. This paper systematically analyzes the reform measures and experience effects of the Chinese government in coal mine safety governance. It does so from three aspects: government supervision, technical equipment, and miner training. The results show that the number of coal mine accidents in China has fluctuated greatly, which can be divided into five stages. Small and medium-sized coal mines, dominated by township and village coal mines, are the key targets of coal mine safety management in China. Two policies —"shutting down small coal mines” and “integrating resources"—have strengthened the government's safety management of small coal mines. Secondly, the establishment of the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety has solved the supervision conflict caused by the multiple identities of agents and represents a turning point in China's coal mine safety management. Third, coal mine mechanization has a significant negative correlation with the number of accidental deaths and is a crucial measure for improving the intrinsic safety of coal mines. Fourth, the improvement of miners' overall education level has an obvious effect on enhancing coal mine safety. Following long-term safety education and skills training, the number of unsafe actions caused by knowledge deficits and cognitive errors gradually fell. More accidents are caused by the coal mine management giving wrong orders and illegal commands. Finally, this paper discusses the potential deficiencies of coal mine safety management in China at present, and makes some policy suggestions.