Official Translation

Liu Tao, Spokesperson and Second-Class Inspector of the General Department:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to the special press conference on the new version of the Coal Mine Safety Regulations hosted by the National Mine Safety Administration. The newly revised Coal Mine Mine Safety Regulations were publicly released on August 4. To help you better understand relevant information, we have invited Mr. Zhou Dechang, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the National Mine Safety Administration, to brief you on relevant details and answer your questions.

Also present at today’s press conference are: Mr. Xue Jianguang, Director of the Department of Policies, Regulations, Science, Technology and Equipment; Mr. Ding Baichuan, Director of the Department of Accident Investigation and Statistics; Mr. Xin Guanglong, Director of the Department of Safety Basic Work; Mr. Zhu Lin, Deputy Director of the Department of Coal Mine Safety Supervision; and Mr. Huang Tiwei, Deputy Director of the Department of Policies, Regulations, Science, Technology and Equipment of the National Mine Safety Administration.

Now, let’s welcome Mr. Zhou Dechang to introduce the Coal Mine Safety Regulations.

Zhou Dechang, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the National Mine Safety Administration:

Friends from the press, thank you for your long-term care, attention and support for mine work safety.

Work safety concerns the lives and property of the people, as well as overall economic development and social stability. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to work safety. General Secretary Xi Jinping has delivered a series of important expositions, instructions and directives on work safety, and the Party Central Committee and the State Council have made a series of major decisions and arrangements on work safety.

As a traditional high-risk industry, coal mining has always been a top priority in work safety. As an important part of the mine work safety legal system, the Coal Mine Safety Regulations enjoy high authority in the coal industry, hold a principal regulatory position in coal mine work safety, serve as the basic code for coal mine work safety practices, the main basis for coal mine safety supervision and law enforcement as well as coal industry management, and an important compliance standard for relevant colleges, universities, research institutes and equipment manufacturers in the coal sector.

Since the first promulgation of the Coal Mine Safety Regulations in September 1951, it has undergone 15 revisions, including 9 comprehensive revisions and 6 partial amendments. This revision marks the 16th update. The Party Leadership Group of the National Mine Safety Administration has attached great importance to this revision, established a special organization, and gathered numerous academicians and experts in the coal mining industry to participate. We organized research and demonstration, draft formulation, public consultation, centralized review, implementation assessment and other work, and finally formed the revised draft. In accordance with legislative procedures, it was promulgated to the public as Order No. 17 of the Ministry of Emergency Management on July 24 and will come into force on February 1, 2026.

The new Coal Mine Safety Regulations consists of 6 parts, 34 chapters and 777 articles. Compared with the previous version, 56 articles are newly added and 353 articles are substantially revised, representing a comprehensive and systematic revision, and indeed a thorough one.

This revision, first, thoroughly implements the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions, instructions and directives on work safety; second, implements the requirements of the Opinions of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council on Further Strengthening Mine Work Safety, the Coal Mine Work Safety Regulations, the Hard Measures of the Safety Commission of the State Council on Preventing and Curbing Major and Extremely Serious Production Safety Accidents in the Mine Sector and other relevant documents; third, earnestly summarizes the experience and lessons of coal mine work safety over the years, fully absorbs new achievements in technological progress and equipment upgrading, and draws on successful experience from other countries.

Our principle is to coordinate development and safety, protect miners’ lives, and focus on solving the pain points, difficulties and bottlenecks in current coal mine work safety. We seek truth from facts, learn from others’ strong points, and bring forth new ideas, with substantial and practical contents. I believe that the full implementation of the Coal Mine Safety Regulations will further promote the sustained and steady improvement of coal mine work safety and boost the high-quality development of the coal mining industry.

In the next step, our administration will strengthen the publicity, interpretation and implementation of the Coal Mine Safety Regulations. We are compiling the Implementation Instructions for the Coal Mine Safety Regulations, and will carry out a series of targeted training activities in a planned, step-by-step and hierarchical manner to guide coal mine practitioners and supervision and law enforcement personnel to study, master and implement the Regulations in their work. We also sincerely hope that friends from the press will actively promote the implementation of the new Regulations and step up publicity and coverage.

Next, my colleagues and I are pleased to answer your questions. Thank you!

Journalist from CCTV:This revision of the Coal Mine Safety Regulations is comprehensive and thorough, and will surely exert a significant impact on coal mine work safety nationwide. How has the revision ensured scientificity, rigor and practicality, and what is the overall thinking of the revision?

Xue Jianguang, Director of the Department of Policies, Regulations, Science, Technology and Equipment:Thank you for your question. As Deputy Director Zhou Dechang just mentioned, the Regulations enjoy high authority and influence in the coal industry. To ensure the scientificity and rigor of the revision, the National Mine Safety Administration set up a special organization, including 12 revision groups and 8 special research groups, bringing together more than 240 authoritative experts in the industry.

During the revision, we collected over 1,900 opinions and suggestions from supervision authorities at all levels and coal mine enterprises, held 23 review meetings and seminars, and produced 12 draft versions. For key core issues such as fully mechanized compact filling mining, lithium battery charging, personnel limit in rock burst mines, and gas drainage, we organized 15 special demonstration meetings and formed 31 special demonstration reports involving research institutions, coal mine enterprises and experts.

Meanwhile, to ensure the provisions are practical, effective, applicable and operable, before the approval and promulgation of the draft revised regulations, we specially organized 30 coal mines under 12 enterprises to conduct pre-implementation assessments, further listening to voices from the grassroots and absorbing frontline opinions.

Overall, this revision stands at the height of coordinating development and safety and protecting miners’ life safety and health. Targeting prominent problems exposed in coal mine production safety accidents in recent years, we have adopted concrete, effective and tough measures to ensure the revised contents are solid, feasible and truly effective. At the same time, we keep pace with the times, actively promote mature and reliable new processes, technologies, equipment and materials on the premise of safety standards, strengthen information-based and intelligent construction, and advance the vision of “safety with fewer or no workers”, ensuring the revision stands the test of time and practice.

Journalist from Legal Daily:Major disaster prevention and control is an effective way to shift mine safety toward prior prevention. What new requirements does the new Regulations put forward to strengthen coal mine major disaster prevention and control?

Xin Guanglong, Director of the Department of Safety Basic Work:Thank you for your question. Major disaster prevention and control has always been the key and difficulty in preventing coal mine accidents. As we often say, “without disaster control, mines can never enjoy peace”. The new Regulations have put forward relevant requirements for strict major disaster prevention and control.

First, strict disaster grade identification. The new Regulations include identification of coal mine disaster grades such as gas grade, rock burst, coal seam spontaneous combustion tendency, coal dust explosiveness, and open-pit coal mine landslide risk into safety inspection and testing, and require appraisal institutions to possess qualifications prescribed by the state.

Second, strict gas prevention and control. The new Regulations highlight advanced, regional and surface gas control. It stipulates that new mines mining outburst-prone coal seams must conduct gas drainage before construction; coal seams with gas pressure greater than 3MPa in the first mining area must undergo surface borehole pre-drainage, and construction can only start after gas pressure is reduced to below 2MPa. Meanwhile, it clarifies that outburst mines shall establish an outburst early warning mechanism.

Third, strict water hazard prevention and control. In terms of advanced detection, it further defines the “four-step work method” for goaf water hazard control: full investigation, clear detection, complete drainage, and accurate verification. In regional governance, it adds provisions on advanced surface regional water control in coal mines, and clarifies safety demonstration and effect verification methods for floor confined water after advanced surface regional treatment.

Fourth, strict fire prevention and control. Drawing profound lessons from accidents, it further regulates high-risk links such as fire area sealing and reopening. The new Regulations stipulate that coal mine enterprises must formulate design and construction standards for permanent goaf sealing walls; for sealing fire areas with explosion risks, surface borehole grouting or underground remote control equipment shall be prioritized; special measures must be formulated for reopening underground permanent sealing walls and implemented upon approval by the chief engineer of the coal mine.

Fifth, strict rock burst prevention and control. Drawing on the “four-in-one” prevention and control experience of coal and gas outburst, the new Regulations reconstruct the rock burst prevention and control system, putting forward specific safety requirements in regional control, local control, roadway support and safety protection.

Journalist from Jiemian News:In recent years, circulars and documents of coal mine safety supervision authorities have mentioned the “crude team” problem in safety management of some coal mine enterprises. What specific measures are adopted in this revision to address this issue?

Zhu Lin, Deputy Director of the Department of Coal Mine Safety Supervision:Thank you for your question. At present, some coal mine enterprises have prominent problems in safety management, mainly including insufficient safety technical management institutions and staffing, weak professional competence of main principals and technical management personnel, and low safety management levels.

To effectively improve coal mine work safety capacity, the new Regulations:

First, make provisions at different levels. Distinguishing between “coal mine enterprises” and “coal mines”, it requires coal mine enterprises to appoint technical principals and establish and implement a sound safety technical management system; coal mines must be equipped with qualified “five leading managers”, and coal mines with different disaster types shall be equipped with corresponding deputy chief engineers.

Second, strengthen institution setup. It stipulates that coal mine enterprises shall set up corresponding work safety management institutions based on disaster type, severity, production capacity and other factors. Meanwhile, to give play to the role of disaster prevention institutions, coal mines shall, in addition to special institutions for work safety, set up corresponding special prevention institutions according to disaster types.

Third, strengthen professional staffing. It adds provisions on the number, educational background and other requirements for personnel of various major disaster prevention institutions, clarifying that newly appointed principals of disaster prevention institutions shall have a college degree or above in coal mine-related majors and at least five years of relevant work experience.

Fourth, strengthen approval of safety technical measures. To ensure the scientificity, rationality and safety of safety technical measures, this revision adds items subject to approval by the technical principal of the coal mine enterprise and the chief engineer of the coal mine, such as rock burst risk assessment: regional assessment shall be approved by the technical principal of the coal mine enterprise, and local assessment by the chief engineer of the coal mine. Thank you!

Journalist from Zhejiang Daily:Recent open-pit coal mine accidents have caused heavy casualties and property losses. What new requirements does the new Regulations put forward to learn from accident lessons and strengthen open-pit coal mine safety management?

Ding Baichuan, Director of the Department of Accident Investigation and Statistics:Thank you for your question. To effectively address prominent problems in current open-pit coal mines, this revision has targeted strengthened management and technical measures, mainly reflected in the following aspects.

First, standardize work safety during construction. In light of problems exposed in accidents, it further specifies work safety responsibilities of construction units and construction contractors, and puts forward requirements for the setup of work safety management institutions and staffing of construction units; it clarifies that construction units must conduct unified management over work safety of project departments of outsourced stripping contractors, and specifies institution setup and staffing for such project departments.

Second, standardize slope monitoring and early warning. It clarifies that open-pit coal mines must establish a slope monitoring and early warning system, and stipulates its functions; it puts forward specific requirements for the formulation of slope monitoring and early warning system design schemes, determination of monitoring items, selection of monitoring equipment, and setting of early warning thresholds.

Third, standardize slope management. It adds safety requirements for slope inspection, stipulating that key and dangerous slopes in mining areas and waste dumps shall be inspected daily with records; it clarifies that inspection frequency shall be increased during rainy seasons and freeze-thaw periods as appropriate.

Fourth, standardize design review for open-pit to underground mining or underground to open-pit mining conversion. It clearly stipulates that coal mines converting from open-pit to underground mining or vice versa shall go through major design change review procedures, implement control measures in advance, and reduce safety risks.

Journalist from Economic Daily:The Coal Mine Safety Regulations is the principal regulation in the coal mine safety field. In what aspects does its authority and influence in the coal industry manifest, and what important role does it play in coal mine work safety practice?

Zhou Dechang:Thank you for your question. I will answer this. Over the 70-plus years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China’s coal industry has undergone earth-shaking changes, and coal mine work safety has achieved historic accomplishments. China’s coal output increased from 32.43 million tons in 1949 to 4.78 billion tons last year, a 146-fold growth; the coal mine death rate per million tons dropped from 22.54 to 0.059 last year, a decrease of 99.7%. Meanwhile, labor productivity has risen significantly, in which the Coal Mine Safety Regulations has played an irreplaceable role.

It can be said that the Regulations are the “root” of all coal mine work safety activities, the “soul” of coal mine technical and safety management, and the foundation for the high-quality development of the coal industry. It is fundamental, essential, universal and professional in the coal industry, and basically every coal practitioner has a copy. Every provision of the Regulations is forged by accidents and blood, a summary of over 70 years of coal mine work safety practice, and a “safety lock” and “protective talisman” for 3.4 million miners. As a saying goes, “Every regulation is written in blood, and shall never be tested by blood again”, which is the common aspiration and consensus of every employee and supervisor in the coal industry. In the next step, we will thoroughly publicize and implement the Coal Mine Safety Regulations to every practitioner.

Journalist from The Paper:Compared with previous revisions, what are the main highlights and innovations of this revision?

Huang Tiwei, Deputy Director of the Department of Policies, Regulations, Science, Technology and Equipment:Thank you for your question. This revision pursues practicality, effectiveness, applicability and operability. The main innovations and highlights can be summarized in five characters: practical, precise, relaxed, clear, intelligent.

First, practical. The Regulations serve as an “on-site guide” for coal mine practitioners and a “reference book” for law enforcement officers. The revision aims to solve on-site problems and achieve practical results. Many newly added and revised provisions come from frontline practical experience. For example, the industry has long called for reducing underground gas inspectors. With the maturity of coal mine safety monitoring technology and the development of inspection robots, it is time to make adjustments. Therefore, this revision substantially reduces the required number of underground gas inspectors and inspection frequency.

Second, precise. The revision targets industry pain points, difficulties and bottlenecks with accurate problem identification and precise measures. For example, regarding mine leaders’ on-site shift, some leaders fail to inspect key production links; some are required to go underground even when production is suspended with no workers underground. The new Regulations stipulate that mine leaders on underground shift must conduct on-site inspections of key parts and links of coal mining and tunneling, as well as hazardous operations including cross-cutting coal uncovering, water detection and drainage, roadway connection, coal bin cleaning, forced caving, fire area sealing and reopening, hot work, and others specified by the National Mine Safety Administration. No underground shift is required when no one works underground.

Third, relaxed. On the one hand, overly strict provisions are appropriately relaxed on the premise of ensuring safety and following certain procedures. For example, the number of simultaneous mining faces shall not exceed 3 in principle, and tunneling faces not exceed 9 in principle, but can be appropriately increased for thin coal seams or longwall filling mining with corresponding reporting obligations. On the other hand, many technical decision-making powers are delegated to enterprises, such as the scope of work stoppage during roadway connection, and inspection methods and frequency of gas accumulation-prone areas.

Fourth, clear. The vitality of the Regulations lies in implementation, requiring provisions to be clear, specific, operable and enforceable. For example, for fire prevention and extinguishing, the original provision required mines mining easily spontaneous combustion and spontaneous combustion coal seams to formulate special fire prevention designs and adopt comprehensive measures. The word “comprehensive” was once interpreted as requiring at least two measures such as nitrogen injection and grouting. This revision deletes “comprehensive”, as only effective measures matter regardless of quantity.

To prevent misinterpretation in practice, the National Mine Safety Administration will compile the Implementation Instructions for the Coal Mine Safety Regulations, which is the only official legally binding interpretation in accordance with Article 776 of the Regulations.

Fifth, intelligent. The new Regulations adapt to the development of automation and intelligent technologies. The full text mentions “intelligent” 3 times, “unmanned” / “no special personnel” 23 times, “remote” 11 times, and “video monitoring” 23 times. It clarifies the application direction and specific requirements of intelligent technologies in geological exploration, underground operation, monitoring, open-pit mining and other links, injecting strong policy impetus into “safety with fewer or no workers” and intelligent development of coal mines.

Journalist from Southern Weekly:The new Regulations fully absorb the latest achievements of new processes, technologies, equipment and materials. What considerations have been taken in this regard?

Huang Tiwei:Thank you for your question. The application of new processes, technologies, equipment and materials in coal mines has greatly improved production efficiency, but also brought new safety risks and hazards. Therefore, in this revision, we not only encourage the promotion of mature new technologies, but also conduct full research and demonstration on related safety risks and put forward preventive measures.

First, firmly encourage mature technologies. Technologies with years of practical experience and promotion foundation are explicitly encouraged. For example, fully mechanized compact filling mining and forward fully mechanized compact filling mining have achieved good pilot results in Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia and other regions, ensuring safety and reliability, unlocking massive coal resources under “three under and one above” areas, and effectively solving ecological problems caused by coal mining. This revision includes these mining methods in the Regulations for the first time.

Second, strictly prevent potential safety risks. Take underground lithium battery charging as an example. With coal mine intelligence, there are over 3,000 large lithium battery-powered transport vehicles underground nationwide, widely used in mining, tunneling and transportation, as well as various electric inspection robots. However, lithium battery thermal runaway risks are prominent due to high temperature, humidity, dust and vibration underground, which may produce toxic gases and cause fires, explosions and mass casualties.

The new Regulations allow underground charging for single lithium battery units with capacity less than 74kWh, but puts forward comprehensive and strict safety requirements for charging chamber design, ventilation, monitoring, emergency disposal, and protection measures for charging devices and points. The administration is also formulating supporting national and industrial standards for underground lithium battery application to further strengthen safety protection.

Journalist from Guangming Online:We notice that the new Regulations add a new chapter on design and roadway layout compared with the old version. What are the main considerations and specific provisions?

Zhu Lin:Thank you for your question. As a saying goes, “congenital deficiencies are hard to remedy acquiredly”. Coal mine design is the source of work safety. For example, some mines are designed as low-gas mines without thorough gas occurrence investigation, and later upgraded to high-gas or outburst mines, bringing huge safety risks in system adjustment.

This revision adds a special chapter on “Design and Roadway Layout” in Part III “Underground Coal Mines” to establish the concept of “full life cycle management” at the design stage, balance safety and efficiency to the maximum extent, and reduce congenital and systematic safety risks caused by unscientific design and roadway layout.

The new Regulations: first, strengthen disaster assessment before design. It clarifies that mines must complete assessment of water, fire, gas, roof, rock burst, dust, heat hazard and other disasters within the mining area before design, and specifies assessment contents.

Second, put forward safety requirements for shaft location. Shafts shall avoid fault fracture zones, goafs, outburst coal seams or weak rock strata as much as ways, and shall not pass through collapse columns or karst caves. New underground garage roadways and main chambers shall not be arranged in coal seams with outburst or strong rock burst risks.

Third, clarify safety requirements for development roadway layout. Development roadways shall not be arranged in coal seams with outburst or strong rock burst risks, or water (sand) proof coal and rock pillars. Relevant safety measures are specified for development roadways arranged in rock burst-prone coal seams and spontaneous combustion-prone coal seams.

Fourth, regulate tight mining-tunneling succession. It clarifies that mines shall ensure normal mining-tunneling succession, and puts forward requirements on “three reserves” balance, mining area division, working face layout, multi-seam mining and disaster control. Thank you!

Journalist from China Work Safety Magazine:In recent years, many external fire accidents have occurred in coal mines, exposing prominent problems in electromechanical and transportation systems. What targeted provisions does the new Regulations put forward?

Ding Baichuan:The electromechanical and transportation system is an important part of coal mine production, running through all links of production and construction. A safe and reliable system is a key premise for coal mine work safety. Recent major fire accidents have exposed problems such as unreasonable equipment design and installation, inadequate maintenance, and non-standard emergency rescue training for practitioners.

To draw lessons and effectively prevent accidents, the new Regulations puts forward targeted safety requirements.

First, strengthen monitoring and early warning. It specifies the setting of fire monitoring points for belt conveyors, monitoring parameters and functions, as ineffective monitoring is a major cause of delayed fire detection and disposal.

Second, strengthen maintenance. It imposes more specific maintenance requirements for belt conveyors, as some equipment operates with faults and leads to accidents due to inadequate maintenance.

Third, strengthen education and training for practitioners. It stipulates that coal mine enterprises shall organize at least one full-staff emergency rescue training and one emergency drill every six months; underground operators must receive practical training on self-rescuer wearing, and be able to complete blind wearing within 30 seconds.

Journalist from Xinhua News Agency:General survey of hidden disaster-causing factors is a fundamental measure for safety risk prevention and control and source governance. What specific requirements does the new Regulations put forward?

Xin Guanglong:Thank you for your question. General survey of hidden disaster-causing factors is a forward-looking and basic work for coal mine work safety. Incomplete investigation is a major cause of many coal mine accidents in recent years. Some enterprises perfunctorily conduct this work. To promote thorough investigation and effective governance, the new Regulations regulates the work in the following aspects.

First, regulate system establishment. It clearly stipulates that both coal mine enterprises and coal mines must establish a hidden disaster-causing factor general survey system, which was not mandatory before.

Second, regulate survey contents. It clarifies the hidden disaster-causing factors to be identified to avoid incomplete or copied survey reports, guiding mines to take targeted measures.

Third, regulate survey report formulation. Survey and report compilation can be conducted independently by coal mine enterprises or entrusted to professional institutions, but shall be reviewed and approved by the technical principal of the coal mine enterprise.

Fourth, regulate survey work for construction mines. Hidden disaster-causing factor survey during construction shall be organized by the construction unit and assisted by the construction contractor.

Journalist from Guangming Daily:Solid publicity and implementation are key to the effective implementation of the Regulations. What specific arrangements are made for the next step?

Xue Jianguang:“The vitality and authority of regulations lie in implementation”. Without effective publicity, even well-designed provisions will achieve poor results.

We plan to carry out the following work for the publicity and implementation of the Regulations:

First, compile the Implementation Instructions for the Coal Mine Safety Regulations to avoid implementation deviations, which is the only official legally binding interpretation.

Second, hold a video interpretation conference. A video conference for coal mine safety supervision authorities will be held this afternoon to arrange publicity and implementation.

Third, organize a series of special training. Special training courses will be held for provincial coal mine safety supervision law enforcement personnel, and for coal mine enterprises entrusted to the China Mine Safety Association. Magazines such as China Coal and Modern Miners will publish interviews, short videos and online courses to expand coverage.

Fourth, accelerate revision of supporting documents. Supporting documents such as discretionary benchmarks for law enforcement, major hazard identification standards, mine safety training provisions, and detailed rules for rock burst and fire prevention and control will be revised accordingly, which is already in progress.

Journalist from CNRS China National Voice:How is the national mine work safety situation so far this year? What measures will the National Mine Safety Administration take to strengthen mine work safety in the second half of the year?

Zhou Dechang:Thank you for your attention to mine safety. I will answer this. Since the beginning of this year, the national mine work safety situation has been generally stable. Up to now, major and above accidents have been eliminated nationwide, a record since 2000; major accidents have dropped by 20%, while ordinary accidents have increased slightly.

Next, the National Mine Safety Administration will firmly implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, focusing on four aspects.

First, ensure mine safety during flood season. We will focus on seven key points: preventing rainstorm flood from pouring into shafts, preventing surface water and connected goaf water from inrush, preventing aquifer pressure rise due to rainstorm recharge, ensuring safety of tailings ponds, preventing secondary disasters such as mountain floods and mudslides, and avoiding full-mine power outages caused by extreme weather. We will remain vigilant during the critical flood season.

Second, analyze accident patterns. Ordinary accidents account for 97.4% in the first half, with roof accidents accounting for nearly 30%, and major accidents mainly involving gas, roof and water inrush. We will curb major and extremely serious accidents, control major accidents and reduce ordinary ones.

Third, promote mine enterprises to fulfill work safety main responsibilities. We will urge enterprises to strengthen hidden disaster-causing factor investigation and major disaster control, and enhance team building to improve practitioners’ safety awareness and operational standards, reducing ordinary accidents.

Fourth, implement precise law enforcement. We will use mine safety risk early warning systems, hidden disaster-causing factor survey reports, and mining-tunneling succession plans to accurately identify risks and conduct targeted law enforcement. For frequent illegal mining accidents, we will report to local governments and joint law enforcement with natural resources and public security authorities, and mobilize township and village committees to form a joint force against illegal mining.

Liu Tao:Today’s press conference concludes here. Thank you, friends from the media. Please continue to follow the work of the National Mine Safety Administration. See you next time！