Mine enterprise principals must go underground for shift duty no fewer than 5 times each month and descend and ascend together with workers on duty, according to a new guidance document released by the National Mine Safety Administration. The document aims to strengthen the implementation of mining enterprises' primary responsibility for work safety.
The guidance, titled "Guiding Opinions on Further Strengthening the Implementation of Mining Enterprises' Primary Responsibility for Work Safety," sets systematic requirements around four key areas: enforcing responsibilities, controlling risks, reinforcing foundations, and strengthening emergency response. For non-coal mine enterprises, the principal must spend no less than 10 working days per month performing duties on site; for coal mines, the principal must conduct on-site inspections at least once per month.
Responsibilities of parent companies are also strictly defined. Parent companies with multiple management layers must reduce such layers, and their principals must conduct on-site inspections at least once every six months. They are strictly prohibited from issuing production plans or operation targets that exceed capacity. Mining enterprises and their parent companies must establish a full-staff safety responsibility system covering the actual controller and develop lists of authority and responsibilities for key personnel including the chairman and general manager.
For risk management, mining enterprises must conduct site-wide risk identification at least once per year, and the principal must organize a major accident hazard inspection once per month. Any major hazards found must be recorded in a ledger and supervised by the principal to ensure that responsibilities, measures, funds, timelines and contingency plans are all in place, with quarterly reports submitted to local regulators and supervisory agencies. Hidden disaster-causing factor surveys are required every three years; areas not surveyed and mitigated are strictly off-limits for mining.
For major disaster control, outburst-prone coal, rock bursts, and water hazards must be managed through zoning, advance control, and engineering measures. Open-pit slopes over 150 meters high must have monitoring and early warning systems connected online. Coal mines with tight mining succession must limit or stop production. Underground metal and non-metal mines must implement graded roof support rules. Tailings pond drainage structures must undergo quality inspections every three years.
On foundational safety, mining enterprises must set up safety management departments with sufficient full-time staff. Underground mine managers holding any of the five designated positions cannot hold two or more such posts in the same mine or take concurrent posts in other mines. Central mining enterprise headquarters and large and medium-sized enterprises should appoint a chief safety officer, and state-owned enterprises should include the chief engineer and chief safety officer in their top management team.
In terms of technical equipment, mining enterprises must allocate safety production expenses in full as required, focusing on risk control, hazard rectification, and intelligent upgrades. Coal mines must have two-circuit power supply lines; underground metal and non-metal mines must have dual power sources for primary loads. Small and medium-sized mines should undergo mechanization upgrades, while large mines should pursue automation and intelligent upgrades.
For personnel training, mine managers and principals must undergo specialized safety training annually, and new recruits must complete at least 72 hours of pre-job safety training. Underground special operations personnel obtaining qualifications for the first time must have at least a high school education or equivalent.
On emergency response, mining enterprises must organize emergency plan drills at least once every six months, and pre-flood season joint drills involving government, enterprise, and residents are required for downstream tailings ponds. After an accident or dangerous situation occurs, the emergency plan must be activated immediately and reported as required; late reporting, false reporting, or concealment is strictly prohibited. In case of emergency, the shift leader, team leader, and dispatcher have the authority to directly order production stoppage and personnel evacuation.
The guidance takes effect from the date of issuance, and the previous 2020 guidance on implementing coal mine enterprise safety responsibility is simultaneously repealed. The document also requires mine safety regulatory departments at all levels to treat the implementation of enterprise primary responsibility as a key part of inspections and enforcement, and to strengthen the connection between administrative law enforcement and criminal justice to crack down on safety violations.