Mine safety is a broad term referring to the practice of controlling and managing a wide range of hazards associated with the life cycle of mining-related activities . Mine safety practice involves the implementation of recognised hazard controls and/or reduction of risks associated with mining activities to legally , socially and morally acceptable levels . While the fundamental principle of mine safety is to remove health and safety risks to mine workers , mining safety practice may also focus on the reduction of risks to plant ( machinery ) together with the structure and orebody of the mine . Safety has long been a concern in the mining business , especially in underground mining . The Courrières mine disaster , Europe 's worst mining accident , involved the death of 1,099 miners in Northern France on March 10 , 1906 . This disaster was surpassed only by the Benxihu Colliery accident in China on April 26 , 1942 , which killed 1,549 miners . While mining today is substantially safer than it was in previous decades , mining accidents still occur . Government figures from China indicate that 5,000 Chinese miners die in accidents each year , while other reports have suggested a figure as high as 20,000 . Mining accidents continue worldwide , including accidents causing dozens of fatalities at a time such as the 2007 Ulyanovskaya Mine disaster in Russia , the 2009 Heilongjiang mine explosion in China , and the 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine disaster in the United States
Upper Big Branch Mine disaster
Upper Big Branch Mine disaster
Mine safety