Coal Mine Safety Regulation in China and the USA

The People's Republic of China (PRC) and the USA are, by long measure, the world's largest producers and consumers of coal. Coal production is inherently risky, and fatalities are unavoidable in these large coal economies. Both countries have developed complex systems of law to regulate co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of contemporary Asia 2009-08, Vol.39 (3), p.424-439
Main Author: Homer, Andrew W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asian history
China
China (People's Republic)
Coal
Coal industry
Coal mines
Coal mining
Corruption
Economic development
International comparisons
Judicial reviews
Labor
Labour
mine
mine safety
Mining
Mining accidents & safety
Mining Industry
Mining law
Mining policy
Occupational safety
Occupational Safety and Health
Peoples Republic of China
Regulation
Safety
Safety measures
Trade unions
U.S.A
United States
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Summary:The People's Republic of China (PRC) and the USA are, by long measure, the world's largest producers and consumers of coal. Coal production is inherently risky, and fatalities are unavoidable in these large coal economies. Both countries have developed complex systems of law to regulate coal mine safety. These systems share many attributes. Despite similarities between the separate systems of mining law, the PRC significantly trails the USA in terms of coal mine safety. Due to large disparity in economic development, it may be inappropriate to compare these two countries. However, the PRC's mine safety record is significantly worse than that of other large producers who are similarly underdeveloped. It appears that the PRC has failed to effectively implement its mining safety laws. Several arguments have been made as to the cause of this failure, including lack of judicial review of agency actions, lack of meaningful trade unions, government corruption and geographical difficulties of controlling rural mines with a central government. This article explores similarities and differences between the coal economies of the USA and PRC, and introduces some of the arguments used to explain the gap in safety.
ISSN:0047-2336
1752-7554
DOI:10.1080/00472330902944511