New Mining Rules in China Making Bosses go Down Shafts

In China, coal mine managers and chief engineers are required to accompany miners down into the shafts and tunnels, starting on October 7. The new rule has been set up with the intention that management should put themselves at risk as the miners do, to make sure the company complies with safety regulations.

One mining company in Guangxi has tried to circumvent the new rule by promoting seven employees as "assistants to managers," who would then go down into the mines instead of the managers.

But a spokesman for the State Administration of Work Safety publicly stated that such tactics would not be allowed.

More than 2600 miners died last year in work-related accidents. China's coal mining industry has become notorious for its pervasive corruption and lack of regulation.