The newly revised Coal Mine Safety Regulations will come into force on February 1, 2026. The new version contains 777 provisions in total, with 56 new provisions and 353 substantial amendments compared to the previous edition.
According to the National Mine Safety Administration, with the advancement of mine safety monitoring technologies and inspection robots, the new regulations significantly reduce the number of underground gas inspectors and the required inspection frequency.
Prevention of major disasters remains the focus and difficulty of coal mine accident control. The new regulations incorporate hazard assessments such as gas levels, rock burst risks, coal seam spontaneous combustion tendencies, coal dust explosibility, and landslide risks in open-pit mines into the scope of safety testing and inspection. It also requires that the institutions performing these assessments must have the qualifications stipulated by national standards.
In terms of water hazard control, the new regulations add requirements for advanced surface treatment of water-bearing areas. They also clarify how to conduct safety demonstrations and effectiveness verifications after the treatment of confined aquifers beneath the coal seam floor.
Furthermore, with the rapid development of automation and intelligent technologies, the new regulations specify the direction and detailed requirements for the application of smart technologies in geological exploration, underground operations, monitoring and control, as well as open-pit mining.