Opencast mines may not be as dangerous as underground mines, but they should respect a wide range of provisions in order to minimise safety and health risks to workers and people living nearby. This code is intended for people responsible for occupational safety and health in opencast mining.

This code of practice on safety and health in underground coalmines reflects the many changes in the industry and its workforce, as well as new developments in occupational safety and health policies and ILO instruments on occupational safety and health. A leaner, multi-skilled workforce, new technology and less prescriptive, more systems-oriented approach to addressing safety and health are also reflected in this code. The code sets out a national framework that specifies the roles of the competent authorities, employers, workers and their organizations. It also comprises a methodology for identifying hazards, preventing and minimizing risks, as well as specific provisions for safe underground coalmining operations.These specific provisions address most of the currently identified hazards and risks associated with underground coalmining. When used in conjunction with the code's methodology for hazard identification, risk assessment and control process, these provisions represent current best practice. As the same time, the code is drafted in a way not to inhibit the development of new technologies, better practice or the adoption of alternative measures that provide effective protection to all persons involved in underground coalmining.

The coalmining industry has always been considered the most hazardous of the major industries, in view of the natural conditions in which the work is carried out and the considerable difficulties involved. This code of practice has been prepared to help those responsible for improving standards of safety and health and to provide guide-lines for the drafting of safety and health regulations for the coalmining industry. It contains provisions on general safety and health measures, specific measures for work underground, road and shaft driving, coalgetting, transport, and so on, and procedures f.

In To Punish or Persuade, John Braithwaite declares that coal mine disasters are usually the result of corporate crime. He surveys 39 coal mine disasters from around the world, including 19 in the United States since 1960, and concludes that mine fatalities are usually not caused by human error or the unstoppable forces of nature. He shows that a combination of punitive and educative measures taken against offenders can have substantial effects in reducing injuries to miners. Braithwaite not only develops a model for determining the optimal mix of punishment and persuasion to maximize mine safety, but provides regulatory agencies in general with a model for mixing the two strategies to ensure compliance with the law. To Punish or Persuade looks at coal mine safety in the United States, Great Britain, Australia, France, Belgium, and Japan. It examines closely the five American coal mining companies with the best safety performance in the industry: U.S. Steel, Bethlehem Steel, Consolidation Coal Company, Island Creek Coal Company, and Old Ben Coal Company. It also takes a look at the safety record of unionized versus non-unionized mines and how safety regulation enforcement impacts productivity.

These guidelines have been prepared by the International Labour Office in order to assist employers and national organisations with practical advice on implementing and improving occupational safety and health (OSH) management systems, in order to reduce work-related injuries, occupational ill health and diseases and unsafe working conditions. The guidelines may be applied on two levels: they provide a national OSH framework for legal and voluntary regulatory standards; and encourage the integration of OSH management principles with overall policy management at the organisational level.