Coal Mine Safety Regulation in China and the USA
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3986397 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrew W Homer (Tulane University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 424-439 |
| Publication date | 2009-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Contemporary Asia (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0047-2336 • E-ISSN: 1752-7554 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00472330902944511 |
| OpenAlex | W2060793494 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 3 |
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. Key Words: Coalsafetylabourminingminemine safetyChina Notes 1 The USA did not import a significant amount of coal in 2006 and, therefore, was not included on the World Coal Institute's list of top ten importers. 2 In reporting fatality data, the China Labour Bulletin cites official statistics from China's State Administration of Coal Mine Safety, a division of SAWS. Note that these official statistics have been questioned and some think that the government significantly under-reports fatalities. The China Labour Bulletin is a Hong Kong-based non-profit organisation that acts as an advocate for Chinese workers. 3 In this article, unless stated otherwise, all dollars are US dollars. 4 See Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.,467 U.S. 837 (1984) and its progeny. 5 See Motor Vehicle Mfrs. Assn. v. State Farm Mut., 463 U.S. 29 (1983) and its progeny. 6 Tellingly, a comprehensive economic history of the Chinese coal industry since the establishment of the PRC in 1949 makes no mention of the All China Federation of Trade Unions or unions at all (Thompson, Citation2003
Agency (philosophy · Business · China · Coal · Coal mining · Economic growth · Economics · Economy · Government (linguistics · Language change · Law enforcement · Political science · Sociology · State (computer science · Engineering · Law
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,29 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2020 (9) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |