Yuan said there is no room for corruption in the industry. All heads of counties and townships in the province will work with their new assistants on reducing hazards and accidents in mines.

In 2010, more than 1,500 small mines with inadequate safety provisions were closed in the province.

"By the end of next year, 90 percent coal mines in Shanxi will adopt automated manufacturing," said Yuan.

An expert said more automation is the main way to make things better.

"The fundamental way to improve mine safety is to utilize more large machinery, instead of manual operations, because automated manufacturing will better prevent mine accidents from happening," said Yang Gengyu, director of the National Safety Training Center for Coal Mines in Beijing.

At the same time, workers will get more training before being put to work in the pits, said Yuan.

"My company organizes a three-to-six-month training course for each miner that starts the first day they arrive," said Li Junping, a deputy with the National People's Congress who works in the Guandi Mine in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province. "Miners will be told about the geological structure of the mine they are working in because a lack of awareness of the underground terrain could kill them if there is a flood or gas explosion."