Mining Department

Papers of the Mining Department of the National Coal Board and the British Coal Corporation, comprising papers of the Safety Branch (including fatal accident reports and HM Inspector of Mines reports), Tip Control Unit (including a series of colliery tip plans), Mines Rescue Service and Civil Engineers Branch. Other files concern trade unions and industrial action, colliery re-organisation schemes and opencast sites. Also includes seam plans produced and kept by the Surveyors Department, showing underground workings at a various collieries, pre and post nationalisation.

The Production Department was responsible for planning and initiating the development of coal reserves, and also ensuring that they were efficiently and safely worked. Thus, it had dealt with, amongst other matters, re-organisation schemes, training, health and safety in mines, technical aspects of mining, electrical and mechanical devices, coal preparation and supplies. Its responsibilities were wide, including central workshops, the regional geological service, the regional architectural and quantity surveying service, and the mines rescue service.

The name of this department was changed from Production Department to Mining Department in July 1971.

[Information taken from The National Archive Catalogue, COAL 29, accessed 30 May 2017.]

Original order reconstructed.

This subfonds is made up of material deposited by the British Coal Corporation. This material has been brought together from the following accessions: DNCB/59 (acc. no: 1994/90) DNCB/67 (no accession number identified) The previous reference number for each item is listed in its individual catalogue entry.

Material held at The National Archives in COAL 29.