"Safety and mining is absolutely pivotal and that is the main reason why Barminco acted the way it did, " Sven Lunsche from Gold Fields told the BBC.

BBC: Harlem Shake miners fired over safety fears

If a mining company consistently violates safety standards, they should be subjected to the tougher enforcement that comes with being placed on an updated Pattern of Violations list.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Orders Review of Mine Safety

One is for the large mining companies, which have excellent safety standards, and the second is for the medium-sized and small mining operations, which have lower standards.

CNN: After a final day together, miners begin to disband

Would announcing that federal inspectors were on the property allow mining employees to temporarily mask safety violations?

FORBES: Massey Energy Employee Guilty of Obstruction, But Where Was Management?

So did the disregard companies showed for their workers' safety even when mining and railway accidents killed many thousands of their men every year in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

ECONOMIST: The epic story of labour in America

He said that for companies in the natural resources and mining sectors, like Alcoa, safety is a key performance metric for senior execs.

FORBES: Executive Compensation And CSR

The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights was established in 2000 as a code of conduct for oil, gas, and mining companies, to maintain the safety of their staff and assets while avoiding human rights violations.

FORBES: Is the Organization Investigating Apple's Factories Good Enough?