Origins of disaster management: the British mine rescue system, c. 1900 to c. 1930

Disaster management is a neglected area of British business history. Industrial disasters led to significant loss of life and imposed considerable costs on firms involved. This article examines the emergence of a network of mine rescue stations across UK coalfields in the early twentieth century, making use of previously overlooked records of mine rescue station boards. Pioneering mine rescue stations were established in Yorkshire at coalowners’ initiative in 1901 and 1902, a few years before provision of rescue stations and breathing apparatus became mandatory. As well as rescue operations, these facilities were used to put out colliery fires and restore damaged mines. The involvement of coalowners in mine rescue also signalled that the industry was interested in miner safety at a time of growing unrest. The article concludes that there is scope for much more research into the early years of disaster management in the mines and in other industries.