Abstract: The paper analyzed the fatal accidents in China coal mines, the fatal number of the roof accidents and gas accidents would be the highest and would be taken 37.72% and 29. 18% individually. The underground mine emergency refuge principle was provided.The surface ground would be the most safety and the personnel in emergency should be quickly and safely back to the surface.The emergency refuge devices and methods applied in the underground mine shall meet not influence to the mine ventilation, no ignition of the gas explosion and other hidden danger, economic practical and favorable to the mine safety production and other requirements.T he paper provided an economic and practical self-rescuer relay emergency refuge method.The personnel into the mine shall wear the compressed oxygen self-rescuer. . Within the rated protective time provided by the self-rescuer, once walking from the mining or excavation working face could not be safety back to the surface, an emerg ency refuge chamber shall be set up at each certain distance interval along with the roadway back to the surface.The emergency refuge chamber should be equipped W ith the compressed oxygen self-rescuer to ensure the personnel in emergency for the replacement and to ensure the personnel in emergency safely back to the surface. The paper pointed out the problems existed in the hard shell emergency refuge cabin. The communication of the cabin should rely on the mine available communication system.The hard shell cabin set in the mine roadway would increase the resistance of the ventilation. When the mine gas concentration reached the explosion concentra tion, the battery and the refrigeration electric motor would ignite the gas explosion.Then the explosion shockwave would cause the refuge cabin door not be opened for the personnel in and out of the cabin.The integral cabin would be difficult in the mine transportation.The operation personnel number in the coal mining face would be hi gh and the volume of the emergency refuge cabin would be small.The initial investment and operation maintenance cost would be high.