Coal mine accidents pose a serious threat to miners and the surrounding environment. Despite a recent downward trend in the numbers of major accidents and casualties in Chinese coal mining enterprises, accident reoccurrence remains an on-going issue for the industry. This paper aims to identify the root causes, namely, the characteristics of safety culture deficiencies driving typical coal accidents. Using the accident analysis pathway of the 24Model and the logical thought of Why Because Analysis (WBA), 67 typical major accidents (gas explosion, gas outburst, flooding and fire) are analysed to identify the deficiencies in safety culture based on the determinations of the safety culture dimension and statistics of recurrent accident patterns. The related elements and occurrence frequencies of the deficiencies in safety culture can be inferred as follows: ignored safety laws and regulations (frequency is 100 %), unrealized safety priority (100 %), limited role of functional departments (86.6 %), and insufficient attention to safety education for special operation personnel and mining workers (80.6 %), among others. These characteristics are not concerned with accident types, and the most prominent characteristics are manifested in four aspects: unrealized safety priority, flaws in management actions towards safety, passive safety compliance and participation of employees, and imperfect work conditions. Specifically, we emphasize the role of departments, safety communication, safety participation and supervision climate in influencing and improving the safety culture to further reduce industrial accidents. (C) 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.