The CoalSAFE Refuge is currently the only refuge model in the world built to all specifications outlined by the United States Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) 'Final Rule' 2009: Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines (30CFR §7.503).

MSHA's Final Rule (30CFR §7.503) is considered to be the most advanced and up to date regulation in the world governing coal mine refuge - currently the safety benchmark for the industry.

Regulations currently being finalised by the Chinese Govt to govern refuge in their own underground coal industry have been firmly based on the MSHA Final Rule example.

Manufacturers who supply refuges without intrinsically safe cooling/dehumidification must declare the maximum ambient mine temperatures and occupation times at which the refuge will maintain apparent (internal) temperature below 30°C / 86°F - another condition stipulated under the Final Rule. As independent tests have shown (available from MineARC), even in mines with comparatively low ambient temperatures, the apparent temperature inside a fully occupied refuge can reach potentially fatal levels within just a few hours - caused from a combination of transient heat entering and leaving the chamber and the build up in metabolic heat generated by the occupants themselves.