I was wondering why mines are regarded as offices. It seems that they can only work with labours attached, which seems to make them very much a workshop. As I understand it, an office is meant to signify that you need a single specialist middle class chap. If thats not the case, what is the actual distinction at the moment?
That categorization is a purely technical matter. In the backend of CE, workshops turn commodities into other commodities while offices just perform jobs. Because you don't transform commodities in a mine, just execute a job which creates ore out of thin air, the mine is an office. (That label in the UI should really just be the title of the building.)
Creating ore out of thin air sounds like alchemy, which is an awful lot like sorcery, which is kinda like witchcraft (witchcraftery?). And we all know what we do to witches! Or perhaps in this case miners. Or maybe witch-miners, that could be contracted to whiners! Ummm, yeah, stop whining? ... I go nothin'
What is that whirring fan thing on the side of the mine WHAT IS IT. I HAVE BEEN DIGGING THROUGH YOUR BLOG AND I FOUND IT. TELL MEEEE.
Also why is this mine so huge ? What kind of dark experiments could possibly occur in this building ?
I imagine not having your miners suffocate when down the shaft may be somewhat of a good idea in the interest of productivity. Otherwise the miners may get slightly annoyed at sub-standard working conditions.... or rather their next of kin may.