Attacking Survey ships (miners) that do not have unprotected cargo is considered a violation of the common Rules of Engagement. If you do it accidentally, immediately send a private message (PM) to the player to explain and apologize.
To find the name of the player and message them, check your Inbox, find the battle report, and you'll see the other player's level, alliance tag, and name in the upper right corner. Select their name to see their Player Profile, then select chat and type in your message.
If your UPC miner is attacked by another player and you don't receive a private message afterwards, send them one and politely explain the Rules of Engagement. New players often do it because they don't know it's generally considered a violation of the unwritten rules. Try to keep your interactions friendly and helpful.