Those involved in managing risk today are asking various questions: why is it so frustrating to discuss risk' with communities? why do consultative processes around risk' get more and more complex? where is all this going to end? These questions will be addressed by examining how our understanding of risk has changed from one based on biophysical hazard to a broader view that includes social and cultural factors. There is evidence to suggest that we are living in a risk society', where the goal of safety' has replaced that of equality in a class based society. The global mining industry operates within this complex and politicised environment. The very meaning of development' has broadened from the narrow economic vision to include the social and environmental factors which make up Sustainable Development'. Corporate accountability now extends beyond traditional shareholders to wide groups of stakeholders. The mining industry is developing responses which look beyond traditional technocratic methods. At the industry level these responses have included the recent Mining Minerals and Sustainable Development global and regional reports It has proven challenging and difficult to operationalise these new understandings at the company level and it is time to look at the bigger picture.