The Mine Safety and Inspection Act, 1994 of Western Australia
recognises the importance of ground control in underground mining. The
recent safety performance of underground mining is summarised in terms
of the most common causes of injury and fatal accidents. A review of
current ground control practices is presented and the concepts of local and
large-scale ground control are introduced. The need for a more
systematic approach to ground control is considered to be directly related
to requirement to improve safety performance. The new regulations will
require that certain geotechnical issues be addressed during the life of a
mine. To comply with the regulations it is suggested that a ground control
management plan be developed for each mine. The geotechnical issues
associated with the ground control management plan are reviewed and
hazard recognition aspects discussed.