The rationale for the design of the Emergency Egress (escape and
entrapment) strategy for one underground metal mine has been
previously described (Brake, 1999). Two of the key conclusions
for this mine, which is equipped with 30 minute oxygen-generating self-contained self-rescuers (SCSR), were the need to ensure no person is ever more than 750 m from an emergency refuge station (ERS) and that it could take up to eight hours to rescue workers from underground. These conclusions were based on a number of considerations including the non-availability of a credible, personal' entrapment procedure at the workplace, the duration of self-contained self-rescuers when used for travel, the need for rapid clearing' of mine personnel to effectively and safely target mine search and rescue resources and the maximum time to either put a fire out, or to rescue affected personnel. As there is no Australian standard for refuge stations (or for self-rescuers), this paper follows with guidelines for the location and specification of both fixed (permanent) and relocatable Emergency Refuge Stations (ERSs) that may be applicable to other underground Australian metal mines.