The authors conducted a study of backfill practices in underground mines across Canada to assess the current state of backfill usage and to overview potential hazards associated with backfill practice, from preparation to transportation to placement. The primary aim of this study was to cover each component of a typical mine backfill system, and to identify potential incidents leading to the disruption of backfilling operations and any  associated corrective actions. This paper, Part I of the study, deals with surface operations consisting of backfill materi-al supply and backfill plant preparation. Part II of the study, which deals with underground op-erations  consisting of backfill transportation and backfill placement, is also presented  in these proceedings. A review of safety measures associated with current  backfill operations and recommendations for procedures of best practice that should be implemented to reduce fill-related hazards in all mine backfill workplace environments are presented. In general it has been found that system failures normally lead only to minor losses to the operations.