SafeWork knew tunnel workers were exposed to ‘high levels’ of deadly silica dust

Thousands of tunnelling workers on Sydney’s massive road and rail projects have been exposed to “high levels” of deadly silica dust for at least seven years, with the regulator’s warnings conveyed to multibillion-dollar contractors but kept from the public.

SafeWork NSW, Transport for NSW and iCare, and contractors CPB and Lendlease, have been intimately aware of the dangers posed by silica on road-tunnelling projects such as NorthConnex and WestConnex since early 2018, documents produced under a NSW parliamentary order show.

The threat was considered so severe that SafeWork, the workplace health and safety regulator, warned compliance action would be undertaken to ensure worker safety.

The NorthConnex tunnel in Sydney being constructed in 2017. Credit: Brook Mitchell

But questions remain about what action was taken against companies to ensure workers’ health was prioritised.

The Air Quality Working Group (AQWG) meeting minutes of April 12, 2018, are among the documents. Their release came just a month after SafeWork sought to suppress the release of air quality testing data for tunnelling projects, siding with companies concerned about reputational damage.

In November, the Herald reported one-in-three air quality tests undertaken during construction of the Metro City and Southwest between 2016 and 2020 breached workplace standards, including 8 per cent of instances in which workers were unprotected.

According to the meeting notes, there were five SafeWork staff, two Sydney Metro employees and about 10 representatives from CPB Contractors and Lendlease Bouygues present for the April 2018 meeting, which flagged a need to “identify the best way forward to reduce exposure”.

“From the site inspections and information provided, it is clear that workers were exposed to high levels of RCS [respirable crystalline silica],” the minutes noted.

“We need to come up with common ground that we should all see – what’s the best way forward to reduce exposure – and what tasks can we make the biggest in-roads to reduce exposure.”

The risk to workers’ health was considered so severe that SafeWork warned it would take action against companies responsible for repeatedly exposing workers to deadly levels of silica dust without implementing the requisite safety protocols.

“There are high exposures happening, therefore something must be done about it. As a regulator, change needs to be seen and evident,” the minutes said.

“Notwithstanding, there is going to come to a point where if changes are not made, that SafeWork NSW are going to have to take compliance action. We cannot understand that people are being expose [sic] to high levels of silica dust and do nothing about it.”

The Dust of Death investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes last year outlined the serious health risks for tradespeople working with engineered stone, which can contain up to 95 per cent crystalline silica. The revelations led the Commonwealth and state governments to ban manufactured stone benchtops, panels and slabs containing at least 1 per cent silica.

Despite governments seeking to limit the exposure of tradespeople to engineered stone, politicians have paid little attention to the workers tunnelling through Sydney’s sandstone and shale heart.

Australian Workers Union assistant national secretary Chris Donovan said the document demonstrated tunnelling companies and SafeWork NSW had failed to act despite knowing the acute threat to the safety of employees.

“For years, as we’ve watched our members falling sick with lung diseases, the AWU has been screaming about silica dust levels in Sydney’s underground road and metro projects, and we thought no one was listening,” he said.

‘All you see is clouds of dust. Anyone who works on these sites is at risk.’

Tunnel supervisor

“These documents show companies all went and met with the regulator in 2018 and were told they needed to do something, but they just drove back down the tunnels and went about their business as usual.”

As a consequence, Donovan said, “heads should roll” at SafeWork NSW and tunnelling companies “because we’ve got members who now have their own death sentence”.

In response to the Herald’s questions, SafeWork did not say whether silica exposure on tunnelling projects had fallen since 2018, or whether compliance measures against tunnelling contractors had been ratcheted up.

In December 2023, SafeWork announced a six-month safety blitz targeting silica dust exposure in the construction and tunnelling industry. The findings report released in late March said the “key focus areas for this compliance project were non-tunnelling projects”.

A study published last year by Curtin University estimated more than 275,000 workers nationally, including tunnellers, miners, construction workers and stonemasons, are exposed to high levels of crystalline silica.Credit: KATE GERAGHTY

One tunnel supervisor who previously spoke to the Herald on the condition of anonymity because of fears for their employment said the prevalence of airborne hazards in tunnels was not matched by a commensurate protection for workers.

“All you see is clouds of dust. Anyone who works on these sites is at risk,” he said.

A SafeWork NSW spokeswoman said inspectors conduct “regular proactive and reactive visits” on tunnelling projects, with a focus on “high-risk activities, including those relating to silica exposure”.

“SafeWork NSW has a sustained presence on all major government infrastructure projects, including tunnelling projects, to support best-practice management of silica risks,” she said.

A study published last year by Curtin University estimated more than 275,000 workers nationally, including tunnellers, miners, construction workers and stonemasons, are exposed to high levels of crystalline silica. It predicted up to 103,000 workers will be diagnosed with silicosis.

A CPB Contractors spokeswoman noted Powered Air Purifying Respirators had been mandated on all tunnelling projects, and it was the first to undertake “advanced health screening” for workers.

“The safety and wellbeing of our people has always been our No.1 priority, and we have robust, non-negotiable procedures and risk management controls in place to manage the inherent risks involved in the complex construction work we undertake, such as tunnelling,” she said.

A Lendlease spokeswoman said: “The health and safety of our workers remains our highest priority, and we have control measures through our global safety standards to eliminate or mitigate risk, and stringent protocols to adhere to regulatory standards.”

A spokesman for Work Health and Safety Minister Sophie Cotsis said: “The Minns Labor government remains committed to providing health assessments to current and retired workers who are at risk of developing a workplace dust disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis or silicosis.”

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