'This isn't just negligence, it's a complete betrayal of workers'
SafeWork NSW is carrying out an investigation following reports that 13 tunnelling workers have been diagnosed with silicosis, according to reports.
Trent Curtin, head of SafeWork NSW, told ABC News that they are still investigating the silicosis cases involving employees of construction firm CPB Contractors.
Silicosis is a long-term lung disease that is caused by inhaling silica dust, according to Health Direct. Employees in construction, mining, or tunnelling are more prone to exposure to this illness.
According to ABC News, reports of the first silicosis case involving the tunnelling workers emerged in 2023. This employee was working on the first stage of the M6 tunnel, which links Arncliffe to Kogarah.
SafeWork NSW carried out an investigation into the case, only to discover that there were 12 other workers who were diagnosed with silicosis and were not documented. One of the workers with silicosis is a 32-year-old man, according to the reports.
Chris Donovan, assistant national secretary of the Australian Workers' Union (AWU), slammed the situation as negligence.
"The scale of this health disaster is staggering. Thirteen workers on a single project were diagnosed with silicosis - an entirely preventable disease," he said in a statement. "This isn't just negligence, it's a complete betrayal of workers."
According to Donovan, the case of the tunnel workers should prompt immediate prosecutions.
"Not one prosecution has been launched by SafeWork NSW, zip, zilch, zero, that's a damning indictment," he said in a statement. "Tunnelling companies and SafeWork NSW knew about dangerous silica dust levels since 2017, yet failed to take meaningful action."
Curtin told ABC News that they had received 66 cases in which silica levels breached safety guidelines since September 2024.
"The fact that we have workers being diagnosed with a fatal lung disease while companies continue to operate with impunity is a damning indictment of our regulatory system," Donovan said.
"These aren't just statistics - these are workers whose lives have been permanently damaged while building Sydney's infrastructure."
Meanwhile, Work Health and Safety Minister Sophie Cotsis encouraged SafeWork NSW to "strongly enforce" the law.
"I would like to express my deep concern and empathy for workers who may have been diagnosed with silicosis in tunnelling and elsewhere, and reaffirm my commitment to protecting workers from this deadly disease," she said as quoted by ABC.
The Australian government previously established a dedicated silica compliance team to address such health risks on tunnelling projects.
NSW Premier Chris Minns also previously said it showed the government was serious about protecting its workforce.
"I don't mean to be graphic about it, but the way in which people lose their lives through these dust diseases is horrific," he said. "It's terrible for them, it's shocking for their families and we're going to do everything we can about it. It's a killer and we don't try to minimise it."
The NSW government also has a total ban in place on the supply, manufacture, and installation of engineered stone benchtops that contain at least one per cent crystalline silica.
"Our inspectors are conducting targeted compliance visits to fabricators and suppliers to ensure they are not using, installing, or supplying engineered stone products that are now prohibited," the government's website read.
SafeWork NSW had carried out more than 4,500 visits to workplaces for silica-related matters between 2018 and December 31, 2024.
In the same period, it also conducted 2,640 construction workplace visits, including 406 for tunnelling, manufacturing, foundries, and stonemasons, according to its website.
So far, the regulator has issued 2,239 improvement notices on any silica-related improvement notices. There were also 150 prohibition notices, as well as 30 on-the-spot fines due to uncontrolled dry cutting.
