Tunnel workers in Sydney are facing alarming levels of toxic silica dust exposure, significantly higher than those in the engineered stone industry, according to confidential documents obtained by the Australian Workers Union (AWU).
These documents reveal that while constructing major government projects such as Metro West and Metro City & Southwest, tunnellers are exposed to cancer-causing dust at levels that pose serious health risks.
The findings indicate that one in three air quality tests during the construction of Metro City & Southwest exceeded the Workplace Exposure Standard (WES) for respirable crystalline silica (RCS), with some tests showing levels 208 times higher than the permissible limit of 0.05 milligrams per cubic metre.
Similarly, air quality reports from three Metro West sites revealed that toxic silica dust levels exceeded the WES one in seven times.
Worryingly, the data suggests that tunnelling operations using roadheaders expose workers to silica dust levels far greater than those associated with engineered stone kitchen benchtops, which have been banned due to health risks.
While only a small portion of tunnelling on Sydney Metro utilises roadheaders, other projects like NorthConnex, WestConnex, and M6 Stage 1 frequently employ this method to create wider tunnels necessary for accommodating multiple lanes of traffic.
Despite the evident risks, air monitoring reports from these projects, managed by Safe Work NSW rather than Transport for NSW (TfNSW), have been kept secret.
Safe Work NSW has refused to release this data, citing concerns over potential reputational damage to the companies involved, including CPB Contractors Pty Limited and John Holland.
In a letter to the AWU, Safe Work NSW expressed that releasing these reports would likely lead to negative media coverage regarding health risk management related to respirable dust.
In response to these alarming findings, new national laws effective September 1 empower workers to demand enhanced safety measures such as personal protective equipment (PPE), water suppression systems, and silica risk control plans in high-risk environments.
The Hawkesbury Sandstone underlying Sydney contains approximately 85 per cent silica, heightening the danger for workers due to high concentrations of airborne silica dust.
Chris Donovan, Assistant National Secretary of the AWU, highlighted the urgent need for civil engineering companies to transparently address the health impacts of tunnelling on workers.
“No Australian in 2024 should be poisoned by toxic dust at work,” Donovan stated.
He highlighted public concern about infrastructure projects potentially jeopardising worker health and called for immediate action to investigate and rectify these hazardous conditions.
The information gathered from Safe Work NSW and additional sources will be presented to The Honourable Mark Banasiak MLC on December 18, as part of ongoing efforts to ensure worker safety in Sydney’s burgeoning tunnelling industry.
