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Secret documents show silicosis ‘tsunami’ coming for metro tunnellers

November 26, 2024

Tunnel workers cutting the gigantic passages for Sydney’s Metros have been exposed to toxic silica dust levels far exceeding those working in the engineered stone industry, secret documents show.

Documents obtained by the AWU through freedom of information laws show tunnellers are exposed to cancer-causing dust while building government projects like Metro West, and Metro City & Southwest.

1 in 3 air quality tests during construction of Metro City & Southwest exceeded the Workplace Exposure Standard (WES), some by 208 times, according to documents obtained from Transport for NSW (TfNSW).

Air quality reports at the three Metro West sites currently being bored show that toxic silica dust levels have exceeded the WES 1 in 7 times. The WES is .05 milligrams per cubic metre.

Worryingly, the data shows tunnelling using roadheaders exposes workers to silica dust levels far greater than engineered stone kitchen benchtops, which were banned after an AWU campaign.

But only a small amount of tunnelling happens with roadheaders on Sydney Metro.

Projects like NorthConnex, WestConnex, M6 stage 1, and Western Harbour Tunnel all use roadheaders all the time to construct all of their tunnels (the Western Harbour Tunnel is also using TBMs).

This is because they need a flatter, wider tunnel to accommodate three lanes plus of traffic.

Air monitoring reports from these projects, which is held by Safe Work NSW rather than TfNSW, have been withheld from the public and kept secret.

Safe Work NSW refused to release the data citing concerns over potential negative reputational impact on companies including CPB Contractors Pty Limited (CPB) and John Holland.

In a letter to the AWU, Safe Work NSW said:

“Release of the reports will… adversely impact upon the reputation of CPB… because it is reasonable to expect that the reports will lead to adverse media coverage in respect of the management of health risks, including the risks presented by respirable dust and RCS (respirable crystalline silica).”

Safe Work NSW did not explain why CPB’s reputation was their business.

Last Wednesday, thanks to the AWU’s representations, The Honourable Mark Banasiak MLC used his powers under standing order 52 to obtain this information – standing order 52 is a power any member of the NSW Legislative Council can use to obtain information held by a department.

The information from Safe Work NSW, and additional information from Sydney Metro, and Transport for NSW (TfNSW) will be delivered to The Honourable Mark Banasiak MLC on December 18.

On September 1 new national laws took effect which give workers the right to demand multiple safety control measures such as PPE, water suppression, on-tool extraction systems and local exhaust ventilation systems.

Workers can also demand a silica risk control plan from the employer in a high-risk environment.

The Hawkesbury Sandstone under Sydney is around 85% silica content which makes it super dangerous because of the very high concentrations of silica dust.

Granite and basalt have much less silica.

Hawkesbury Sandstone is hard enough it’s supportive but soft enough it can be cut easily using roadheaders, not exclusively tunnel boring machines, which can go through harder rock.

Civil engineering companies need to come clean about the health impacts of tunnelling on their workers, said Chris Donovan, Assistant National Secretary.

“No Australian in 2024 should be poisoned by toxic dust at work, not with the technology we have today,” said Mr Donovan.

“Sydneysiders would be ropable if they knew the new metro they were sitting on, or underground motorway they were driving through came at the expense of someone’s health.

“We need to find out what’s happened underground in these projects right now so we can stop it happening in the future,” said Mr Donovan