Latest news with #DustDisease
Sydney Morning Herald
02-05-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
The law changes demanded as Sydney tunnel workers face death
Companies responsible for exposing tunnel workers to dangerous levels of deadly silica dust would face an extended window to be prosecuted under reforms demanded by unions, as a parliamentary inquiry hears concerns Australia is facing a 'full-blown occupational disease crisis'. The NSW upper house inquiry into silica heard a failure of leadership on multibillion-dollar Sydney infrastructure projects was undermining worker safety, and one occupational safety expert said contracting companies had been prioritising cost over staff wellbeing. Thousands of tunnelling workers on Sydney's mega-transport and motorway projects have been frequently exposed to deadly levels of silica dust, including 208 times the legal level. Fears of a latent public health crisis were compounded after previously confidential documents detailed how 13 staff on the M6 Stage 1 roadway had been diagnosed with silicosis, an incurable lung disease. The revelations have intensified anger with the regulator, SafeWork NSW, for failing to hold contractors to account despite companies repeatedly breaching the legal limit for deadly dust on tunnelling sites. A 2023 investigation by the Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes exposed serious health risks for tradespeople working with engineered stone, prompting bans on manufactured stone benchtops, panels and slabs containing at least 1 per cent silica. Loading The Dust Disease inquiry hearing on Friday called representatives of the nation's largest contractors, John Holland and CPB, senior bureaucrats from SafeWork and Transport for NSW, the Australian Workers Union (AWU), and occupational hygienist Kate Cole. While John Holland and CPB acknowledged errors had occurred in the past, both argued occupational protections for workers were sufficient, saying times when silica dust exceeded legal limits were caused by 'failures' or the 'absence' of safety controls. But AWU assistant national secretary Chris Donovan said tens of thousands of documents to the parliament demonstrated these companies had repeatedly failed to protect workers from silica dust, including knowing protective face masks were an insufficient protection given they needed to be removed to communicate.
The Age
02-05-2025
- Health
- The Age
The law changes demanded as Sydney tunnel workers face death
Companies responsible for exposing tunnel workers to dangerous levels of deadly silica dust would face an extended window to be prosecuted under reforms demanded by unions, as a parliamentary inquiry hears concerns Australia is facing a 'full-blown occupational disease crisis'. The NSW upper house inquiry into silica heard a failure of leadership on multibillion-dollar Sydney infrastructure projects was undermining worker safety, and one occupational safety expert said contracting companies had been prioritising cost over staff wellbeing. Thousands of tunnelling workers on Sydney's mega-transport and motorway projects have been frequently exposed to deadly levels of silica dust, including 208 times the legal level. Fears of a latent public health crisis were compounded after previously confidential documents detailed how 13 staff on the M6 Stage 1 roadway had been diagnosed with silicosis, an incurable lung disease. The revelations have intensified anger with the regulator, SafeWork NSW, for failing to hold contractors to account despite companies repeatedly breaching the legal limit for deadly dust on tunnelling sites. A 2023 investigation by the Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes exposed serious health risks for tradespeople working with engineered stone, prompting bans on manufactured stone benchtops, panels and slabs containing at least 1 per cent silica. Loading The Dust Disease inquiry hearing on Friday called representatives of the nation's largest contractors, John Holland and CPB, senior bureaucrats from SafeWork and Transport for NSW, the Australian Workers Union (AWU), and occupational hygienist Kate Cole. While John Holland and CPB acknowledged errors had occurred in the past, both argued occupational protections for workers were sufficient, saying times when silica dust exceeded legal limits were caused by 'failures' or the 'absence' of safety controls. But AWU assistant national secretary Chris Donovan said tens of thousands of documents to the parliament demonstrated these companies had repeatedly failed to protect workers from silica dust, including knowing protective face masks were an insufficient protection given they needed to be removed to communicate.
