The Australian Workers Union (AWU) has raised serious concerns about hazardous silica dust exposure during the construction of Sydney’s Metro train service.
The union alleges that workers cutting tunnels for the massive infrastructure project are facing unsafe levels of cancer-causing dust, labelling the situation a “silica tsunami.”
The AWU claims to have obtained confidential documents through freedom of information requests, which reportedly show alarming levels of silica dust at Metro project sites.
These projects include Metro West and Metro City & Southwest, both of which are critical components of Sydney’s expanding transit network.
According to the documents, one in three air quality tests conducted during the construction of Metro City and Southwest exceeded the Workplace Exposure Standard (WES) for respirable crystalline silica (RCS).
In some cases, the dust levels reportedly surpassed the legal threshold by 208 times. Metro West tunnelling sites also showed concerning data, with one in seven tests breaching the exposure limit of 0.05 milligrams per cubic meter.
Breathing in silica dust has been found to cause the incurable lung disease silicosis, which causes inflammation and scarring of lung tissue.
The Royal College of General Practitioners has estimated those diagnosed with silicosis lose nearly 12 years of their life due to the disease, with symptoms ranging from a cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.
Chris Donovan, assistant national secretary of the AWU, condemned the situation, emphasizing that no worker in 2024 should be subjected to life-threatening dust exposure.
“With today’s technology, it’s unacceptable that anyone is poisoned on the job,” he said.
“Sydneysiders would be outraged to know that their new metro or underground motorway came at the cost of someone’s health.”
Donovan also highlighted that tunnelling with roadheader machinery generates significantly more silica dust compared to other methods. This method, while used minimally for the Sydney Metro project, is standard in several other large infrastructure projects like NorthConnex, WestConnex, and the Western Harbour Tunnel, which require wide and flat tunnels.
If the data from these sites is accurate, they would far exceed the levels found in engineered stone industries, such as the production of kitchen benchtops—a practice that has already been banned due to its health risks.
A safety scandal
But according to the AWU, these results aren’t news to the civil engineering companies and government agencies tasked with overseeing the projects, with the union claiming that Transport for NSW (TfNSW) and Safe Work NSW have allegedly kept test results confidential to avoid media blowback for contractors like CPB Contractors and John Holland.
A letter allegedly sent by Safe Work NSW to the AWU noted that releasing this information could harm the reputation of the companies involved.
“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),” read the letter.
However, the AWU insists that worker safety takes precedence over corporate interests.
“The public has a right to know about the health risks faced by workers who build our vital infrastructure,” said Donovan.
The union has also been able to access additional data through the efforts of the Honourable Mark Banasiak MLC.
A detailed report from Safe Work NSW, along with information from Sydney Metro and TfNSW, is set to be delivered to Banasiak on December 18.
