The Minns Labor Government has established a new Expert Taskforce to oversee and help address silica related health risks for workers in tunnelling projects.
The Taskforce, made up of government, medical, industry and union representatives, will provide expert guidance to prevent and manage silica and other dust related disease associated with tunnelling projects in NSW.
Major tunnelling projects present heightened risks for silica-related lung disease.
Tunnelling is vital to the transformation of the States civil infrastructure, which includes road and rail networks, to ensure New South Wales is a modern and globally competitive place to live, work and do business.
Four broad areas of action have been identified to help focus and guide the work of the Taskforce including:
Better use of data with more transparent access
Under the program, project persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must ensure worker access to workplace air monitoring data with SafeWork NSW to make exceedance notification date publicly available and use the data to guide regulatory reform. SafeWork NSW will also partner with the Dust Diseases Board to establish data-driven research.
Improved health monitoring
Improved health monitoring will help to protect worker's long-term health and safety. It will also play a key role in informing a continual improvement process for businesses and regulators in dealing with silica dust work health and safety risks. The Government's commitment to the silica worker register is a key initiative to support improved health monitoring for workers.
Best practice Work Health and Safety controls
SafeWork NSW will review and revise the Tunnels Under Construction Code of Practice to guide industry and workers on best practice control measures. Major tunnelling PCBU will regularly meet to share information and experience, and to establish a consistent best practice benchmark across the industry.
Enhanced compliance
SafeWork NSW will maintain and reinforce dedicated resources to monitor tunnelling and silica respirable crystalline silica dust results to enable optimal work health and safety.
It will also develop a tunnelling project silica compliance assessment to establish a clear set of criteria on which to assess the safety performance of projects to assist strengthened application of suitable controls to manage risk.
SafeWork NSW has surged additional staff into the Silica Task Force (STF) team, which is undertaking compliance activities in all tunnels under construction in NSW. Eight inspectors from the STF are undertaking these regular visits.
On January 1, 2025, the Minns Labor government welcomed the ban on the importation of engineered stone products to protect the future health and safety of workers.
The national import ban covers engineered stone benchtops, slabs and panels with silica content of more than one percent.
This follows the world-first domestic ban on the use, supply and manufacture of engineered stone products in Australia that started on 1 July last year.
The ban prohibits the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs containing at least 1% silica.
The Minns Labor Government led the campaign for the national ban, vowing it was prepared to act unilaterally, ahead of an agreement being reached across the Commonwealth.
The NSW government is funding a team of dedicated silica safety inspectors to ensure businesses are complying with the strengthened laws.
Since September, the $2.5 million investment has seen a Silica Compliance Team conduct 140 inspections, handing out three fines totalling almost $10,000 for non-compliance. More than 125 improvement notices have been issued and seven prohibition notices in workplaces.
The moves aim to safeguard workers from silicosis, a lung disease caused by respirable crystalline silica, which tragically has led to several deaths.
Silicosis is caused by items with a high silica content such as engineered stone. Engineered stone is a common item used in kitchen benchtops.
The Minns Labor government has pledged $5 million in critical funding for silicosis research and a patient support program for individuals and their families navigating the health risks associated with exposure to silica dust.
The grant funding, administered collaboratively by icare and the Dust Diseases Board, will be provided over three years to the Asbestos and Dust Diseases Research Institute (ADDRI).
In addition, the icare Lung mobile lung clinic provides specialised lung health assessments to current and retired workers who are at risk of developing a workplace dust disease, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis or silicosis.
In 2025, the Lung Bus will travel right around the state, including stops in Taree, Tuncurry, Lake Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Tweed Heads, Wollongong, Shellharbour, Nowra, Bathurst, Dubbo, Griffith, Newcastle and Tamworth.
More information on the full list of Lung Bus destinations can be found here.
More information on crystalline silica and the new safety requirements can be found here:
Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis said:
"The Minns Labor Government is committed to addressing silica dust work health and safety risks to protect workers. The Taskforce will give the community confidence that we have the right experience and expertise in the same room to guide the response to this risk.
"I welcome the important work of the expert taskforce to protect the health and safety of workers. We have identified areas which will be addressed in a co-ordinated, transparent process which will help create safer workplaces."
SafeWork NSW Acting Deputy Secretary Trent Curtin said:
"SafeWork NSW is committed to maintaining leading practices to protect the workers of this State and is looking forward to working together with experts across Government, industry, unions and health to address this issue.
"SafeWork NSW will continue to work with industry to ensure compliance with existing safety standards and that workers are being protected against any potential exposure to silica dust."
