The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) has condemned a "health disaster" on site during the construction of Sydney's M6 tunnel, where 13 workers reported having the deadly lung disease silicosis, according to documents tabled in NSW parliament.
First reported by Nine newspapers, the revelation that workers as young as 32 had been diagnosed with silicosis and also worked on the site should "prompt immediate prosecutions by SafeWork NSW to bring those responsible to justice", AWU assistant national secretary Chris Donovan said in a statement.
Silicosis is a disease caused by breathing in fine silica dust which damages the lungs, making it hard to breathe. It can be fatal.
Donovan said the incurable disease is "entirely preventable".
"This isn't just negligence, it's a complete betrayal of workers," he said.
"These aren't just statistics — these are workers whose lives have been permanently damaged while building Sydney's infrastructure.
"These men and women will spend the rest of their lives coughing, out of breath playing with their kids, and as the disease progresses they may require a lung transplant, there is no cure or treatment."
An illustration of the future M6 tunnel being built in Sydney's south. The Australian Worker's Union has condemned the fact 13 workers contracted silicosis while digging the tunnel. Source: Supplied / NSW Government
"The fact that we have workers being diagnosed with a fatal lung disease while companies continue to operate with impunity is a damning indictment of our regulatory system," he said.
CPB, the contractor the tunnel workers are employed by, told the Sun Herald: "While these employees received a confirmed diagnosis, this does not mean they contracted it while working for CPB Contractors.
Stage one of the M6 tunnel will connect Kogarah, a south-eastern suburb, to the network of M8 tunnels. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts
SafeWork NSW said the silicosis cases involving CPB workers are still under investigation.
The regulator said any contractors who exposed employees to unsafe levels of silica were breaking the law.
NSW Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis said the government encouraged SafeWork NSW to "strongly enforce" the law, saying the government had "zero tolerance" for any employer exposing workers to unsafe levels of silica.
"I would like to express my deep concern and empathy for workers who may have been diagnosed with silicosis in tunnelling and elsewhere, and reaffirm my commitment to protecting workers from this deadly disease," Cotsis said.
Last year Australia became the first country in the world to implement a ban on engineered stone, dubbed a modern-day asbestos, with workers who used it often developing silicosis.
Stage one of the M6 tunnel will connect Kogarah, a south-eastern suburb, to the network of M8 tunnels.
