The trouble-plagued Toowoomba second range crossing project has been hit with an E. coli outbreak.
Workplace Health and Safety has confirmed the potentially dangerous bacteria has been found on the site, following reports of a number of workers becoming sick.
Investigations found water at four of the 13 sites tested failed to comply with the requirements of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines
Workplace Health and Safety officers, including an occupational hygienist, have been sent to the site to investigate, and workers are being offered bottled water and hand sanitiser.
CFMEU Divisional Branch assistant secretary Jade Ingham said the situation was unacceptable.
"For workers to be subjected to such third world conditions is a disgrace," he said in a statement.
Mr Ingham laid the blame for the problem at the feet of the Spanish companies behind the project, Ferrovial and Acciona, but also called on Transport Minister Mark Bailey to intervene to protect workers.
Most E. coli strains are harmless but a few can cause serious food poisoning, with the most common causes of contamination being either uncooked meat or faecal contamination of drinking water.
It's the latest problem for the highway after the Queensland government last week called an independent auditor in to inspect the project following 17 heavy vehicle rollovers at the site in 18 months.
Once complete, the $1.6 billion project will redirect heavy vehicles away from Toowoomba rather than through it, from the Warrego Highway at Helidon Spa in the east to the Gore Highway at Athol in the west.
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