NSW expert taskforce to tackle silica risks in tunnelling

The taskforce brings together government, medical, industry and union representatives to provide guidance on preventing and managing silica and other dust-related diseases associated with NSW tunnelling projects. Major tunnelling projects carry heightened risks of silica-related lung disease. The initiative comes as tunnelling supports changes to the state’s civil infrastructure, including road and rail networks.

Improving access to data is one of four priorities identified for the taskforce. Under the program, project persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) must give workers access to workplace air monitoring data. SafeWork NSW will make exceedance notification dates publicly available and use the information to guide regulatory reform. It will also work with the Dust Diseases Board on data-driven research. Another priority is improved health monitoring to protect workers’ long-term health and inform ongoing improvements in how businesses and regulators manage silica dust risks. The government’s commitment to a silica worker register forms part of that work.

To strengthen workplace controls, SafeWork NSW will review and update the Tunnels Under Construction Code of Practice. PCBUs involved in major tunnelling projects will meet regularly to exchange information and experience and develop a consistent best-practice benchmark across the industry. SafeWork NSW will also maintain and reinforce dedicated resources to monitor tunnelling and respirable crystalline silica dust results. A new tunnelling project silica compliance assessment will set out criteria for assessing project safety performance and support stronger application of suitable risk controls.

SafeWork NSW has added staff to its Silica Task Force, which is conducting compliance activities across all tunnels under construction in NSW. Eight inspectors are making regular visits. Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis welcomed the expert taskforce and said the identified priorities would be addressed through a coordinated, transparent process. SafeWork NSW Acting Deputy Secretary Trent Curtin said the regulator would continue working with industry on compliance with existing safety standards and protecting workers from potential silica dust exposure.

The tunnelling initiative sits alongside measures targeting engineered stone. On 1 January 2025, the Minns Labor Government welcomed the national import ban covering engineered stone benchtops, slabs and panels with silica content above one per cent. It follows Australia’s world-first domestic ban, which began on 1 July last year and prohibits the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of those products containing at least one per cent silica. The NSW Government led the campaign for a national ban and had pledged to act unilaterally before agreement was reached across the Commonwealth.

The NSW Government is also funding dedicated silica safety inspectors to check compliance with the strengthened laws. Since September, a $2.5 million investment has supported 140 inspections by a Silica Compliance Team. Those inspections resulted in three fines totalling almost $10,000, more than 125 improvement notices and seven prohibition notices. The measures aim to protect workers from silicosis, a lung disease caused by respirable crystalline silica that has led to several deaths. Engineered stone, commonly used in kitchen benchtops, is among the high-silica materials associated with the disease.

The government has pledged a further $5 million for silicosis research and a patient support program for people and families dealing with health risks linked to silica dust exposure. The funding will go to the Asbestos and Dust Diseases Research Institute over three years, with icare and the Dust Diseases Board jointly administering the grants.

The icare Lung mobile clinic also provides specialised lung health assessments for current and retired workers at risk of workplace dust diseases, including mesothelioma, asbestosis and silicosis. Its 2025 itinerary includes Taree, Tuncurry, Lake Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Tweed Heads, Wollongong, Shellharbour, Nowra, Bathurst, Dubbo, Griffith, Newcastle and Tamworth.

How Blue Safe can help: Our WHS platform can help your business organise inspections, registers and safety records as part of ongoing risk management. We provide tools to support that work without replacing the need to assess and control workplace silica risks. See Blue Safe WHS software