Latest news with #SafeWorkNSW
ABC News
07-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Snowy 2.0 concrete lab at Lobs Hole closed amid silica concerns
A concrete testing lab at the multi-billion-dollar Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro project has been closed for nearly two months amid concerns workers were being exposed to silica. SafeWork NSW said it responded to a request for service at Lobs Hole Test Laboratory on May 15 regarding concerns about respirable crystalline silica (RCS). The inhalation of fine silica dust can result in the lung disease silicosis, causing long-term lung damage that can be fatal. SafeWork NSW documents seen by the ABC revealed the health and safety authority believed workers were exposed to "respirable dust and RCS in [a] lab building at Lobs Hole". In a statement, SafeWork NSW told the ABC the business had "ceased use of the laboratory" while the concerns were being addressed. "SafeWork NSW enquiries remain open as work continues with the business and the health and safety representatives to ensure adequate control measures are implemented," the statement read. Snowy Hydro was directed to take measures to mitigate further risks, including cleaning the lab's walls and floors, and putting in additional ventilation systems to extract dust from all rooms in the building. Concrete testing operations have not been impacted by the lab's closure, as testing has been diverted to another lab. Snowy Hydro confirmed up to 12 employees worked in the Lobs Hole concrete lab. In a statement, Snowy Hydro said it expected "the highest standards of safety, focus and leadership" from its principal contractor on the project Future Generation Joint Venture (FGJV). "We are always clear that the safety and wellbeing of the Snowy 2.0 workforce must always come first," the statement read. The project is located in the NSW Snowy Mountains. In March, the NSW government formed an expert taskforce of government, medical, industry and union representatives to address silica-related health risks to tunnelling project workers across the state. Monash University professor of respiratory pharmacology Jane Bourke said workers in industries like tunnelling, mining and construction, and those working with engineered stone bench tops, could be exposed to silica dust. "If it [silica dust] is ground to very small-sized particles, it can bypass all the body's normal defence mechanisms that we have when we breathe in things that shouldn't be in our body," she said. "The body's not able to cough it out or clear it from the lungs. And this eventually causes inflammation and scarring of the lungs." Professor Bourke said silicosis in the tunnelling industry was "an area of emerging concern", after more than a dozen Sydney tunnel workers were diagnosed with the incurable disease. "It would be naive to think that the disease is absent in other workplaces where there would be a similar level of risk," she said. In a statement, contractor Future Generation Joint Venture (FGJV) said it prioritised "the safety and wellbeing of its workforce as a fundamental aspect of the operation". "FGJV is proactive and works in collaboration with health and safety representatives and SafeWork NSW to ensure the highest standards of wellbeing for those delivering Snowy 2.0," it said. SafeWork NSW told the ABC it had an "active presence in tunnelling projects". The Snowy 2.0 project is expected to provide up to 2.2 gigawatts of electricity to the national grid once completed. The controversial project is expected to start delivering power in late 2027, following a string of setbacks. Work on the $12 billion project stopped in January when concerns were raised about the status of "last resort" chambers, designed to be used in an emergency when workers were unable to evacuate. Underground work was also halted again for three weeks in late February, after a ventilation fan imploded on site and sent metal shrapnel flying through the air.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
Man rushed to hospital after explosion
A man has been rushed to hospital following a large explosion at a business in Wetherill Park. The explosion sparked a major emergency response to in the western Sydney suburb just after 10am. Police units and multiple ambulance crews rushed to the site on Cowpasture Rd, with paramedics arriving on scene at 10.30am. A NSW Ambulance spokeswoman confirmed paramedics had taken a man in his 40s to Liverpool Hospital. SafeWork NSW has been contacted for comment. More to come.
The Advertiser
01-07-2025
- General
- The Advertiser
Fallout from scaffolding fail on busy street costs builders $90K
A CONSTRUCTION company in charge of demolition work on a busy main street where 60 metres of scaffolding flew off-site in heavy winds has been fined $90,000. The scaffolding was picked up by a strong gust of wind and was thrown off the site and hit several cars, a light pole, and a person who was walking by. Civil 1 Ptd Ltd was the principal contractor for the demolition of nine commercial buildings on Mann Street, Gosford, in July 2020. The company had sub-contracted 21st Century Building Services Pty Ltd to supply, install and dismantle scaffolding at the site. Type A hoarding, a type of external cover made from plywood sheeting 2.4 metres high, was also required to be fixed to the scaffolding facing Donnison and Mann Streets to protect people using the footpath from flying debris and dust, and above that mesh known as unimesh. On August 18, Century Building workers attended the site to remove the scaffolding and hoarding but at 10.30am an excavator, being operated by Civil employee, struck an underground power line and work ceased. After a couple of hours, it was clear the repairs would take a significant amount of time and the scaffolders left for the day. The next day, at about 3pm, 21 bays of the scaffolding measuring about 60m in length were blown over by high winds that had been predicted for that day. A woman walking by was hit in the back of the head and taken to hospital, while a large number of vehicles parked on Mann Street were damaged along with a light pole and other infrastructure. Safe Work NSw visited the site and put a prohibition notice in place to alleviate concerns about how the concrete slab close to Mann Street could be demolished using excavators without creating a risk of flying debris that could injure pedestrians using the footpath. At that time, the scaffold had been replaced with temporary cyclone wire fencing along Mann Street that was not covered with unimesh or similar. The prohibition notice directed that "all demolition work within nine metres of the boundary adjacent to Mann Street" stop until Safe Work NSW was satisfied that the risk had been remedied with additional hoarding. However, the same inspector who issued that notice watched from the SafeWork office on nearby Donnison Street two excavators that appeared to be operating on the site closer than the nine-metre requirement. When he arrived on site, he saw that one of the excavators had moved out of the prohibited area but the other remained within it sifting through debris. The other excavator was fitted with a ripper attachment and was moving pieces of concrete out of the prohibited area. Safe Work NSW charged Civil with several breaches of the Work Health and Safety Act, including putting workers and a pedestrian at risk of death or serious injury, and failing to comply with a prohibition notice. The company was found guilty of putting people at risk of serious injury, but not death. The control measures which should have been implemented were simple, convenient and known to the offender, and identified in the safety documents for the site, District Court Judge Andrew Scotting said in his judgement. The work conducted in breach of the prohibition notice was carried out with the knowledge of the site supervisor, who knew the reasons for it and the dimensions of the prohibited work area, Judge Scotting found. "I infer that the prohibition notice was breached because it suited the convenience of the offender to carry out the work at that time," he said. 21st Century Building Services Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to two offences under the Work Health and Safety Act over the same incident. The first, putting at risk the lives and safety of its workers, and the second, putting at risk the life and safety of the woman who was struck. The company was convicted and fined in November, a total of $300,000, with a 25 per cent discount due to a guilty plea, bringing it to $225,000. A CONSTRUCTION company in charge of demolition work on a busy main street where 60 metres of scaffolding flew off-site in heavy winds has been fined $90,000. The scaffolding was picked up by a strong gust of wind and was thrown off the site and hit several cars, a light pole, and a person who was walking by. Civil 1 Ptd Ltd was the principal contractor for the demolition of nine commercial buildings on Mann Street, Gosford, in July 2020. The company had sub-contracted 21st Century Building Services Pty Ltd to supply, install and dismantle scaffolding at the site. Type A hoarding, a type of external cover made from plywood sheeting 2.4 metres high, was also required to be fixed to the scaffolding facing Donnison and Mann Streets to protect people using the footpath from flying debris and dust, and above that mesh known as unimesh. On August 18, Century Building workers attended the site to remove the scaffolding and hoarding but at 10.30am an excavator, being operated by Civil employee, struck an underground power line and work ceased. After a couple of hours, it was clear the repairs would take a significant amount of time and the scaffolders left for the day. The next day, at about 3pm, 21 bays of the scaffolding measuring about 60m in length were blown over by high winds that had been predicted for that day. A woman walking by was hit in the back of the head and taken to hospital, while a large number of vehicles parked on Mann Street were damaged along with a light pole and other infrastructure. Safe Work NSw visited the site and put a prohibition notice in place to alleviate concerns about how the concrete slab close to Mann Street could be demolished using excavators without creating a risk of flying debris that could injure pedestrians using the footpath. At that time, the scaffold had been replaced with temporary cyclone wire fencing along Mann Street that was not covered with unimesh or similar. The prohibition notice directed that "all demolition work within nine metres of the boundary adjacent to Mann Street" stop until Safe Work NSW was satisfied that the risk had been remedied with additional hoarding. However, the same inspector who issued that notice watched from the SafeWork office on nearby Donnison Street two excavators that appeared to be operating on the site closer than the nine-metre requirement. When he arrived on site, he saw that one of the excavators had moved out of the prohibited area but the other remained within it sifting through debris. The other excavator was fitted with a ripper attachment and was moving pieces of concrete out of the prohibited area. Safe Work NSW charged Civil with several breaches of the Work Health and Safety Act, including putting workers and a pedestrian at risk of death or serious injury, and failing to comply with a prohibition notice. The company was found guilty of putting people at risk of serious injury, but not death. The control measures which should have been implemented were simple, convenient and known to the offender, and identified in the safety documents for the site, District Court Judge Andrew Scotting said in his judgement. The work conducted in breach of the prohibition notice was carried out with the knowledge of the site supervisor, who knew the reasons for it and the dimensions of the prohibited work area, Judge Scotting found. "I infer that the prohibition notice was breached because it suited the convenience of the offender to carry out the work at that time," he said. 21st Century Building Services Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to two offences under the Work Health and Safety Act over the same incident. The first, putting at risk the lives and safety of its workers, and the second, putting at risk the life and safety of the woman who was struck. The company was convicted and fined in November, a total of $300,000, with a 25 per cent discount due to a guilty plea, bringing it to $225,000. A CONSTRUCTION company in charge of demolition work on a busy main street where 60 metres of scaffolding flew off-site in heavy winds has been fined $90,000. The scaffolding was picked up by a strong gust of wind and was thrown off the site and hit several cars, a light pole, and a person who was walking by. Civil 1 Ptd Ltd was the principal contractor for the demolition of nine commercial buildings on Mann Street, Gosford, in July 2020. The company had sub-contracted 21st Century Building Services Pty Ltd to supply, install and dismantle scaffolding at the site. Type A hoarding, a type of external cover made from plywood sheeting 2.4 metres high, was also required to be fixed to the scaffolding facing Donnison and Mann Streets to protect people using the footpath from flying debris and dust, and above that mesh known as unimesh. On August 18, Century Building workers attended the site to remove the scaffolding and hoarding but at 10.30am an excavator, being operated by Civil employee, struck an underground power line and work ceased. After a couple of hours, it was clear the repairs would take a significant amount of time and the scaffolders left for the day. The next day, at about 3pm, 21 bays of the scaffolding measuring about 60m in length were blown over by high winds that had been predicted for that day. A woman walking by was hit in the back of the head and taken to hospital, while a large number of vehicles parked on Mann Street were damaged along with a light pole and other infrastructure. Safe Work NSw visited the site and put a prohibition notice in place to alleviate concerns about how the concrete slab close to Mann Street could be demolished using excavators without creating a risk of flying debris that could injure pedestrians using the footpath. At that time, the scaffold had been replaced with temporary cyclone wire fencing along Mann Street that was not covered with unimesh or similar. The prohibition notice directed that "all demolition work within nine metres of the boundary adjacent to Mann Street" stop until Safe Work NSW was satisfied that the risk had been remedied with additional hoarding. However, the same inspector who issued that notice watched from the SafeWork office on nearby Donnison Street two excavators that appeared to be operating on the site closer than the nine-metre requirement. When he arrived on site, he saw that one of the excavators had moved out of the prohibited area but the other remained within it sifting through debris. The other excavator was fitted with a ripper attachment and was moving pieces of concrete out of the prohibited area. Safe Work NSW charged Civil with several breaches of the Work Health and Safety Act, including putting workers and a pedestrian at risk of death or serious injury, and failing to comply with a prohibition notice. The company was found guilty of putting people at risk of serious injury, but not death. The control measures which should have been implemented were simple, convenient and known to the offender, and identified in the safety documents for the site, District Court Judge Andrew Scotting said in his judgement. The work conducted in breach of the prohibition notice was carried out with the knowledge of the site supervisor, who knew the reasons for it and the dimensions of the prohibited work area, Judge Scotting found. "I infer that the prohibition notice was breached because it suited the convenience of the offender to carry out the work at that time," he said. 21st Century Building Services Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to two offences under the Work Health and Safety Act over the same incident. The first, putting at risk the lives and safety of its workers, and the second, putting at risk the life and safety of the woman who was struck. The company was convicted and fined in November, a total of $300,000, with a 25 per cent discount due to a guilty plea, bringing it to $225,000. A CONSTRUCTION company in charge of demolition work on a busy main street where 60 metres of scaffolding flew off-site in heavy winds has been fined $90,000. The scaffolding was picked up by a strong gust of wind and was thrown off the site and hit several cars, a light pole, and a person who was walking by. Civil 1 Ptd Ltd was the principal contractor for the demolition of nine commercial buildings on Mann Street, Gosford, in July 2020. The company had sub-contracted 21st Century Building Services Pty Ltd to supply, install and dismantle scaffolding at the site. Type A hoarding, a type of external cover made from plywood sheeting 2.4 metres high, was also required to be fixed to the scaffolding facing Donnison and Mann Streets to protect people using the footpath from flying debris and dust, and above that mesh known as unimesh. On August 18, Century Building workers attended the site to remove the scaffolding and hoarding but at 10.30am an excavator, being operated by Civil employee, struck an underground power line and work ceased. After a couple of hours, it was clear the repairs would take a significant amount of time and the scaffolders left for the day. The next day, at about 3pm, 21 bays of the scaffolding measuring about 60m in length were blown over by high winds that had been predicted for that day. A woman walking by was hit in the back of the head and taken to hospital, while a large number of vehicles parked on Mann Street were damaged along with a light pole and other infrastructure. Safe Work NSw visited the site and put a prohibition notice in place to alleviate concerns about how the concrete slab close to Mann Street could be demolished using excavators without creating a risk of flying debris that could injure pedestrians using the footpath. At that time, the scaffold had been replaced with temporary cyclone wire fencing along Mann Street that was not covered with unimesh or similar. The prohibition notice directed that "all demolition work within nine metres of the boundary adjacent to Mann Street" stop until Safe Work NSW was satisfied that the risk had been remedied with additional hoarding. However, the same inspector who issued that notice watched from the SafeWork office on nearby Donnison Street two excavators that appeared to be operating on the site closer than the nine-metre requirement. When he arrived on site, he saw that one of the excavators had moved out of the prohibited area but the other remained within it sifting through debris. The other excavator was fitted with a ripper attachment and was moving pieces of concrete out of the prohibited area. Safe Work NSW charged Civil with several breaches of the Work Health and Safety Act, including putting workers and a pedestrian at risk of death or serious injury, and failing to comply with a prohibition notice. The company was found guilty of putting people at risk of serious injury, but not death. The control measures which should have been implemented were simple, convenient and known to the offender, and identified in the safety documents for the site, District Court Judge Andrew Scotting said in his judgement. The work conducted in breach of the prohibition notice was carried out with the knowledge of the site supervisor, who knew the reasons for it and the dimensions of the prohibited work area, Judge Scotting found. "I infer that the prohibition notice was breached because it suited the convenience of the offender to carry out the work at that time," he said. 21st Century Building Services Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to two offences under the Work Health and Safety Act over the same incident. The first, putting at risk the lives and safety of its workers, and the second, putting at risk the life and safety of the woman who was struck. The company was convicted and fined in November, a total of $300,000, with a 25 per cent discount due to a guilty plea, bringing it to $225,000.
AU Financial Review
18-06-2025
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Safety investigation launched at UTS over KPMG's job slashing plan
The University of Technology Sydney may be sacking 400 of their own staff members, but at least they're keeping the staff at SafeWork NSW in gainful employment. The workplace safety watchdog recently launched an investigation into UTS, issuing it with a 'notice to give information' under the Work Health and Safety Act.
News.com.au
18-06-2025
- News.com.au
Worker dies after 'falling container' incident at Newcastle airport
A worker has died after an incident involving a 'container fall'. Emergency services were called to a worksite in Williamtown, north of Newcastle about 9.20am on Wednesday morning after they were informed a man had become trapped 'under equipment'. 'NSW Ambulance paramedics rendered aid to a man at the scene, however he was unable to be revived. While yet to be formally identified, the man is believed to be aged in his 50s,' a police spokesman said. 'Police from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District attended and established a crime scene which will be examined by specialist police. A report will be prepared for the information of the coroner.' The Newcastle Herald reported the incident as a 'container fall'. A spokesperson for SafeWork NSW said the organisation had been 'notified' of the incident and was 'responding'. 'SafeWork NSW inspectors are on site and making enquiries' they said. Newcastle Airport operations have continued, and no disruptions were reported to any scheduled flights.
