Members met for the sixth meeting of the NSW Government’s Tunnelling Dust Safety Taskforce. The meeting was chaired by SafeWork Commissioner, Janet Schorer PSM.
The Taskforce received a presentation from Kate Cole OAM on perceptions of respirable crystalline silica exposure in the Australian tunnelling industry. The presentation focused on the results of a survey of stakeholders’ attitudes to occupational health protections. Members noted the content of the presentation and discussed its implications. The study is soon to be published.
The Australian Workers Union (AWU) member representative, Tony Callinan, spoke to members on the topic of check inspectors for the tunnelling industry. Members noted that a similar system is being used in the mining sector and that the Mine Safety Advisory Council will be considering a paper on the matter soon. The AWU undertook to table the paper for discussion at the next Taskforce meeting.
The SafeWork Commissioner provided an update on the Silica Worker Register (SWR). The SWR requires relevant employers to register all workers undertaking high-risk silica processing activities. The following registration data was noted:
- 13,295 workers registered,
- 669 persons conducting a business or undertaking had registered workers,
- 57 persons conducting a business or undertaking identified as engaging in tunnelling projects,
- 4,237 workers were registered as engaging in tunnelling projects.
It was noted that SafeWork NSW had notified icare of 6,072 workers and 577 persons conducting a business or undertaking. These notifications related to registrations where the worker is not flagged as undergoing health monitoring. There was then a discussion about the actions icare had taken to date to offer screening services to those persons conducting a business or undertaking. Members noted that an important use of the data is for icare to identify and follow-up registrations for workers who are not flagged as receiving health screening services. Members discussed opportunities to promote community engagement with the Lung Bus program, which is a Lung Health Mobile Clinic administered through icare.
Transport for NSW and SafeWork NSW provided a verbal update on the Taskforce action item relating to supporting access to data for research purposes.
The next meeting for the Taskforce was scheduled for 29 April 2026.
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