The Tunnelling Dust Safety Taskforce met for its fourth meeting on 8 October 2025.
Taskforce members were provided with a demonstration of the silica worker register by SafeWork NSW. The silica worker register was established by the Work Health and Safety Amendment (Silica Worker Register) Regulation 2025 and commenced on 1 October 2025. A person conducting a business or undertaking directing or allowing a worker to carry out the processing of a crystalline silica substance that is high risk must register those workers. Silica worker register notifications can be made on the SafeWork NSW website. Taskforce members were provided a walkthrough of the registration process for both individual and bulk notifications using the online register portal. The Taskforce provided feedback to SafeWork NSW on implementation considerations and potential future functionality for the register to enhance data collection and its application.
Members tabled written updates against the 10-Point Action Plan. Members noted the positive progress to date and agreed to prepare an end-of-year progress report for the Minister.
Members noted that the Government response to the Standing committee on Law and Justice 2024 Review of the Dust Diseases Scheme was tabled in NSW Parliament on 11 September 2025. The Government response makes several references to the work of the Taskforce. Members noted that it was important to progress the 10-Point Action Plan to deliver key aspects of the Government response to the Committee’s recommendations. Members also noted the importance of the rewrite of the Code of Practice for Tunnels Under Construction and that several Taskforce members are actively involved in providing their expertise to assist SafeWork NSW to revise that code of practice as part of an industry and social partners working group.
Members discussed the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry 12-month review. The consultation paper has been issued by the Australian Government’s Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Members agreed that the Taskforce would make a submission to the review.
The consistency of health monitoring practices under work health and safety laws was then discussed. Members discussed that the work health and safety regulation currently sets high-level requirements for health monitoring. The discussion identified an opportunity to enhance the regulations around health monitoring to standardise requirements on such matters as frequency of testing, qualifications for practitioners conducting health monitoring, and clinical pathways to be followed. An action item was taken by icare to prepare a more detailed proposal to table at a future meeting on potential reforms for this area.
The meeting ended with a commitment to prepare an end of year report for the Minister to detail the work of the Taskforce in 2025.
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