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🇦🇺 Australia /Crime & Justice

Snowy Hydro contractor denies claims it exposed workers to risk of death

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • A major contractor on Australia's Snowy Hydro project, Webuild, faces criminal charges over alleged safety breaches that put workers at risk of death or serious injury.
  • WorkSafe NSW has filed two separate proceedings in the NSW Industrial Court, alleging failures in procedures and equipment led to incidents involving falling trucks and malfunctioning drills.
  • Webuild has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is defending the allegations, stating it has stringent safety protocols for complex tunneling projects.

Italian infrastructure firm Webuild is defending itself against serious allegations of exposing workers to fatal risks on the multi-billion-dollar Snowy Hydro project. WorkSafe NSW has initiated two criminal proceedings against the company in the NSW Industrial Court, accusing it of failing to ensure worker safety.

Webuild is defending the allegations, this is a matter for the courts and not for public commentary.

— Webuild spokespersonResponding to the criminal proceedings filed by WorkSafe NSW.

One incident, occurring in June 2023 at Lobs Hole in Kosciuszko National Park, allegedly involved three workers maintaining a concrete agitator truck. Court documents claim the truck fell from its lifts, narrowly missing two workers and striking a third, who managed to escape serious injury. WorkSafe argues Webuild lacked appropriate systems, assessments, procedures, and training for using the column lifts, thereby exposing workers to death or serious injury.

A separate case, filed in October 2024, concerns two men injured in 2022 while operating a faulty probe drill associated with a tunnel boring machine named Florence at Tantangara Dam. Despite the drill malfunctioning earlier that day, a production superintendent allegedly ordered its use without repairs or analysis. This led to an "uncontrolled movement" of the drill, injuring the two workers, according to SafeWork NSW.

As a result of the defendant's failures, workers … were exposed to a risk of death or serious injury.

— WorkSafe NSW filingsDescribing the alleged consequences of Webuild's safety failures in the truck incident.

Webuild has pleaded not guilty to both sets of charges. A spokesperson stated that the company is defending the allegations and that the matters are for the courts. Regarding the drill incident, the spokesperson clarified it was classified internally as a near miss, with one worker sustaining only slight bruising. The company emphasized its global reputation for complex tunneling and its stringent safety protocols.

We want to make clear that Webuild has a global reputation for successfully executing complex tunnelling projects, and as such has stringent procedures, processes and protocols to keep our workers safe while operating tunnel boring machines.

— Webuild spokespersonAsserting the company's commitment to safety following the allegations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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