A Message from the NSW Branch Secretary: Taking Action on Snowy Hydro Safety Failure

In recent weeks, the NSW Branch of the AWU has been working closely with delegates, HSRs and the NSW Government to ensure safety at the Snowy Hydro 2.0 site.

This came off the back of ongoing and significant work health and safety risks to workers and the ongoing inaction by the company to properly alleviate the safety risks. These are significant safety events, and its lucky that no one was hurt.

Without the tireless work of AWU delegates and HSRs, the Snowy Hydro 2.0 would be more unsafe than it is today. The company has consistently relied upon workers to identify and shut down the site. This is because the Company is so flippant in its approach to WHS, that it’s left to the workers to ensure their own safety.

Firstly, the AWU ceased work for several weeks after major concerns regarding refuge chambers on the project, some of which were inoperable and not maintained. Workers also weren’t properly trained to use the chambers, and the project hadn’t conducted evacuation drills for months.

Then just a few days after workers returned to work, an exploding ventilation fan sent shrapnel flying into the site – a significant near-miss that could have resulted in workers being killed.  Tunnelling is a dangerous industry, but Snowy 2.0 management just can’t seem to get the basics right. This is simply not good enough.

The AWU and our members have absolutely no confidence in the project’s ability to manage safety. It is time for some changes at all levels of management of this project, including with the client Snowy Hydro.

The NSW Industrial Relations Minister was bought in, alongside SafeWork NSW, to listen to the concerns of the union and our members. It was made clear to the Minister that this continued neglect of workers’ safety is absolutely intolerable.

We commend all members and delegates for bravery in putting down their tools in the face of unsafe working conditions, and we’ll continue to take the fight to management over the coming weeks and months.