00:03They're the mega infrastructure projects keeping Australia's biggest cities moving.
00:10But the dusty work of building them can expose workers to the risk of silicosis.
00:16We're talking about thousands of workers and many of those workers can be overexposed to silica dust.
00:24Occupational hygienist Kate Cole has spent years fighting to get access to air monitoring data.
00:31If they want to keep this information secret it must be for a reason.
00:36Ms Cole says her analysis shows tunnelers were exposed to silica dust above the workplace standard at least 55 times.
00:45The highest exposures on the Cross River Rail project was more than 10 times the exposure standard.
00:51In New South Wales Ms Cole pressed Parliament to compel contractors and the regulator to release air monitoring for eight
00:59years of tunnelling across 12 projects.
01:02The highest exposures were to roadhead operators without cabins and their silica dust exposures were on average around 70 to
01:1180 times the exposure standard.
01:14Former tunneller Liam Carew spent 20 years underground.
01:18At 46 he's now been diagnosed with silicosis and progressive massive fibrosis.
01:25I struggle to breathe, even walking, walking any longer than a kilometre.
01:31My kids, you know, worry about them and want to be around for them long term.
01:37On Melbourne's Metro Tunnel leaked WorkSafe improvement notices show in September 2020 six workers were exposed to unsafe levels.
01:47Two employees breathing in dust ten times the limit.
01:51Contractors and regulators say safety is their top priority and they'll continue to monitor and mitigate dust.
01:58But there are growing calls for authorities to lower the workplace standard.
02:03The legal limit itself is not actually protecting these workers from silicosis and lung cancer.
02:10A problem once buried, now coming to light.
02:13weather, we are going to prevent the virus.
02:13Father, we are going to prevent the virus from causing the virus from malaise.
02:14Father, you can cause the virus frominging so as well.
02:18Also, we are going to prevent this from taking the virus from causing localagi.
02:18A problem the virus from COVID-19 to causing the virus to be impacted by the virus?
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