Lead

Italian infrastructure firm Webuild is facing two separate criminal proceedings in the NSW Industrial Court over allegations it exposed five workers to the risk of death or serious injury on the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project. The company has pleaded not guilty in both matters, according to reporting by ABC Australia.

The charges, brought by the workplace safety regulator WorkSafe NSW, relate to two incidents that occurred during construction of the massive hydroelectric scheme, which aims to link two reservoirs through 27 kilometres of tunnels beneath the Kosciuszko National Park.

Coverage comparison

ABC Australia, which reported on the court proceedings, presented the story with a neutral headline angle and focused its lead on safety concerns. The outlet's coverage attributed the alleged failures to Webuild's conduct, quoting a company spokesperson who said: "Webuild is defending the allegations — this is a matter for the courts and not for public commentary."

The reporting draws on court documents filed by WorkSafe NSW and includes direct quotes from the regulator's filings, providing a straightforward account of the legal allegations and the company's response.

Key claims

According to court documents lodged by WorkSafe NSW in May last year, three men were performing maintenance underneath a concrete agitator truck at Lobs Hole in Kosciuszko National Park in June 2023 when the truck fell from four mobile column lifts. The watchdog alleged one man was struck by the underside of the truck and knocked to the ground, but managed to roll away "just before" the truck fell. The other two men escaped on foot.

WorkSafe NSW argued Webuild failed to have appropriate systems, assessments, procedures and training in place relating to the use of column lifts. "As a result of the defendant's failures, workers… were exposed to a risk of death or serious injury," the SafeWork filings said.

In a separate case, filed in October 2024, it was alleged that two men were injured in 2022 while using a broken probe drill associated with a tunnel boring machine known as Florence during works at Tantangara Dam. The specific nature of the alleged failures in this second case was not detailed in the reports.

The Snowy Hydro 2.0 project, a major expansion of the existing Snowy Mountains hydroelectric scheme, is expected to produce enough energy to power 3 million homes. Its cost has blown out to $12 billion, with completion now expected at the end of 2028.

Webuild, which has a global reputation for successfully executing complex tunnelling projects, according to a company spokesman, said the accident statistics on the project as of April of this year were less than half of the benchmark for Australia. The spokesman declined to comment further, saying the matter was for the courts.

Key claims

  • Webuild is facing two separate criminal proceedings brought by WorkSafe NSW in the NSW Industrial Court.
  • The charges allege five workers were exposed to the risk of death or serious injury in two incidents.
  • In the first incident, at Lobs Hole in June 2023, three men were performing maintenance under a concrete agitator truck when it fell from four mobile column lifts. One man was struck and knocked to the ground but rolled away "just before" the truck fell; the other two escaped on foot.
  • In the second incident, at Tantangara Dam, two men were injured in 2022 while using a broken probe drill associated with a tunnel boring machine called Florence.
  • WorkSafe alleged Webuild failed to ensure the health and safety of workers by not having adequate systems, assessments, procedures, or training in place.
  • Webuild has pleaded not guilty to both sets of charges.
  • The Snowy Hydro 2.0 project will link two reservoirs through 27km of tunnels and is expected to power 3 million homes.
  • Project costs have escalated to $12 billion, with completion expected at the end of 2028.
  • A Webuild spokesman said the project's accident statistics were less than half of the Australian Safety Commission's benchmark.