An ‘exhausted’ technical workforce is demanding action to address safety concerns on one of Australia’s biggest construction projects.

As media reports about fresh safety concerns emerged this week, Professionals Australia has warned that a combination of fatigue, underreporting of risk and a culture of silence on the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project is creating a high-risk environment.

Announced by then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in March 2017, the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project is a massive pumped-hydro battery expansion project in the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales.

It will link two existing dams via 27km of underground tunnels and a power station that will be located 800 meters underground.

One complete, the project will be able to store surplus renewable energy and dispatch up to 2,200 MW to the grid during periods when energy demand is high and wind and solar output is low.

It will thus perform the work of a ‘mega battery’ and help to stabilise the energy grid as more renewable energy comes online.

However, the project has been beset by problems.

Across nearly all of 2023, the main tunnel boring machine (TBM Florence), was bogged in soft ground and stuck, creating a massive sinkhole at the surface.

Shortly after resuming, Florence became wedged in hard rock.

Work has also been slowed by the complex and unpredictable rock formations of the Snowy Mountains whilst workers have faced unexpected volumes of sludge and toxic gasses – resulting in temporary evacuation.

Initially costed in 2017 at $2 billion, the project was originally expected to finish in 2021.

However, media reports now suggest that the project’s final cost could be as high as $42 billion and is unlikely to be ready until 2032 at the earliest.

Furthermore, the project has also been beset by a slew of safety incidents.

In February 2025, Safe Work NSW issued six prohibition notices after an industrial -sized ventilation fan malfunctioned, sending high-velocity metal shrapnel flying through an underground tunnel.

In January, last year, work was halted by the Australian Workers Union after inspections revealed that underground refugee chambers that were to be used by trapped workers in cases where evacuation is not possible were inoperable and improperly maintained

Meanwhile in July 2023, workers were exposed to dangerous levels of isocyanate gas during the period in which TBM Florence had become stuck after contractors injected polyurethane foam into the surrounding earth to solidify the soft ground.

This injection caused an unexpected chemical reaction, creating a high-volume release of toxic isocyanate fumes that filled the underground workspace.

Now, leaked videos and safety logs have exposed severe, ongoing subterranean flooding issues.

The main union on the site, the Australian Workers Union, did not respond to requests for comment for this article.

However, the union has continuously raised the alarm over work, health and safety standards on the project.

Workplace fatigue, poor workplace culture

In addition to the operational issues outlined above, Professionals Australia says that there are systematic issues and concerns for technical and professional personnel who are working on the project.

This includes engineers, supervisors, surveyors, superintendents, safety officers and other technical specialists.

In particular, the union talks of systemic failures in fatigue management and safety culture.

In terms of fatigue, a recent survey of the technical workforce found that this is widespread and unmanaged.

All up, 99 per cent of respondents reported fatigue at work and 72 per cent saying it has already impaired their ability to work safely.

Workers report being contracted and paid for 7.6-hour days but being routinely rostered to work 12-hour shifts.

Many workers in fact perform 14 hours or more, in some cases for up to 14 consecutive days.

These additional hours are unpaid, unrecognised and treated as standard practice.

In terms of culture, meanwhile, 69 percent of workers feel that they do not feel safe in raising concerns about fatigue.

Meanwhile, 63 percent have withheld reporting fatigue due to fear of consequences.

According to the union, a number of serious incidents have also been reported by workers that were either underreported or not disclosed to regulators.

These include an excavator striking a staff member, a truck jackknifing and multiple environmental incidents.

Professionals Australia says there are also serious concerns that workers who raise issues face adverse treatment. Three union delegates have recently been terminated for raising workplace and safety concerns.

In response, the union is calling for an enterprise agreement to provide a formal, structured and codified process for resolving important issues.

Professionals Australia NSW Director Justine Murphy said that the situation needs to be addressed.

“This is a project of national significance, backed by public investment,” she said.

“The technical workers delivering it are not sitting in warm offices sipping coffee. They are on-site, working long hours in tunnels, warehouses and yards, often in freezing temperatures.

“It’s cold, difficult and sometimes very dangerous work. They deserve the same benefits and working conditions as their colleagues who have an enterprise bargaining agreement.

“The community expects Snowy 2.0 to be delivered safely, transparently and with proper protections for the people responsible for making it happen.

“At the moment, our members are telling us that is not what is happening on the ground.”

Responding to questions about the safety incidents, a Snowy Hydro spokesperson said that it expects the best safety standards from the Future Generation Joint Venture – the contracting party which is responsible for the project’s construction.

“Snowy Hydro expects Future Generation Joint Venture to maintain the highest standards of health and safety on Snowy 2.0,” the spokesperson said.

“Incidents of this nature are completely unacceptable.

“When a safety incident arises, work is stopped immediately, regulators are notified and a thorough investigation takes place.

“In both of these incidents, the root causes have been identified and changes have been made by the principal contractor in consultation with SafeWork NSW.”