Hamish’s bosses preached safety. Then he was diagnosed with a deadly disease

For Hamish Studholme, a tunneller across some of Sydney’s biggest transport infrastructure projects for about 20 years, an uncomfortable truth became impossible to ignore. Even as contracting companies slowly introduced measures to mitigate the threat of silicosis, an incurable lung disease caused by inhaling tiny particles of crystalline silica dust, Studholme felt worker safety was never prioritised.

“Production is always put as number one. Nothing gets in the way of that. So if you can do it safely, that’s great. If you can’t, you’re going to go ahead and do it anyway,” he recalled of his bosses’ attitude towards the deadly hazard.

“Bosses, right from the top down, they were very good at preaching safety and saying, ‘This is the most important thing’. But it becomes pretty obvious the most important thing is keep tunnelling.”

Studholme, who worked on the Lane Cove Tunnel, Rozelle Interchange and Western Harbour Tunnel, was diagnosed with silicosis in 2023. He is suing his former employers for loss of earnings (experienced tunnellers can earn above $250,000 per year) and medical costs.

Major contractor CPB declined to comment.

Studholme’s experience is reflected in new research released by Kate Cole, a PhD candidate at University of Sydney and board member of the NSW Dust Diseases and the Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency.

Her survey of 290 tunnelling industry stakeholders across Australia found 63 per cent of survey respondents reported barriers preventing effective dust control, with time pressures, lack of management commitment, and weak regulatory enforcement identified as central issues.

One of the key themes was the critical role of leadership in managing exposure to respirable crystalline silica, with Cole finding that stated commitments to safety cultures were often “symbolic or performative with limited translation into consistent action at the operational level”.

“Workers understand the risks, but the survey results indicate that systems in place are not consistently protecting them,” Cole said. “This is not a knowledge gap: it’s a failure of leadership, accountability, and enforcement, with workers ultimately paying the price with their health.”

Nearly half of respondents – who undertook the survey between September 2024 and June 2025 – said they did not believe regulators were effective in promoting safe practices. This included several participants who claimed regulators gave employers advanced notice of inspections, allowing worksites to temporarily modify workplace conditions, meaning the safety inspectors did not always observe the typical workplace environment.

“Either they don’t care or aren’t told to care,” an anonymous survey respondent said of regulators. “They have been absent. If Sydney tunnelling came under mines and quarries regulations in NSW they would be shut down immediately.”

SafeWork NSW did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.

Jonathan Walsh, a principal lawyer at Maurice Blackburn representing Studholme, said the findings of Cole’s research should be a clarion call for regulators and employers to intensify efforts to protect workers.

“It’s extraordinary that despite everything we know about the danger of silica, employers are still exposing their workers to harm,” he said.

Research released by Cole a year ago found more than one in 10 tunnellers on three major projects would develop deadly lung disease in their lifetime. Fears of a latent public health disaster compounded last month when this masthead revealed 13 workers, including a 32-year-old, on the M6 Stage 1 tunnel had been diagnosed with the incurable lung disease since the project began in late 2021.

Research published by Curtin University in 2022 forecast up to 103,000 Australians will develop silicosis after exposure to silica dust at work. However, policy responses have focused on those working with engineered stone – now subject to widespread bans – and not other types of exposure.

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