Disturbing photos expose the filthy conditions contractors say they were forced to deal with while working at an incident-plagued cement plant in NSW’s Southern Highlands.
Images from the Boral site in New Berrima, supplied to news.com.au, show dust-clogged ventilation units, overflowing bins in bathrooms, and moss-covered windows in site sheds.
Clive Collier, an employee at the plant and union member, claimed he and other contractors were forced to seek shelter during their breaks inside the unsanitary sheds every time it rained.
Boral is valued at almost $4billion and produces construction materials including asphalt, cement, and concrete.
A spokesperson for the the building materials giant stressed the sheds were only temporary.
“Once we became aware of the condition of these temporary premises, we immediately closed them and directed our contractors to use other shared facilities on site,” they said.
However, unions representing workers at the site claim the unsanitary concerns are just the tip of the iceberg.
Two SafeWork NSW notices were issued to Boral within less than two weeks of each other.
A spokesperson for the agency said inspectors had attended the cement plant on five occasions during the past three weeks.
On February 13, workers were allegedly exposed to serious risk of “being struck with components and debris” during maintenance on a vertical conveyor belt.
In another alarming incident, SafeWork NSW ordered Boral to stop all maintenance work on specific equipment after a thick, heavy, metal safety pin on a hydraulic ram fell seven metres, missing two workers.
The Electrical Trade Union (ETU) and Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) claimed one worker was struck with a flying bolt and is still in ICU, while another worker needed stitches after having shrapnel lodged in his stomach.
Boral said they rejected some of the unions’ claims but admitted workplace accidents did happen.
“Not all of the unions’ safety related claims are accurate, but we will continue to work with them on any concerns they have.”
“Unfortunately from time to time workplace injuries do occur. We take such incidents very seriously, with an immediate focus on supporting our workers and implementing appropriate corrective actions. We also actively co-operate with regulators in relation to any reportable incidents.
“Boral’s number one priority is the health and safety of our people and all those who we interact with through our operations.”
Boral said it employed over 300 contractors over a three-week period to help during its maintenance shutdown - a yearly exercise for general upkeep and upgrades of plants and equipment.
It involves shutting down parts of Boral’s facility to carry out that work.
Boral said it was forced to hire more contractors than usual due to the “disruption” caused by “significant protected industrial action over the last eight months.”
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“It was concerning a decision was made to escalate industrial action during the recent major maintenance works in Berrima,” a Boral spokesperson added.
But union members are unimpressed.
“Workers I’ve talked to including the contractors have actually said this is the worst shutdown they’ve ever been on,” said ETU organiser Stewart Edward.
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