A worker on the Snowy 2.0 project testified in the New South Wales Industrial Court about the shock he experienced after being struck on the hip by a broken drill during a tunnelling operation.

Drill operator Trent Wilson recounted that on 24 October 2022, he and a colleague were operating a large drill attached to the boring machine "Florence" when part of the steel rig detached and hit them. "It happened really fast," Wilson said during questioning by prosecutor Lyndelle Barnett SC. Although no workers were physically injured, Wilson told the court he was "in a lot of shock" following the incident.

SafeWork NSW is prosecuting Italian infrastructure firm Webuild, a major contractor on the multi-billion-dollar Snowy Hydro project, alleging it failed to comply with its duty to keep workers safe by exposing two tunnelling workers to the risk of death or serious injury when they were ordered to use a broken drill. Webuild denies these allegations.

Tunnel boring machine project manager Lachlan Hill stated that the broken guide roller involved in the incident should have been repaired before being used again, emphasizing that operations should have stopped when the equipment was broken.

The Snowy 2.0 project, announced in 2017, aims to connect two existing reservoirs beneath the Kosciuszko National Park via 27 kilometres of tunnels and a new hydro-electric power station. The trial, presided over by Justice David Chin, is expected to last three weeks and hear from more than a dozen witnesses. The proceedings experienced delays in the first two weeks after Webuild requested additional details from the prosecution following opening statements on Monday, 13 July 2026.

Sources