Date: 24 October 2025

Filthy, mouldy rooms, putrid food, and gastro outbreaks take toll on workers

Workers down tools over serious health and safety issues at $1B Kidston Pumped Hydro Project

The workers delivering the $1B Genex Kidston Pumped Hydro Project are facing unacceptable living and working conditions at the Genex-supplied camp according to the Electrical Trades Union (ETU).

While construction progress continues to meet expectations, the camp’s appalling state has triggered widespread concern for the health, safety, and wellbeing of workers on site.

Despite months of raising concerns about the camp’s conditions through the McConnell Dowell John Holland Joint Venture, which in turn escalated them to Genex the company has failed to respond or take any meaningful action to address the issues.

“Workers aren’t asking for luxuries, they’re asking for safe, clean, and humane living conditions that allow them to do their jobs safely and return home healthy,” said ETU State Organiser Rob Hill.

At site meetings held with union members and organisers from the ETU, CFMEU, AMWU and PPTEU on Wednesday, members discussed the persistent and severe health and safety issues within the Genex-contracted accommodation and catering facilities and the lack of any meaningful progress to resolve them. As a result, union members voted to cease work on safety grounds until Genex provides a formal, written undertaking to address all concerns within a three-week period.

During the site visit organisers noted the following issues

  • Exposure to mould in 40-year-old dongas, leading to sore throats, itchy eyes, and other health symptoms.
  • Unclean and unsafe living conditions, including unwashed linens, “hot beds,” and rooms not serviced before re-occupancy.
  • Inadequate laundry facilities, preventing proper hygiene and sanitation.
  • Unsafe food standards, including mouldy and rotten food, flies found cooked into eggs, unclean surfaces and general unsanitary kitchen practices, and inconsistent food temperatures, which have caused multiple gastric outbreaks among workers.
  • Psychosocial harm due to lack of mobile connectivity, preventing workers from maintaining contact with family and loved ones — particularly distressing in an isolated location.

 

According to Hill these conditions have created a workplace environment that fails to meet even the most basic health and safety obligations. Workers report that poor-quality food and unhygienic accommodation have left them fatigued, unwell, and increasingly anxious about their safety and wellbeing.

“The human cost of inaction is too great. We know suicide and divorce rates are already too high in the FIFO construction sector, these conditions only make things worse. It shouldn’t take a tragedy for Genex to act. When workers are fatigued, sick, and isolated, the risk of a serious incident skyrocket. Genex needs to stop ignoring reality and fix this now.” Hill said.

“This is a billion-dollar project in a state that prides itself on high safety standards, It’s appalling that workers are being forced to live in conditions that wouldn’t pass muster in any other workplace.” Hill said.

Workers remain ready and willing to return to work as soon as Genex meets its duty of care by addressing these fundamental health and safety issues.

“Workers’ lives are on the line, it’s time for Genex to pull their heads out of the sand and meet the moment.”

For more information, please call State organiser Rob Hill 0430 072 049 State Asst Secretary Chris Lynch 0407 510 329 or Media Officer Andrew Irvine 0429 535 860