Snowy 2.0 worker ordered to use broken drill that hit him, court hears

A Snowy 2.0 worker has told the New South Wales Industrial Court of the "shock" he felt when he was struck on the hip by a broken drill during a tunnelling operation.SafeWork NSW is prosecuting Italian infrastructure firm Webuild, which is accused of failing to comply with its duty to keep workers safe.On Monday drill operator Trent Wilson told the court he and a colleague were operating a large drill attached to the boring machine "Florence" on 24 October, 2022, when part of the steel rig fell off and hit them."It happened really fast," Mr Wilson said during questioning by prosecutor Lyndelle Barnett SC."I got shoved probably three metres across the tunnel."Webuild denies it failed to keep workers safe. (ABC South East NSW: Isla Evans)No workers were injured in the incident, but Mr Wilson told the court he was "in a lot of shock" afterwards.The three-week trial before Justice David Chin is expected to hear from more than a dozen witnesses.Drill deemed 'out of order'That part of the drill in question, the guide roller, had stopped working earlier that day, the court heard.Workers stopped operating that piece of equipment and an "out of order" tag was placed on it.Mr Wilson told the court that a group, including a mechanical supervisor and superintendent, later "came to the agreement" that the lower ports of the drill could be used.The prosecution alleges that the broken part of the drill had been placed back into operation without a failure analysis being undertaken.Not long after that, the broken probe drill made an "uncontrollable movement" and hit the two tunnelling workers, the court was told.The Snowy 2.0 project involves connecting two dams with 27km of underground tunnels. (ABC South East NSW: Isla Evans)Tunnel boring machine project manager Lachlan Hill said the broken guide roller should have been repaired before it was used again."When it [the guide roller] was broken, they obviously should stop and repair it," he told the court.Mr Hill said it "wouldn't be safe" to use it without those steps being taken.Trial delayedThe first two weeks of the trial were beset by delays after Webuild's representatives requested additional particulars from the prosecution following opening statements on Monday, July 13.Defence barrister Arthur Moses SC filed an application for a temporary or permanent adjournment of the case, claiming the prosecution had "flip-flopped" on its case and that there was a risk of an unfair trial.Justice Chin refused the application last Thursday.The Snowy 2.0 project is Australia's largest renewable energy project and is expected to provide up to 2.2 gigawatts of electricity to the national grid when operating at full capacity.Announced in 2017, it is set to link two existing reservoirs beneath the Kosciuszko National Park through 27 kilometres of tunnels and a new hydro-electric power station.Snowy 2.0 is expected to be completed by the end of 2028 at an estimated cost of $12 billion, though the company flagged last year it would need more funds.The trial continues.