John Holland charged over Metro incident
Construction company John Holland has been charged with breaching federal work health and safety laws after a worker suffered serious injuries in a Sydney Metro tunnel works project.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions has filed a single charge alleging the company failed in its primary health and safety duty under the Commonwealth Work Health and Safety Act (WHS Act).
The incident happened on 11 September 2024 in a section of the Eastern Tunnelling Package at Rozelle.
Workers were installing additional components that added weight to a heavy electrical distribution board when the board dislodged from the tunnel wall.
The 450-kilogram board fell on an electrician employed by John Holland, the principal contractor for the project. He suffered a fractured left shoulder which required surgery and ongoing rehabilitation.
Comcare’s investigation found that the distribution board fell because bolts different from those specified in safety instructions for the job were allegedly used to fasten it to the tunnel wall.
It will be alleged John Holland failed to minimise risks to health and safety, including carrying out a site validation to confirm the correct bolts were used to secure the distribution board before workers carried out modifications.
The charge is a Category 2 offence under the WHS Act, carrying a maximum penalty of $2.32 million.
The matter is listed for mention in Downing Centre Local Court on 27 October 2026.
John Holland Pty Ltd is a licenced national employer in the Comcare scheme and subject to regulation under Commonwealth work health and safety laws.
Media contact
T: 0478 305 675
E: media@comcare.gov.au