Electrician and father-of-two Sean Gibbons still remembers the moment he realised something was wrong. The chronic fatigue, the stomach issues, the sleepless nights and then the harrowing results of a blood test which showed his lead levels were three times higher than normal, a month after leaving the job. 

"That was a worry because being a month off, you think, what were my levels while I was actually working on site?", he said to ENB. 

Gibbons is one of a number of workers who – having fallen ill after working on the decommissioning of the Torrens Island A power station – are central to a SafeWork SA prosecution against AGL which today returns to the South Australian Employment Court 

SafeWork SA has charged AGL Torrens Island Pty Ltd with a Category 2 offence under the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA), carrying a maximum penalty of $1.5 million. 

Gibbons, who was contracted to work on the shutdown, told Energy News Bulletin he and his colleagues had no idea they were working with lead and were given no warnings about the risks. 

"Not once did anyone mention we'd be working with lead," he said. 

"How do you not understand lead is dangerous with two hygienists on site? It's not a new thing." 

Gibbons, who still he still suffers health and mental effects nearly two years after the alleged exposure, said he began experiencing symptoms shortly after the work started including chronic fatigue, headaches, stomach issues and problems sleeping. 

Despite raising his concerns with AGL he struggled to get answers says they often were dismissed and that the uncertainty about his health and future had been "a lot of stress" to carry, describing how his questions about safety were met with silence or slow responses. 

"You feel like you're getting the cold shoulder," he said. Later, he was made redundant, saying HR "took a year to reach out," leaving him feeling blamed rather than supported. 

"Even my workplace didn't understand it, I was just a troublemaker," he said. 

A month after leaving the site he returned a blood test three times higher than normal a result he struggles to reconcile with how high his levels may have been while still working in the turbine hall. 

Gibbons said one of the hardest parts was worrying about bringing lead dust home. "My son and daughter got tested and were below levels," he said, "but we shouldn't have had to do that." 

The contamination, he said, extended beyond the worksite. 

"My car was cleaned four times before it was actually cleared," he said. 

"We were just consumables. Their reputation is number one before the workers." 

Union response 

The Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) has been assisting affected workers at Torrens Island. 

Union organiser Max Mawby said the situation reflected "systemic" safety failures. 

"It's killing synapses in the brain toxic, fucking poisonous shit," he said. 

"There's no healthy amount of lead, and children are four to five times more susceptible. They completely missed lead as a hazard." 

Independent testing commissioned during SafeWork SA's investigation found "extreme" surface contamination, and the regulator further alleges workers were required to cut and remove large quantities of lead-sheathed cable without appropriate PPE. 

AGL  

AGL said it self-reported the incident in May 2023 and has cooperated with SafeWork SA. 

In a statement to ENB, an AGL spokesperson said: "Health and safety is a core value of AGL and is an integral part of the way we work. 

When the hazard was identified, all work involving lead cable removal was immediately ceased. AGL offered appropriate support to all affected workers (including contractors) and continues to provide appropriate safety controls. As this is an ongoing matter, AGL cannot comment further at this time." 

Gibbons said the incident has taken a toll on both his physical health and mental wellbeing. He describes "ongoing anxiety" about long-term lead effects, medical uncertainty, and what he calls a "year-long battle" to force action from employers and the regulator. 

"I've lost faith in AGL and anyone who works for them," he said.