A disgusting dish: Maggots on the menu at remote Queensland hydro project

Workers have allegedly been served maggot-infested meals at a renewable energy project in far north Queensland, with union leaders blasting the hygiene and food safety standards at the workers camp.

Photos of food allegedly served to workers on January 10 at the Genex Pumped Storage Hydro Project at Kidston – a remote town inland of Townsville – show larvae in a meal.

But Genex chief operations officer Arran McGhie said no workers with gastrointestinal illness or symptoms had presented to the on-site nurse since the incident was reported.

The incident was contained to a single pre-packed crib meal, he said.

“The health, safety, and wellbeing of every person working on the project continues to be Genex’s highest priority and Genex is taking this matter very seriously,” he said.

“The camp operator immediately commenced an investigation and Genex is currently awaiting the outcome.

“Genex will continue to act swiftly to ensure the wellbeing of all personnel on site.”

“Three hours from the nearest shop, the only meals workers on the remote Kidston Hydro Project are being fed is infested with maggots,” CFMEU regional coordinator Chad Bradgon said.

“This is a serious health and safety failure from Genex and ISS and shows exactly why we need mandatory living standards on all remote work sites and camps.”

Electrical Trade Union state organiser Robert Hill said the standards were unacceptable, and he would not feed the food pictured to his dog.

Hill said the presence of larvae had workers concerned about what they could consume when their food was covered in sauces, such as gravy or curry.

“The presence of larvae in meals constitutes a clear breach of food safety standards and raises serious concerns about negligence in the handling, storage, and preparation of food as well as the standard and frequency of audit,” he said.

“Multiple workers have reported gastrointestinal illness over an extended period, and I experienced the same during my last visit.

“This is a fundamental breach of food safety obligations and raises serious concerns about the camp’s ability to provide safe, nutritious meals.”

Concerns have also been raised about the possibility of the camp running out of supplies amid road access constraints due to recent floods.

A stop-work action was made at the project late last year over unacceptable conditions at the camp.

Unsafe food standards and unclean accommodation conditions were among concerns raised at the time.

The project is a joint venture between John Holland and McConnell Dowell, who promised to increase cleaning staff to ensure standards would be met.

Workers have since reported mouldy and unserviced rooms. Workers are also still experiencing Wi-Fi issues at the remote site.

If standards could not be met, the ETU said, workers should be sent home.

Workers should not be forced to choose between earning a living and risking their health, it said.

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