A concrete structure collapsed on Friday morning on the construction site of a supermarket in Florence, leaving three people dead and two missing, according to an official report.
“Three
workers died
because of their work in the heart of Florence
,” announced the head of Civil Protection for the Tuscany region, Monia Monni, on Facebook.
“The firefighters are still looking for two people missing under the rubble
,” she wrote, adding that
“the vital prognosis of three people hospitalized is not engaged, even if two of them are in serious condition. severe"
.
The accident occurred in the northwest of the Tuscan capital while workers were assembling prefabricated concrete structures to build an establishment of the Italian supermarket chain Esselunga, which decided to close its stores on Friday afternoon as a mark of mourning. stores in Florence.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her
“condolences and solidarity with the families of those involved”
in this
“new story, which shocks our consciences, of people who go to work (...) and do not return home”
.
“Almost daily”
accidents
Fatal accidents in the workplace regularly make the headlines in the Italian media, each time provoking a debate on ways to reduce the number, which is still considered too high.
“Safety in the workplace is a priority and it is necessary for institutions to join forces to prevent similar tragedies from happening
,” responded Fratelli d'Italia MP Chiara Tenerini, national head of the Labor Committee, on Friday. from Ms. Meloni's party.
Senator from the Democratic Party (PD, left opposition) Dario Parrini deplored
“the now almost daily announcements of accidents and deaths in the workplace”
, deeming
“necessary and urgent decisions and measures to invest in safety in the workplace”. work and protect the lives of workers
.
According to the National Institute of Accidents at Work (Inail), 799 deaths were recorded in 2023 in the workplace in Italy.
Half of the victims were over 50 years old and almost 90% of the dead were men.
According to the latest statistics available at European Union level on the number of fatal workplace accidents per 100,000 active people and compiled by Eurostat for 2021, Italy (3.17) is above the European average (2.23) but behind France (4.47) and Austria (3.44).
The three countries recording the highest proportion of deaths are, in order, Lithuania, Malta and Latvia.
The three “safest”
countries
are, in order, the Netherlands, Finland and Germany.