Rome - A black day for occupational safety in Italy: three separate fatal incidents occurred within a few hours in Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and Sicily. All three workers involved lost their lives after being crushed by work equipment.
Tragedy in Tuscany
The first accident occurred at around 11:40 a.m. at a company in Altopascio in the province of Lucca. According to initial reconstructions, a 30-year-old worker was crushed by a press that had fallen from a forklift truck. Despite immediate attempts at resuscitation by his colleagues and the emergency services, it was too late to help the man. The Misericordia di Altopascio rescue organization, firefighters with a mobile crane, carabinieri and occupational safety technicians were at the scene of the accident. The Fiom and Cgil trade unions expressed their deepest condolences and vehemently demanded strict compliance with safety regulations in a joint statement. It is „intolerable that people continue to die at work“, the statement said.
Further fatal incidents in Cavriago and Catania
A second accident occurred in Cavriago in the province of Reggio Emilia. There, too, a worker died after being crushed by a forklift truck. The Carabinieri and occupational health experts investigated the scene of the accident and the Reggio Emilia public prosecutor's office was informed of the incident.
A third fatal incident occurred at a logistics company in the industrial zone of Catania. Another worker was crushed by a forklift truck. After the arrival of the emergency services and police, the public prosecutor's office ordered an autopsy to clarify the exact dynamics of the accident. The exact ages of the victims in Cavriago and Catania and the names of all three casualties were not given by the authorities.
