The search continues at a supermarket building site in Florence for a missing construction worker. Hopes of finding him alive are dwindling following the tragedy that claimed the lives of four other workers, including one Romanian, two North Africans, and an Italian, on Friday morning.
Despite grim prospects, the fire brigade, aided by dozens of personnel and specialised Urban Search and Rescue (Usar) teams, persist in their efforts to locate and rescue any remaining victims buried under the rubble. Night operations have secured the construction site, which remains under sequestration due to the risk posed by the pile of large prefabricated concrete beams that collapsed on February 16th.
“The search for the last worker missing under the collapse at the Via Mariti building site for the new Esselungia supermarket continued overnight, but still without result,” reported officials. This disaster has reignited concerns over workplace safety in Italy amidst a series of fatal work accidents.
Union sources revealed that two of the deceased North African workers may not have been in compliance with their residence permits. In response, unions have called on Premier Giorgia Meloni’s government to extend safety protocols enjoyed by public-sector workers to the private sector.
Unions challenging government over safety record
Alessandro Genovesi, head of Fillea, the CGIL construction workers, challenged the government, stating, “I challenge Prime Minister Meloni to issue a decree that would extend the protections of Articles 41 and 119 of the Public Contracts Code to private construction sites above 500,000 euros.” He urged all parties to support such a measure, emphasizing its simplicity and potential impact.
The accident occurred after a retaining concrete beam collapsed, causing the entire building to collapse on the workers below. Concerns have been raised about the quality of building materials used.
In response to the recent string of fatal accidents, unions have called for strikes to demand urgent government action to improve safety on worksites across Italy.
