Italy has recorded five fatal workplace accidents in under 48 hours, prompting fresh calls for urgent reforms as unions warn of a national “massacre”.
On Tuesday, two more workers lost their lives in separate incidents in the Milan area. A 62-year-old man was killed after being hit by a vehicle while unloading goods in the yard of a logistics company in Carpiano, south of Milan. The UIL trade union said the man had retired but returned to work because his pension no longer covered basic living costs.
The second victim was a 24-year-old construction worker who died after falling from scaffolding in Milan’s Lambrate district.
These deaths follow three fatal workplace accidents on Monday. A worker was electrocuted in the Ciociaria area between Rome and Naples, another fell to his death on a construction site near Naples, and a third died in a metal plant in the Veneto region.
Union leader says it’s a “massacre”
As reported by Italy News Online earlier this week, the number of workplace deaths has risen sharply. Workplace accident insurance agency INAIL said on Monday that fatal labour-related incidents increased by 8.37% in the first quarter of 2025. A total of 205 people lost their lives due to work.
CGIL trade union leader Maurizio Landini said Italy was not facing an emergency, but “a massacre”.
“People continue to die because health and safety is considered a cost,” he said. “Profit counts, not the person. The person has become a machine.”
The government, which last week announced €650 million in new funding for workplace safety. Ministers will meet with trade unions on Thursday to discuss possible measures. The funding was unveiled ahead of the May Day holiday but has been met with scepticism by labour leaders.
The continued rise in deaths has reignited debate over the enforcement of safety regulations and staffing of inspections. In addition, there is the concern over the conditions of temporary and elderly workers who often take on low-paid roles under pressure from the rising cost of living.
Many unions are demanding stronger penalties for companies that breach safety rules and an increase in unannounced workplace inspections.
“Behind each statistic is a family left devastated,” a UIL spokesperson said. “Until we take this crisis seriously and treat worker safety as a non-negotiable right, these deaths will continue.”
The latest figures place Italy among the worst in Europe for fatal work-related accidents, particularly in construction and logistics.
