Naples, the workers' massacre: errors in the assembly of the forklift basket

NA work-related tragedy in Naples: three workers dead, autopsies likely as early as Monday.

Naples – The Naples Public Prosecutor's Office is preparing to order autopsies on the bodies of the three workers, Vincenzo del Grosso (54 years old) from Naples, Ciro Pierro (62 years old) from Calvizzano and Luigi Romano (67 years old) from Arzano, who fell yesterday from a freight elevator on Via San Giacomo dei Capri, in the Rione Alto district.

Autopsies could be held as early as next Monday, a crucial step in clarifying the causes of a tragedy that has profoundly shocked the city.

An avoidable tragedy: undeclared work and serious safety gaps

The incident, which the investigation is investigating as a case of multiple manslaughter, is revealing disturbing details that suggest a tragedy waiting to happen. Initial investigations have revealed that two of the three workers were working illegally.

But the violations don't stop there: initial findings at the accident site indicate a lack of basic safety standards. The workers weren't wearing safety harnesses that could have prevented them from falling, and no protective helmets were found on the ground.

But the most serious safety flaw that led to the deaths of the three and that investigators are focusing on is certainly the failure to anchor the lift and probably also the incorrect installation, that is, the assembly of the basket.

Investigators and responsibilities to be clarified

While the Naples Prosecutor's Office's investigation continues, four people are under investigation as a matter of course: the condominium administrator, the safety coordinator, the owner of the company the workers worked for, and the manager of the company that rented the system. All will have the opportunity to appoint independent consultants.

The dynamics and the knots to be untied

I three men They were transporting two rolls of bituminous material to a flat roof when the forklift basket overturned, causing them to fall from a height of approximately twenty meters. Among the aspects being examined by investigators are:

The correct installation of the system, in particular of the vertical boards anchored to the wall, and the presence of any subsequent fixings.

The load supported: the basket was declared capable of supporting up to 400 kilograms, a weight greater than the combined weight of the three workers and the material. It will be necessary to determine whether the weight was excessive or whether there was a structural failure.

Cold rental: Giovanni Fusco, the lawyer for the company that rented the system, clarified that it was a "cold" rental, meaning there were no specialized personnel to operate it and no assembly was provided by the rental company. The owner declared himself "deeply affected by the tragedy" and fully available to investigators.

But according to lawyer Giovanna Iodice, who contacted Green Party MP Francesco Emilio Borrelli, the owner of the company involved in the fatal accident had already been sentenced to six months in prison in the first instance in 2022, following another serious workplace accident in 2015, in which his client fell from the sixth floor. The conviction was later overturned on appeal, and the victim never received any compensation.

The owner of the company was already involved in a similar accident years ago

"The company involved is no stranger to similar incidents," the lawyer explains. "In 2015, my client, Giuseppe Iaquinangelo, fell from the sixth floor on Via Iannelli while working for the same company. The owner was sentenced to six months in prison in the first instance, but the case was time-barred on appeal, but the company never paid compensation for the damages.

It's right to bring these serious relapses to light; my client now lives in a wheelchair. If the inspectorate had monitored the company, perhaps yesterday's three deaths wouldn't have occurred." This was stated by lawyer Giovanna Iodice, attaching court records and rulings.

"The issue of workplace deaths is not a topic for rhetoric. Anyone who puts workers' lives at risk is committing a very serious crime and deserves to go to prison. They cannot continue to pursue their interests with impunity, endangering the lives of those who earn their living.

The owner of the company responsible for the collapsed basket has another previous conviction. Is it possible that no further checks were ever carried out? I find this unacceptable; those responsible for the lack of checks will also have to answer for what happened. What lawyer Iodice said represents a very disturbing precedent that must be carefully examined,” said Francesco Emilio Borrelli, MP for the Green Alliance – Left.

Pain and mourning

At this time, potential witnesses and colleagues of the victims are being interviewed. The story of Luigi Romano, 67, who would have retired in a few months, is particularly heartbreaking. Already deeply grieved by the loss of his twenty-year-old son in a car accident, he had sought solace in work and in strengthening family ties, even donating his bone marrow to save his brother.

This morning, residents and passersby placed flowers and votive candles at the site of the tragedy, a small gesture of condolence for three lives shattered by yet another tragic workplace death.

A press conference will be held tomorrow at 11,30:XNUMX a.m. at the accident site, attended by Giuseppe Iaquinangelo, a former worker now confined to a wheelchair.

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