Naples – Another life shattered on the edge of a precarious construction site, another family torn apart by the invisible burden of job insecurity. Vincenzo Bolero, a 68-year-old surveyor originally from Marigliano and owner of a construction company, died this morning in San Vitaliano, in the heart of the Nola industrial district, falling from a seven-meter-high scaffolding during renovation work on a building.
The man, father of city councilor Mena Bolero, died instantly despite immediate assistance from 118, leaving an irreparable void in a community already marked by too many similar losses.
The Carabinieri from the local station responded to the scene, seized the construction site and opened an investigation into negligent injury and violation of safety regulations. They are awaiting an autopsy, which will determine whether the accident was caused by a structural failure or deficiencies in personal protective equipment.
The episode, yet another in a hellish sequence, has brought the tragic toll of workplace deaths in Campania past 40 since the beginning of 2025, confirming the region as the hardest-hit in Italy for workplace fatality rates.
This alarming figure is in line with INAIL figures, which in September already recorded 40 victims in the first six months—a stable trend compared to 2024, which ended with 81 deaths and over 15 injuries—but a sharp increase compared to pre-pandemic years, with a 33% increase in fatalities reported nationwide in the first eight months of 2025.
Falls from heights, as in the case of Bolero, account for 30% of the cases, often linked to unregulated subcontracting and skimping on safety protocols in a Campania construction sector struggling with a crisis and illegal construction.
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"Another fatal accident at work, once again due to a fall from a height. We have surpassed 40 victims since the beginning of the year, Campania confirms its position as the region with the highest number of workplace deaths," thundered the CGIL Napoli e Campania in a fiery statement, which did not spare criticism of the Meloni government.
"We will never tire of saying it: we need greater prevention and training, more controls and inspections, more resources to strengthen the staff of the Local Health Authority, INAIL, and the Labor Inspectorate. But even in this budget plan, the government continues to ignore these requests." This accusation echoes in the empty squares of Rome, where tomorrow – Saturday, October 25 – the confederate union will march with workers, pensioners, and young people to "stop the massacre of deaths at work, to say no to rearmament, precariousness, and a war economy. To demand jobs, peace, and social justice."
The words of the provincial secretary, who met with Bolero's family in a climate of palpable emotion, are intertwined with the grief of a local community: San Vitaliano, with its 10 inhabitants and the factories that pulsate along the state road 7 bis, is a microcosm of working-class Campania, where the dream of a decent income clashes with the reality of unstable scaffolding and grueling hours.
And he's not alone: in the first eight months of 2025 alone, the region recorded 56 deaths, ten more than in the same period in 2024, with Naples and its province holding the sad record.
The CGIL (Italian General Confederation of Labour), at the forefront of safety with its observers, is raising a warning that goes beyond the numbers: "Every new death is a collective shame," and is calling for a "pact for life" involving businesses, institutions, and unions. But while local politicians promise "maximum vigilance"—an echo of phrases heard after tragedies like those in Caserta and Salerno—the employers' front is silent, and the central government, engaged in debates on defense and the budget, seems deaf.
Tomorrow, from the streets of Rome, the voices of the people of Campania could break the silence: not just for Bolero, but for all 41 lives lost this year in the name of costly progress. For updates on the demonstration and the investigation, follow our live coverage.
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