A worker dies after a skylight collapses from a roof: a workplace tragedy in the Avellino area.

A 55-year-old worker lost his life while working on an industrial warehouse in Prata Principato Ultra, in the province of Avellino, falling from the roof while dismantling solar panels. The victim was Pietro Pellegrino, originally from Sassano, in the Salerno area, and an employee of a company that was performing maintenance work on the roof.

According to the initial reconstruction carried out by the Carabinieri of the Avellino Company and the Labor Inspectorate, Pellegrino fell from a height of approximately ten meters after a skylight suddenly collapsed, failing to support his weight. The impact with the ground was fatal: the emergency services, who arrived quickly on the scene, were unable to save the worker, who died instantly.

The Avellino Public Prosecutor's Office ordered the seizure of the body and initiated a series of technical-legal investigations, delegating the Carabinieri and the medical examiner to determine the exact circumstances and the safety conditions of the construction site. Labor Inspectorate technicians also intervened on-site to assess compliance with accident prevention regulations during operations at height.

Another victim from Campania in just a few hours

The Prata Principato Ultra accident is not isolated: on the same day, in Campania, another workplace tragedy occurred in Apollosa, in the Benevento area, where another worker from the Salerno area, Antonio De Simone, 46, from Montesano sulla Marcellana, lost his life.

Two lives lost in a matter of hours, both related to work at height, have refocused attention on safety on construction sites and in industrial maintenance.

The coincidence in time and geography of the two deaths has prompted unions and associations to call for extraordinary investigations into working conditions in the maintenance-at-height sector, where falls from height remain a leading cause of fatal accidents.

In recent days, several similar incidents have hit the Italian news. In early October, in Robecco sul Naviglio (Milan), a 48-year-old worker died after falling approximately eight meters while emptying an attic. A few days earlier, in Pistoia, another 43-year-old worker fell from a roof while installing panels, dying instantly.

Even more recent is the case in Caivano, where the death of a worker from a great height led to three suspects being filed, including the owners of the warehouse where the man was working. This sequence of incidents confirms that falls from heights remain, even in 2026, one of the main workplace safety emergencies in Italy.

The numbers of deaths at work

According to INAIL data for 2025, 1.189 worker deaths were reported in Italy, with an average of more than three victims per day. Compared to 2024, there was a 3,02% decrease in workplace deaths, but the Italian mortality rate (3,69 deaths per 100 employed people) remains higher than the European average (1,63).

The regions with the highest number of workplace deaths are Lombardy, Campania, and Veneto, while falls from heights continue to account for a significant share of fatal accidents, especially in the construction, maintenance, and plant assembly sectors. In the first seven months of 2026, 422 workplace deaths have already been recorded, confirming the persistence of this phenomenon in the current year.

Investigations and initial reactions

As the Avellino Public Prosecutor's Office investigates responsibilities in the Prata Principato Ultra accident, pressure is mounting on institutions to tighten safety controls and sanctions, especially for work at height. Unions and safety committees are calling for unannounced inspections of construction sites and companies that work on roofs and coverings, as well as mandatory training for all companies involved in high-altitude maintenance.

Meanwhile, the community of Sassano, Pietro Pellegrino's hometown, is rallying around the victim's family, while appeals are multiplying so that "no other family should have to experience the same pain."