How to Reverse the Dramatic Trend of Workplace Deaths?
How many times this year have we heard about accidents in workplaces, with often tragic consequences?A lot of employees, in particular workers, who during the workday have suffered serious injuries or even died. In Italy in 2023, more than 1000 victims were recorded, and in just the last 3 months, there have been 191 deaths in the workplace. The recent heartbreaking incident in Casteldaccia, Palermo, where 5 workers died due to hydrogen sulfide inhalation caused by the lack of protective masks, is just the latest in a series of workplace tragedies. Not even a month has passed since April 9, when the terrible explosion at the Suviana hydroelectric plant in Bologna occurred, claiming the lives of 7 people, and just over two months since February 16, when the collapse of a construction site in Florence resulted in the death of 5 workers.
The spontaneous question that arises is whether the government in these months has taken any measures to reduce the occurrence of these heartbreaking accidents . During his May Day speech, President Sergio Mattarella reiterated the will and commitment of the State to counter these dramatic episodes and to shed as much light as possible on what happened, reflecting on the causes and possible solutions to prevent future disasters .
In February, there was talk of possible measures to improve workers' conditions and workplace safety, including tax breaks from INAIL on premiums for improvements in health and safety prevention in the workplace. Minister Nordio, requested the obligation for employers to appoint a competent doctor if required by risk assessment, the introduction of mandatory specific training for employers in case of using work equipment for professional activities, the consequent sanctions for non-compliance with current regulations, and the inclusion of provisions on data sharing to strengthen inspection activity planning. To sum up , there has been a strong emphasis on inspecting and controlling compliance with workplace safety regulations.
Certainly, it is a step forward, but are we sure that increased control and tougher sanctions are enough to significantly reduce workplace accidents? Surely not, in my opinion, there should be much more substantial and qualitative professional training on risks and workplace safety. Training must be excellently curated by the company and professional figures so that employees are fully aware of safety measures and the risk of potential misfortunes is significantly reduced.
A reform that could be interesting would be direct training of employees, namely physical participation rather than virtual in safety training courses. In my point of view, it would be appropriate to focus more on investment and prevention rather than repression and tightening sanctions.
But now let's take a look at other European countries and data on workplace accidents. Data collected by INAIL according to Eurostat analysis reveals the following
Italy is certainly not among the top European countries for workplace accidents; however, the twelfth position is not comforting either. The situation in Germany, on the other hand, is very interesting, as it ranks 25th for workplace accidents. Therefore, the German model could be taken as a reference to reflect on improving workers' safety conditions in Italy. A positive example for improving workers' conditions was certainly the intense awareness campaign conducted in Germany for the prevention of falls from height in the construction sector, aimed at all stakeholders and supported by new regulations on accident prevention, which reduced the incidence of falls by around 30%. Another campaign organized in Germany by safety companies resulted in a 37% reduction in accidents in the companies examined. Conducting awareness campaigns for employees and companies certainly does not eliminate the risk of accidents, but it significantly reduces the likelihood.
Another extremely effective measure to reduce risks are interventions at the national or regional level, including direct contact with companies.
Conclusions
In conclusion, the risk of possible workplace injuries will never cease to exist, but to reduce it, it is necessary that the state and companies invest financial and human capital in prevention and safety training. Training, as I mentioned earlier, must be ongoing in the long term and continuously updated; the same goes for protective devices, whose efficiency must be verified frequently. Furthermore, it is important to directly involve employees and company directors in awareness campaigns so that safety is never sidelined.
All these possible measures and interventions require time and commitment, and the benefits and reduction of workplace incidents will be evident in the medium to long term. Nevertheless, in light of all the dramatic incidents that have occurred recently, state intervention on this matter is crucial, first and foremost, to meet the emergency, and secondly, as quickly as possible.
Luca Naldi
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