PALERMO (ITALPRESS) – “Controls, training, information and training”. Giovanni Asaro, regional director of Inail in Sicily, repeats it like a mantra. “To avoid tragedies like those of Casteldaccia, little is needed, more controls are certainly needed, but education and training are essential,” he explains in an interview with Italpress in the aftermath of the workplace accident in the Palermo area which cost life of 5 workers, while a sixth is in serious condition.
A tragedy that does not surprise the director of Inail Sicilia all that much: “Unfortunately the news did not surprise me, cases of this kind always happen in the same way, one leads to another, work colleagues try to help each other , and then multiple deaths occur in the same episode. We can no longer tolerate the occurrence of these tragedies.”
The lack of safety devices in the workplace is placed in the dock. “The use of protective devices and then training can save lives – underlines Asaro -. Judicial investigations are underway in Casteldaccia. As Inail we have sent inspectors to acquire useful elements for the calculation of pensions for survivors and all the emoluments required by law. I don’t have any official information yet but it seems that the workers were not equipped with safety devices. Devices that would have saved lives.”
And to say that the construction site, due to the method of intervention, was quite at risk, as confirmed by the case studies. “Most workplace accidents occur in confined spaces, constricted places such as silos, sewers, scaffolding, where the working environment is limited. And unfortunately the most basic safety protocols are often not followed on these construction sites,” Asaro underlines.
The data on accidents at work on the island are confirmed in line with the national ones, both in terms of deaths and the total number of accidents. “Last year Sicily recorded 42 deaths – explains the regional director of Inail on the island – these are obviously deaths recognized by the institute. In reality there are many more because in some cases subjects not protected by Inail are involved. However, Sicily remains within the national average. Until March the number of deaths at work remained at 10″. What is worrying, however, is the exponential growth of diseases linked to the world of professions: “Tumors, osteoarticular diseases, chemical risks and, more prominently, stress-related pathologies are increasing, in line with national data. And unfortunately there are more and more cases of mesothelioma, a disease caused by asbestos.”
We therefore need a change of direction, which is why Inail has taken the field in the name of training and prevention. “We are activating a traveling training event in collaboration with the firefighters which will start in June; we will bring experts to construction sites, where we will train workers on safety. Similarly, we are working in schools to raise awareness on this issue, starting with the appointment of a student responsible for safety.” However, for Asaro, training alone is not enough. “There is no doubt – he observes – that more labor inspectors are needed, more controls are needed. Unfortunately in Sicily there is a shortage on this front which will have to be filled.”
– Photo Agency Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).
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