From the tragedy of Casteldaccia, where five workers lost their lives, to the accident in which a worker fell from a wind turbine in Salemi, in the province of Trapani, and finally the death of a 21-year-old young man crushed by a forklift on the site of work in Canicattì, in the Agrigento area, are just some of the examples that can be given regarding the more than twenty unrelated deaths that occurred in 2024 in Sicily.
In fact, in the first three months of 2024, the Vega Engineering Workplace Safety and Environment Observatory identified Palermo, Agrigento and Trapani as the areas with the highest risk of workplace mortality in Italy. The three areas are classified as “red zone” due to worrying mortality rates, which exceed the national average.
Worrying data, perfectly in line with unemployment rates, with Agrigento presenting an unemployment rate of 51.1% in 2023, followed by Trapani with 50.8% and Palermo with 46.2%.
What makes the difference in the many workplace deaths in Sicily is the combination of unregulated subcontracting, insufficient controls and illegal work. A worrying situation that highlights the need to implement measures to guarantee safe working conditions and regular employment for all Sicilian citizens.
Serena Giacalone
