Rai temporarily leaves its historic headquarters on Viale Mazzini for renovation work, which includes the removal of asbestos. A month and a half ago, Marius Sodkiewicz and Franco Di Mare died, two events that probably accelerated the operations of something that could have been done some time ago.
The historic Rai headquarters in Viale Mazzini
Rai is preparing to change headquarters, leaving the historic building on Viale Mazzini in Rome. The move will be temporary, given that the historic Rai headquarters on Viale Mazzini in Rome, famous for the majestic bronze sculpture of the “dying horse” by Francesco Messina on its exterior, is preparing to undergo a complete renovation. A process for which Rai had started work a long time ago and which is taking shape today also by virtue of recent events regarding the protection of employees’ health.
Where Rai is moving
Behind the transformation of the building, in fact, lies a long and painful history linked to the presence of asbestos, which directly affected the lives of employees, including Marius Sodkiewiczwho died last May from mesothelioma and Frank Di Mare, died a few days after, as many will remember, he had denounced the hostile behavior of the Rai top management towards his case. During the renovation works, Rai will temporarily transfer its activities to via Alessandro Severo, in the Eur/Ostiense area.
Franco Di Mare, who died a few weeks ago
The deaths of Sodkiewicz and Di Mare
From what we learn from internal sources, the search for a new property for temporary use for rent as an alternative to Viale Mazzini, with a view to carrying out asbestos-related renovation works, dates back a long time. Even before the publication of the recent real estate plan, Rai had published advertisements for property searches, with notices or tenders for alternative structures into which to move its offices. The need is linked to the dilapidated conditions of Viale Mazzini, in particular those relating to the certified presence of asbestos that had never been completely removed. The recent news is, in fact, that this property has been found and the hesitation has been broken, giving the mandate to sign the contract. As can be read on the ONA website regarding the conditions of the Viale Mazzini office: “The headquarters was seen as a symbol of modernity and architectural innovation. However, like many structures of the era, theasbestos, widely used for its insulating and fire-retardant properties, has made it a death trap. Marius Sodkiwicz and Franco Di Mare, who passed away due to mesothelioma last May, are two emblematic cases of the asbestos risk.”
Saman Abbas murder, Prosecutor’s Office appeals against first instance sentence: “The cousins also participated”
The words of the lawyer Ezio Bonanni
Most likely, recent events have suddenly accelerated the process. However, one wonders whether all this could have been done before. Lawyer Ezio Bonanni, president of the National Asbestos Observatory, who also defended Di Mare, clearly said that time was wasted and denounced the precarious situation in a recent interview with Fanpage.it. On the other hand, there is currently a criminal case underway for manslaughter and it is feared that the workers were not exposed to asbestos risk, even though everything could have been organized long before.
