At the Aluminium plant

Factory explosion in Bolzano, one of the six injured workers dies. Industry strike in the region today

The man of foreign origin, whose personal details have not been released for the moment, was transported overnight by helicopter to the large burns unit in Borgo Trento, where he died last night due to the severity of his injuries.

21 June 2024aggiornato il 24 giugno alle 9,22

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Key points

South Tyrolean trade unions call for strike on Monday
Kompatscher: 'Very serious accident at Aluminium'

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One of the six workers injured on Friday night in the accident at the Aluminium plant in Bolzano died on 23 June at the hospital in Verona. The man of foreign origin, whose personal details have not been disclosed for the moment, had been transported by helicopter during the night to the large burns unit in Borgo Trento, where he died last night due to the severity of his injuries.

Six people were injured, four of them in serious condition, was the final toll of the explosion at the Bolzano Aluminium. This was communicated by the Province of Bolzano and the Government Commissariat in a joint note. On the night of 22 June, at around 00.30, a machine explosion was reported at the Aluminium Bozen ltd. company in Bolzano, at 24 Via Toni Ebner, where about 130 employees work in the production of aluminium hard alloy extrusions.

A patrol team from the local police headquarters responded promptly to the scene, and initial information from an uninjured worker indicates that the explosion occurred in one of the aluminium smelting rooms, where a fire broke out, which was quickly extinguished by the fire brigade teams of the Bolzano Permanent and Voluntary Fire Brigade.

The accident at work, the causes of which are still being investigated, involved a number of workers, who were promptly rescued by emergency medical services personnel, the White Cross and the Red Cross. The Labour Inspectorate of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano also intervened at the scene, the note continues.

As a result of the serious burns they suffered, all of the injured people involved were initially transported to the San Maurizio hospital in Bolzano. Subsequently, four workers were rushed to specialised clinics: one in Verona, two in Padua and one in Murnau, near Munich.

At present, the site where the serious accident occurred has been sequestered by order of the judicial authorities for the ensuing investigations. The President of the Province, on behalf of the Provincial Council, expressed his shock at the incident and his sympathy for the affected workers and their families. The rescue services were prompt: 2 emergency doctors, 5 ambulances, as well as the fire brigade of the permanent corps and the Bolzano Volunteers. The workers suffered first and second degree burns. Work now needs to be done immediately to understand what measures need to be taken to prevent similar accidents from happening again in the future, the note concludes.

The exact dynamics of the accident are still unclear and will probably only be clarified during the investigation initiated by the Bolzano public prosecutor's office. The ovens, we learn, are quite recent. A decisive contribution to reconstructing the incident should come from the surveillance cameras. Aluminium has been produced in the factory since 1936. Aluminium started the production of hard alloy extrusions in 1976 and became the market leader in Europe.

Two patients treated with gel in Verona

The two patients burnt in Bolzano and transferred to Verona are now in a reserved prognosis in intensive care to stabilise their general clinical conditions, which immediately appeared critical. In a note, the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata di Verona specified that 'it will take a few days to re-establish the clinical picture and then proceed with the subsequent medication. The treatments will be long because the patients, two men of foreign origin, arrived with widespread burns: one to 47% of the body and the other to 30%. For both of them, the injuries concern the face and chest, while one is also burnt on the upper limbs and the other on the lower limbs".

On their arrival tonight, the two workers immediately underwent treatment at the Borgo Trento hospital by the Burns Centre, directed by Dr Maurizio Governa, head of the Plastic Surgery Operative Unit, which is a centre of excellence in Italy in the use of a special innovative drug for enzymatic debridement. It is the application on the wound of a special gel of proteolytic enzymes that help in the removal of necrotic tissue caused by sunburn, even in very large areas of the body. The removal of devitalised, serum-crusted or infected tissue, as well as pus, haematomas, foreign bodies or debris from the skin is no longer done surgically, thus avoiding bleeding and longer hospital stays. The patient is placed in a special tank for cleansing and subsequent treatment with the biotechnologically developed medicine. The treatment on both patients from last night lasted until 12 noon this morning.

Kompatscher: 'Very serious accident at the Aluminium'

"This is a very serious accident. We are working closely with the Prefecture, the investigative bodies and the Civil Defence and Health Services to better understand the causes of this accident. We will of course provide all the information as soon as there is more clarity about what happened,' he said. This was stated by South Tyrolean Governor Arno Kompatscher.

South Tyrolean trade unions call for strike on Monday 24 June

"Safety at work must be made a top priority. Companies must guarantee the health and lives of workers. It is not acceptable that in our country a tragic streak of serious and fatal accidents continues without anything changing,' so Fim, Fiom and Uilm Alto Adige. Unanimously, the categories have declared for Monday 24 June eight hours of strike at Aluminium Bozen and four hours of strike in the metalworking sector at provincial level (last four hours for each shift). A garrison is planned from 10 a.m. in front of the company. 'It is no longer acceptable to risk one's life to work,' the trade unions conclude in a joint note.

Trento trade unions: 4-hour solidarity strike on Monday

Fiom, Fim and Uilm of Trentino also express their 'deep dismay for the very serious accident at work that happened last night at Aluminium in Bolzano and are close to the victims, workers who are struggling to survive in these hours, and to their families. In solidarity with the workers involved and alongside the South Tyrolean metalworkers, we join the protest declared by the blue overalls of Bolzano and proclaim for Monday 4 hours of strike in the entire sector in the province of Trento'. The abstention from work will concern the last four hours of each work shift, with the exclusion of companies operating in essential services, with the faculty of the company Rsu to 'articulate the strike differently within the next week and extend its duration'.