Thirty workers were seriously and moderately injured and three were killed in 21 work accidents, which occurred during the month of September. The month full of holidays, did not spare the dozens of workers who fell victim to employer negligence, unsafe equipment, poor training and dangerous work sites. It’s hard to take the flood of messages reporting the horrible details of work-related accidents, but it’s important to talk about it and see it and it’s important to know the facts and take action. Here are some of the particularly severe accidents from September.
On September 17, Nasser ‘Abd al-Qader Ryan was killed at a construction site in Kiryat Ono after being hit by a heavy object he was hoisting with a crane. Resuscitation efforts failed to save him, and the commission of inquiry set up by the Ministry of Construction and Housing to examine the circumstances of the accident will not come to life either.
On September 19, Nabil Mahdi Abu Arar, 19, was killed when he fell from a height at a factory in the Kfar Adumim industrial zone. His death was determined on the spot.
On September 23, a worker employed at a construction site in Rosh HaAyin was seriously injured. He was evacuated from the scene and is on a respirator in the hospital.
On September 28, a hillside in the village of Kanna collapsed on six workers employed at a construction site. Three of them were seriously injured, including young people aged 25, 17 and 19. One of them, the 17-year-old tractor driver, was rescued about two hours after the time of the accident and suffered significant injuries from being crushed.
On September 30, Rabia Zaher, a 53-year-old worker, was crushed to death in Isfahan when a crane collapsed on him while he was working on the back of a truck. His death was determined on the spot. Zaher’s 16 yo son was working with him that day and was moderately injured.
And what about October? Over ten days have passed since the month began, and we have already counted 21 work accidents in which workers were seriously / moderately injured or killed. As long as the state chooses not to invest in enforcement and deterrence, does not increase the enforcement resources allocated to local authorities and does not take action against contractors who systematically violate safety regulations, workers will not receive the protection they deserve. As long as a minimal number of work accidents are investigated, those responsible will not be held accountable for the deaths and injuries of their workers. As long as the pattern of avoiding responsibility is not stopped, workers will continue to pay the price of indifference.
