Italian
Sunday, October 12: 75th National Day for Victims of Workplace Accidents Vega Observatory of Mestre: “Training and continuous education remain the only tools to overcome the emergency”
MESTRE – Sunday, October 12 will mark the 75th National Day for Victims of Workplace Accidents, promoted by ANMIL (National Association of Injured and Disabled Workers). A long-standing event, held for over seventy years, it brings attention from institutions, businesses, workers, and citizens to a daily tragedy that is all too often underestimated: workplace deaths and injuries.
Sounding the alarm once again is the Vega Engineering Safety Observatory of Mestre, which on this occasion releases updated data as of August 2025. The figures, as emphasized by engineer Mauro Rossato, president of the Observatory, are unequivocal: “From January to August, 681 workers lost their lives on the job. This number is virtually unchanged from the same period in 2024, when there were 680 fatalities. But speaking of stability in this context is anything but reassuring—it means that every day in our country, at least one worker dies. Sometimes more than one.”
Training and ongoing education: the only way out of the emergency.
“A cultural shift is urgently needed,” Rossato continues. “Too often, safety is seen as a cost, not an investment. Yet it is precisely through training and continuous education of workers that we can build a genuine culture of prevention—one that restores dignity to the lives of those who work.”
The Observatory’s warning comes at a time when the numbers show that Italy is still far from a significant reversal of the trend. Despite a slight decrease in the total number of reported workplace injuries (from 386,554 in August 2024 to 384,007 in August 2025, a drop of 0.7%), the overall toll remains devastating.
The Observatory has also created a “risk map” based on the incidence rate of fatal accidents (number of deaths per million workers). As of August 2025, the national average stands at 20.6 deaths per million workers. The regions exceeding this figure by more than 25%, and thus classified as red zones, are:
- Basilicata
- Umbria
- Campania
- Sicily
- Calabria
Following in the orange zone (between the national average and +25%) are: Trentino-Alto Adige, Apulia, Veneto, Liguria, Sardinia, Abruzzo, and Tuscany. Falling in the yellow zone are regions such as Piedmont, Marche, Aosta Valley, and Emilia-Romagna, while in the white zone—below 75% of the national average—are Lombardy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, and Molise.
Fatalities in numbers: Lombardy still ranks worst. Looking at absolute numbers, Lombardy continues to hold the grim record, with 68 workplace fatalities in the first eight months of the year. Following are:
- Veneto: 53
- Campania: 49
- Sicily: 41
- Piedmont: 38
- Tuscany: 35
- Emilia-Romagna: 34
- Apulia: 33
- Lazio: 32
The rest of the country shows lower, yet still significant, numbers—further proof that workplace safety is a nationwide issue, without exceptions.
Who is most at risk? Seniors, foreign workers, and those in construction. Among the most alarming data is that concerning workers over 65, who show the highest fatality rate: 66.5 deaths per million employed. Age, clearly, is an additional risk factor. Next come the 55–64 age group with a rate of 31.5, followed by the 45–54 bracket (21.7).
In absolute terms, the 55–64 group accounts for the most deaths: 168 out of the 493 workplace-related fatalities. The situation is even more dire for foreign workers, who recorded 148 fatalities in the first eight months of 2025. Of these, 108 died at their workplaces, while 40 died while commuting. The incidence rate among foreign workers is 43 deaths per million employed—more than double that of Italian workers (18 per million).
Women, sectors, and the most dangerous days: from January to August 2025, 58 women died, 28 while at work and 30 while commuting—reflecting a slight decline from 2024.
As for the sectors most affected, the following stand out:
- Construction: 78 deaths
- Manufacturing: 69
- Transport and storage: 65
- Retail and commerce: 48
Even the day of the week plays a role: Monday remains the deadliest day, accounting for 23.7% of fatal accidents, followed by Friday (20.3%) and Thursday (16.4%). This distribution appears to reflect workload peaks and weekly rhythms.
While injury reports are slightly down, the overall figures remain extremely high: 384,007 in total in the first eight months of the year. Men continue to be most affected, with 246,619 reports (213,710 workplace-related), while women account for 137,388 (107,337 workplace-related). Foreign workers make up approximately one in five reported injury cases.
The National Day on October 12 will be a moment to honor the victims, but also to reaffirm the urgency of concrete action. For Eng. Rossato and the Vega Observatory, the path is clear: “training, prevention, and a culture of safety.” Only then can we hope to break the tragic cycle of workplace accidents and build a future where work does not mean risking one’s life.
