Fine of € 13.000 to Pafilia for infringements that caused the death of a worker

The criminal prosecution of the company Pafilia was promoted by the Department of Labor Inspection for violation of provisions of the legislation which concerned issues of Safety and Health at Work, as a result of which the company was convicted in 2021, among other things, for fatal injury of an employee.

The construction company was fined a total of 13.000 euros for breaches of the Occupational Safety and Health (Minimum Standards for Temporary or Movable Construction) Regulations, which caused fatal injury to its employee and put another employee at risk. work.

The violations, according to the announcement of the Labor Inspection Department, concern failure to take the necessary precautions, during the execution of excavation construction works for the purpose of laying rainwater pipes, with the appropriate support and configuration of the excavation slopes, according to a relevant study or written instructions. competent person in order to avoid the risk of collapse of the walls / slopes of the excavation, as a result of which one of its employees was fatally injured when it was crushed by a rock mass, which fell from a side wall (slope) of the excavation.

Also, in case of failure to ensure the control of the excavation beyond 2 meters before the employment of any person and the preparation of a relevant report by a competent person, which includes data and details in relation to the existing or expected hazards at the excavation site and which is registered in the special safety file of the construction site and to update the project calendar.

There was also a failure to ensure compliance with the provisions of the safety and health plan and the implementation of the measures set out in this plan, as well as a failure to ensure that the safety and health plan was timely adjusted to include the working method and technical measures required on the basis of a written risk assessment to carry out excavation work.

Finally, there was a failure to appoint a coordinator for safety and health issues during the execution of the project to coordinate the activities between the various contractors and subcontractors, during the execution of the project.