A 68-year-old man lost his life after injuries sustained while working at the Bllaca waterworks construction site in Bulqiza, while two other construction workers were injured in Tirana.
A fatal accident was recorded at the construction site of the Bllaca watershed canal in Bulqiza. Police report that mechanic Azem Picari, 68, a resident of Tirana, was seriously injured during work and died in hospital.
Arjan Hoxha, 70 years old, resident of Tirana, with the position of technical manager of the entity carrying out the works at the construction site, was prosecuted for the incident. He is accused of the criminal offense of "violation of safety regulations at work".
Despite reaching retirement age, many elderly people in rural areas and in sectors such as construction and mining are forced to continue working. This is due to both a shortage of labor due to mass emigration and the departure of young people, as well as difficult economic conditions that push retirees to work to provide additional income.
The project where the 68-year-old man lost his life in Bulqiza started in July 2024 and envisages, with an investment of around 2 million euros, to collect several irrigation canals in the area and introduce them into the Bllaca reservoir. This reservoir, built before the 1990s, has been damaged and out of operation for decades, while the current project aims to restore it to use for irrigating agricultural lands in Maqellara and surrounding villages.
During the last 24 hours, two more workplace accidents have been recorded, occurring at a building construction site in Tirana.
According to the police, in one of the cases, A. Ç., 46 years old, a company administrator, was prosecuted after a worker with the initials QB, 43 years old, fell from a height and is receiving medical treatment in hospital. In another case, investigations were launched against EM, 33 years old, a safety manager, after a worker BH, 46 years old, was injured during work, and his life is out of danger.
According to the annual report of the State Inspectorate of Labor and Social Services for 2024, a total of 177 work accidents were recorded, of which 33 resulted in loss of life. In 2023, 168 work accidents were reported with 30 fatal cases. The construction sector has emerged as the most problematic, accounting for 24% of accidents. This is also related to the intensive development of the industry, where 1,019 construction permits were issued during the year, according to INSTAT data.
According to official data, after construction, the mining and quarrying sector remains among the most dangerous, accounting for about 18% of accidents reported in 2024.
BIRN's investigations into this sector have found that in most accidents on construction sites, responsibility is often left to the victim workers, while companies responsible for unsafe working conditions are mostly punished with minimal fines. This creates a culture of impunity and danger for workers. /BIRN/
