A 51-year-old construction worker was killed Friday morning after a trench collapsed during sewer construction work in Neos Voutzas, a community in the Municipality of Marathon, east of Athens.
The fatal accident occurred on Narcissou Street, where the worker had entered a trench approximately three meters (10 feet) deep as part of a project to expand the area’s sewer network. Under circumstances that remain under investigation, the trench walls gave way, burying him beneath a large volume of soil.
Firefighters launched an emergency rescue operation and eventually recovered the man unconscious. He was transferred by ambulance to a hospital, where doctors confirmed his death.
Sewer Project Under Scrutiny
The work is part of a sewer network expansion project overseen by Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company (EYDAP). According to the report, the project had been awarded to a construction company, which had in turn subcontracted the work to another contractor that employed the victim.
The incident has renewed concerns over compliance with workplace safety regulations. Labor representatives and industry experts say that specialized trench work at significant depths requires the installation of protective support systems to prevent cave-ins.
Investigation Underway
Inspectors from Greece’s Labor Inspectorate visited the scene to investigate the circumstances of the accident and determine whether workplace safety regulations were violated.
Employee representatives from EYDAP, labor federations, the Construction Workers’ Union, and the Salaried Engineers’ Union have repeatedly raised concerns over what they describe as serious shortcomings in health and safety measures, arguing that worker protection is too often sacrificed in the pursuit of lower costs.
