An employee subcontracted to the Camp Nou remodeling project was seriously injured after a fall while suspended at height installing safety nets. The incident occurred last Thursday, according to multiple workers at the construction site and confirmed by the Departament de Treball of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
As with any serious incident, the Office of Labour Inspection will initiate an inquiry to clarify the causes, identify what failed that led to the fall, and determine the degree of responsibility of the involved companies. This marks the first work accident causing medical leave that has surfaced on the Camp Nou works, which began last June. Until now, inspections carried out by the labour authority had not detected deficiencies in the active safety protocols.
“Last Thursday, a worker from one of the subcontracting firms suffered an on-site accident. After activating the established accident protocol, the worker was transported to the hospital, is stable, and will be discharged soon,” say informed sources from Limak, the company in charge of the project. [Citation: EL PERIÓDICO]
The construction sector, by its very nature, exhibits higher accident rates than many other industries. It is surpassed only by extractive industries, ranking as the second most dangerous. To put it in perspective, there are roughly twice as many accidents in construction as in hospitality. On a project as large as Camp Nou, where the club itself has estimated that more than a thousand workers may be on site at once, the likelihood of a mishap occurring at some point was elevated.
According to various sources interviewed, last Thursday, March 7, a worker from one of the dozens of subcontractors operating at Camp Nou fell while installing protections to allow others to work at height. The incident was recorded as “grave” by the Departament de Treball. By law, the company responsible for the work, Limak, must inform the labour authority of any accident occurring during work hours that requires medical care. The labour authority’s records categorize accidents into three levels: minor, serious, and fatal. The event from last week falls into the second category.
No prior complaints about safety
Diverse workers employed by subcontractors at Camp Nou reported precarious working conditions to EL PERIÓDICO. The main grievances cited wages below the construction collective agreement for the Barcelona province and extended hours, with shifts exceeding 50 hours per week and no overtime compensation.
These complaints led to a large-scale inspection by the Labour Inspectorate, which is finalizing its actions. So far, irregularities have been detected in about half of the 40 companies involved during the demolition phase. However, the alleged violations by Limak’s subcontractors pertain to pay and working hours rather than safety protocols. Both workers and Limak indicate that safety regulations were being followed on site. Limak coordinates safety matters with Q-Safety, part of the Quirón Prevención group, to manage workplace safety.
During 2023, Spain recorded a total of 83,966 construction-related accidents during working hours. Of these, 82,902 were minor, 933 grave, and 131 fatal, according to the Ministry of Labour. In Catalonia, the Generalitat logged 12,639 construction accidents in that same period, with 12,523 minor, 105 grave, and 11 fatal cases.