Italy is confronting a deepening workplace safety crisis as new data reveals 896 work-related fatalities occurred during the first ten months of 2025. According to a comprehensive report from the Observatory of Occupational Safety and the Environment, this figure represents a troubling increase of six deaths compared to the same period in 2024, indicating a reversal of safety improvements despite persistent union demands for enhanced preventive measures.
The statistics present a detailed breakdown of these tragedies: 657 fatalities occurred directly at workplace locations, while an additional 239 deaths took place during daily commutes to and from work. The analysis identifies workers aged 55 to 64 as the most vulnerable demographic, accounting for 240 of the total workplace fatalities.
A particularly alarming disparity emerges in the data concerning foreign workers, who experienced a fatality rate of 57.7 per million employees—more than double the rate of 23.9 observed among Italian nationals. Specifically, 145 foreign workers lost their lives at their job sites, with another 60 perishing during their commutes.
Female workers also faced significant risks, with 74 deaths recorded in the first ten months of 2025. While this represents a slight decrease of one compared to the previous year, the data reveals a concerning shift: 36 women died at their workplaces (11 fewer than in 2024), but 38 died during commutes, marking a year-on-year increase of ten deaths in this category.
The construction sector emerged as the most dangerous industry with 119 workplace fatalities, followed closely by manufacturing with 98 deaths. Transportation and storage accounted for 84 incidents, while commerce recorded 57 fatalities. The report also identified temporal patterns, with Mondays being the most dangerous day (22.8% of incidents), followed by Fridays (20.2%) and Tuesdays (16.4%).