Construction worker killed by falling object in Rishon Lezion

Incident comes after three laborers were killed on Sunday, two of them crushed by a falling shipping container

A construction worker was killed Tuesday in the central city of Rishon Lezion, days after a similar accident killed two workers elsewhere in Israel.

Citing medical first responders, police said in a statement that the worker was critically injured when he was hit by an object that fell from “a great height.”

The man, who was not immediately named but was said to be in his 50s, was rushed to nearby Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said they had opened an investigation and that a representative of the Economy Ministry was invited to come inspect the site.

On Sunday, two people were killed and several others were injured in a construction accident in Tirat Carmel in northern Israel. A shipping container that got disconnected from a crane fell to the ground and crushed two workers, killing them instantly. Five people were detained on suspicion of negligent manslaughter and violating other safety codes, police said.

Hours later, a third person was killed in a separate construction accident at another northern Israel building site.

Deaths of construction workers are a frequent occurrence in Israel, often attributed to poorly enforced safety codes.

Since the beginning of 2022, 46 people have died in construction sites in Israel and dozens of others were injured, according to a count by the Safe Work in Israel lobby group.

The group said there has been a 50 percent increase in construction worker deaths in the first months of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.