Foreign worker crushed to death at construction site

Man, 40, reportedly falls along with collapsed scaffolding, with firefighters struggling to extract him

Illustrative. An ambulance belonging to the Magen David Adom ambulance service. (Gershon Elinson/Flash90)
Illustrative. An ambulance belonging to the Magen David Adom ambulance service. (Gershon Elinson/Flash90)

A foreign worker was crushed to death at a construction site in Rehovot on Sunday.

The man, 40, was declared dead by medics at the scene on Carmel Street in the central district city.

Firefighters faced a complex operation to extract the man from beneath the weight.

Magen David Adom medics who were called to the scene reported the man was still trapped when they arrived. Medics checked the man even as firefighters worked to set him free but found that his injuries were too great and he was already dead.

United Hatzalah emergency service medics who were at the scene said that other workers told them the worker fell with some scaffolding from a great height, the Srugim website reported.

Construction site accidents are common in Israel, with watchdog groups complaining of little oversight and dangerous working conditions.

According to a report earlier this month from Kav LaOved, an Israeli nonprofit association that advocates for workers’ rights, more than 40 workers have died in workplace accidents in Israel since the start of 2023, representing a 40 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

The report said 47% of those fatalities were in the construction industry.

The organization said the construction industry is statistically the most dangerous job sector in Israel. Prosecutions are rare in cases of negligence leading to workplace deaths.

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