Catania worker dies falling from roof under repair

A 44-year-old worker died after falling more than ten metres from a warehouse roof in Catania, prompting police and occupational safety investigators to examine the site and the measures in place for repair work.

The victim was identified as Antonino Fichera. According to Jen, which reported the fatal accident on 10 November 2026, Fichera fell while repairing a roof at a company in Catania’s industrial area that specialises in designing and manufacturing moulds.

Wltv’s account adds that the company makes moulds, die holders, templates and forms for machinery. The work involved addressing rainwater leaks, and the roof gave way beneath Fichera for reasons that remain under investigation.

Paramedics from the 118 emergency service reached the scene in a medical vehicle, but doctors could only confirm his death, WLTV reported. The outlet said Fichera died instantly after the fall, while Jen described the drop as occurring from over ten metres.

Wltv said investigators were seeking to reconstruct the sequence of events, verify the building’s structural condition and check whether personal protective equipment and other safety measures required by current regulations were present. JEN reported that police and technicians from Spresal, the Prevention and Safety Service in Work Environments at the Provincial Health Authority of Catania, intervened at the site.

Investigators from the Flying Squads of the Catania Police Headquarters and Spresal technicians carried out the customary surveys and began an inquiry, WLTV said. The area was placed under seizure so that inspectors could examine the site.

Union calls for stronger prevention and workplace homicide law

The death prompted an immediate response from Uil Sicilia, which said the accident exposed the continuing human cost of workplace fatalities in Catania.

In a joint statement, Uil Sicilia special commissioner Emanuele Ronzoni, Uil Catania general secretary Enza Meli and the head of the union’s territorial industry department Giuseppe Caramanna expressed their condolences and demanded truth and justice for the family.

“We feel anger and pain because in Catania people continue to die at work, while reports of accidents grow month by month. #ZeroDeathsAtWork must become the battle of a lifetime for everyone, not just for our union. It is unacceptable that today, too, a worker will not return home. It is unacceptable that another family will be marked forever by a tragic event, for which we demand truth and justice.”

Emanuele Ronzoni, Enza Meli and Giuseppe Caramanna, Uil Sicilia, via WLTV

The union representatives said political institutions had not matched the scale of the problem. They called for more inspections, rigorous training and wider prevention measures, as well as the introduction of workplace homicide as a crime.

“We are facing a slaughter that grows in scale and alarm every day. We are well beyond an emergency, yet the challenge is not being adequately met by the political institutions that should be providing measures and resources for effective prevention. We need more inspections, rigorous training and widespread prevention. We need the introduction of the crime of workplace homicide.”

Emanuele Ronzoni, Enza Meli and Giuseppe Caramanna, Uil Sicilia, via WLTV

WLTV described the death as another “white-collar death” and said it had reopened concerns about fatal workplace accidents in the heart of the Etna production area. The union’s statement went further, arguing that the frequency of workplace accidents in Catania was increasing and that existing prevention efforts were inadequate.

The investigation is expected to focus on why the roof gave way, whether the structure was sound and what protective equipment and safety procedures were being used. The seizure of the site gives investigators an opportunity to preserve evidence before the inquiry reaches conclusions.

What happens next

• Site investigation: Police and Spresal personnel are examining the warehouse and attempting to reconstruct the sequence of events.
• Safety checks: Inspectors are expected to assess the roof’s structural condition, the use of personal protective equipment and compliance with safety regulations.
• Official findings: The causes of the collapse and the circumstances of Fichera’s death remain unresolved in the available reporting.
• Union pressure: Uil Sicilia has called for increased inspections, more rigorous training, broader prevention measures and legislation creating a workplace homicide offence.

Detail	JEN	WLTV
Date reported	10 November 2026	10 November 2026
Victim	Antonino Fichera, 44	44-year-old worker
Location	Industrial area of Catania	Catania’s industrial zone, in the heart of the Etna production area
Workplace	Company specialising in the design and manufacture of moulds	Warehouse at a company manufacturing moulds, die holders, templates and forms for machinery
Task	Roof repair	Extraordinary maintenance and repair work to eliminate rainwater leaks
Fall	More than ten metres	Several metres
Emergency response	Not detailed	Paramedics from the 118 emergency service arrived in a medical vehicle; doctors confirmed the death
Investigators	Police and Spresal technicians	Catania Police Flying Squads and Spresal technicians
Site status	Not detailed	Area placed under seizure