An industrial accident in Burgos causes twelve victims and shows serious shortcomings in occupational risk prevention

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A serious accident in a construction company caused by a fire in the premises used by workers as a changing room caused several deaths and serious injuries. The first signs point to irregularities in the use given to these premises, which is strictly governed by the regulations that develop the Occupational Risk Prevention Law (31/1995). According to the trade unions, this episode is further proof of the continuing infringement of these regulations in Spain.

On 13 January 2005 an industrial accident caused the death of several workers of the construction company Arranz Acinas in the city of Burgos. The incident occurred just before 8.30 a.m., when several workers of the company were changing their clothes before starting work on the construction of a cycle lane. The cause of the accident seems to have been the handling of inflammable products in the changing rooms.

Though the events are as yet unclear, it is believed that during an operation of transfer of fuel a fire broke out, spread, came into contact with the polyurethane covering the ceiling and caused a great smoke cloud. It is suspected that the deaths are related to the inhalation of smoke from the burning polyurethane. The situation was aggravated by the lack of an emergency exit, which caused the death of ten workers and serious injury to two more.

The day after the accident the majority trade unions called a general strike of five minutes in all the workplaces of Burgos, and in the construction sector work was stopped for a whole day. A commission including the trade unions, the employers' organisations and the Junta (regional government) of Castilla y León, was set up to investigate the causes of the accident and who was responsible for it.

Since the day of the accident, the trade unions have reported irregularities in the construction company, such as the fact that the premises in which the accident occurred were not authorised for storing fuels and inflammable paints, but only had a municipal licence for use as a changing room. It seems that the residents of the building in which the premises were located had protested on several occasions to the City Council about the noise and inconvenience caused by the construction company. Furthermore, the work that the company was carried out (the cycle lane) was for the municipality. If all these suspicions are confirmed, the City Council of Burgos and the Junta of Castilla y León could also share the responsibility. Due to the importance and gravity of the accident, the High Court of Justice of Castilla y León (Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Castilla y León) has appointed a special public prosecutor to investigate it.

The employers of Burgos came out in defence of Arranz Acinas and warned against hasty judgements, stating that the company must be presumed innocent until the Labour Inspectorate and the Commission present their conclusions. However, the preliminary report of the Labour Inspectorate of Burgos indicates that an 'elementary infringement' of the legislation on occupational risk prevention is observed in the incorrect use given to the changing room. (Josep Espluga, Department of Sociology of the UAB).

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