“I found out about my brother’s death on Facebook: the local radio had published an article saying that a man in his 30s had died near the quarry, says Candice Carton. I had a bad feeling, I called the police, it was him… The company waited until the next day to contact our mother. » His brother Cédric was reportedly hit by a stone after a mine explosion on July 28, 2021 in a quarry in Wallers-en-Fagne (Nord). He had worked for Comptoir des Limestones et Materials, a subsidiary of the Colas Group, for seventeen years.
Two and a half years later, there is no reliable information about the cause of death of the 41-year-old welder-mechanic. The gendarmerie investigation, initially closed, was resumed in September 2023 following the conclusions of the labor inspectorate, which identified the ten violations for which the company was responsible. Cédric Carton did not have the lone worker box, which triggers an alarm in the event of a fall. “They found him two hours later, remembers his sister. The quarry manager told me that my brother was safe and that he had collapsed… even though he had a hole eight inches deep from his throat to his chest. » In search of answers, she wanted to file a complaint twice, which was rejected each time, multiplied the letters to the prosecutor, hired two lawyers… Without having the end of this sad story.
What happened ? Is it due to “misfortune”, the “risks of the job”? Who is responsible ? These are questions hundreds of families are faced with every year after a loved one dies in an industrial accident (AT), ie “by the act or in the course of the work, regardless of the cause”.
“A truck driver was found dead in his truck”, “A 44-year-old worker suffered an electric shock”, “A man dies crushed by a branch”, “Two Romanian workers, a father and his son, died at a construction site in Istres [Bouches-du-Rhône] »…The X-Account of Matthieu LepineA professor of history and geography, who has been documenting dramatic accidents using local press clippings since 2019, illustrates the extent of the phenomenon. 28 have been counted since January.
Temporary workers are twice as likely to have fatal accidents
In 2022, according to the latest known figures, 738 deaths were registered in recognized AT. That’s two deaths per day. A value that has increased by 14% in a year but is stable compared to 2019. And it hasn’t fallen for about fifteen years. In addition, there were 286 fatal traffic accidents (between home and work) and 203 deaths as a result of an occupational disease.
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