Three Romanian Workers Die Inside a Water Reservoir at a Quinta do Lago Home, and the Labour Inspectorate Starts an Inquiry
The men, aged 21, 24 and 40, were waterproofing the reservoir of a private house in Almancil. Three older co-workers were treated at the scene, and the cause has not been officially determined.
Three construction workers died on Monday inside a water reservoir at a private house in Quinta do Lago, in Almancil, in the Algarve municipality of Loulé, where they had been carrying out waterproofing work. The Autoridade para as Condições do Trabalho (ACT), Portugal's labour inspectorate, has gone to the site and says it is gathering information to open an inquiry.
The men, all Romanian nationals, were aged 21, 24 and 40, according to RTP. They worked for a civil construction company.
What is known about the accident
"Three workers of a civil construction company were found dead inside a water reservoir of a private house in Quinta do Lago, where they were carrying out waterproofing work," a source at the GNR's Faro territorial command told the Lusa news agency.
Civil Protection said the alert was raised at 12:53. Emergency teams attempted resuscitation, but all three deaths were declared at the scene. The response involved 30 personnel and 13 vehicles, including the Loulé fire brigade and the national medical emergency service, INEM, RTP reported.
According to RTP, three other workers, aged 50 to 52, needed treatment at the scene but are said to have refused to be taken to hospital. Preliminary information suggests the men may have been poisoned when they went inside the structure, the broadcaster said, but the cause of the accident has not been officially determined. The GNR is also investigating the circumstances.
The inspectorate's inquiry
The ACT told Lusa it had gone to the scene, made enquiries and collected the information needed "for the purposes of drawing up an inquiry". It said inspection work is under way to establish the circumstances of the work accident and to check compliance with labour law and with health and safety rules.
The inspectorate declined to give further details, citing the need to protect the investigation.
Why confined spaces are dangerous
Water tanks, cisterns and septic tanks are what safety specialists call confined spaces: enclosed structures with limited ways in and out, where the air can lack oxygen or carry toxic gases. Entering them safely normally depends on testing the air first and on ventilation, rescue equipment and someone standing by outside.
What the families are entitled to
A death at work is treated as a work accident under Portuguese law, which gives the families of the victims rights to compensation through the employer's mandatory work-accident insurance, whatever the workers' nationality. Our guide to work accidents in Portugal and Lei 98/2009 explains how reporting and compensation work.
The ACT has not said how long its inquiry will take. Neither the company nor the owner of the house has been named.
