Injured rescued from the roof: after death in a gas explosion – another accident at work in Horw

updated8. August 2022, 20:53

Injured rescued from roofAfter a death in a gas explosion – another accident at work in Horw

A worker had an accident on Monday on the same construction site in Horw where a worker died in several gas explosions on the roof on July 20.

A fire broke out on a construction site in Horw LU on July 20th. As a result, several gas bottles exploded and a 59-year-old man died.

Video: 20Min/News-Scout

  • Another worker had an accident on the construction site in Horw on Monday.

  • This is the same construction site where a man was killed in an explosion in July.

  • The man was rescued from the roof and taken to the hospital by ambulance.

The accident, of which 20 minutes is aware, happened shortly before 8 a.m. on Monday at the construction site at Allmendstrasse 1 in Horw. As a result, a worker was rescued at the construction site and taken to the hospital by the ambulance service 144 with injuries. “How the accident happened and where it took place on the construction site is being clarified,” says Simon Kopp, spokesman for the Lucerne public prosecutor’s office, on request. The Horw fire brigade was also on duty and Suva was informed about the accident.

His relatives traveled to Switzerland to identify the dead man

In which function and in which area the casualty worked on the construction site, and how serious the injuries are, could not be said on Monday. 20 minutes knows that the man had to be lifted off the roof with a crane. It is also a fact that this is the second accident at work that has occurred on the same construction site in a short period of time. On the 20th of July a worker diedafter a fire broke out on the construction site and several gas bottles exploded as a result.

The deceased was a 59-year-old man from Germany. His relatives traveled to Switzerland to identify the dead man. According to well-informed sources, the man is said to have worked temporarily for the same company for several years. It is said that there was no time off for his work colleagues who had witnessed the accident, because they would have had to return to work on other construction sites the day after the accident. There was also no psychological support.

1 / 2

On Monday morning there was another accident at work on the same construction site. A worker had to be rescued from the roof before being taken to hospital by ambulance.

20 min/Vanessa Federli



A man died on this construction site in Horw on July 20th.  After bitumen caught fire, several gas cylinders exploded.

A man died on this construction site in Horw on July 20th. After bitumen caught fire, several gas cylinders exploded.

20min/News-Scout

The company concerned, headquartered in Alpnach (OW), did not want to comment on these allegations either by telephone or in writing. Suva is also investigating how this fatal accident could have happened. If such serious accidents happen, as in this case with the Moyo development in Horw, the largest accident insurer in Switzerland is called in to clarify the matter. “Due to our legal duty of confidentiality, we are not allowed to provide any information on the accident investigation in Horw,” writes Adrian Vonlanthen, spokesman for Suva, on request: “Our task is to gain knowledge from the accident that we can incorporate into our prevention measures in order to work together with us to prevent the same or similar accidents in the companies in the future.»

Investing in prevention also makes sense from an economic point of view

Employers are fundamentally responsible for the safety and health of employees during working hours. For its part, Suva checks whether the companies are fulfilling their obligations. Suva carries out around 12,000 construction site inspections throughout Switzerland every year. These focus on the industry-specific vital rules and Suva examines the respective hazards. Vonlanthen: “We are in close contact with the companies and look for solutions together on site in the event of deficiencies. This also means that we ask how the company organizes the instruction of the vital rules and ask employees on site how familiar they are with the vital rules of their industry.»

A positive development can be observed in the construction industry if you look at the development of accident figures. “The risk of having an accident on the construction site has fallen by twelve percent over the past ten years,” Vonlanthen continues. Of course, like any other profession, on construction sites you want to get the job done as efficiently as possible. Vonlanthen: «At the same time, occupational safety and health protection cost time and money. However, we are convinced that this effort is worthwhile if it can prevent great suffering. In addition, the operation also incurs costs as a result of an accident, which means that the financial expense of prevention also makes sense from an economic point of view.»

Don’t miss any more news

With the daily update you stay informed about your favorite topics and don’t miss any more news about current world events.
Receive the most important information directly in your mailbox every day.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.