Former Hotel Du Lac site: foreman and safety officer convicted
02/09/2026 · Correctional Assizes Court (Lugano) · Paradiso (TI) · Fatal
What happened A wooden frame was thrown from the sixth floor and struck a 54-year-old worker below.
What the court decided Lugano Correctional Assizes, verdict notified on 2.9.2026; written reasons the next day.
Why The safety plan did not effectively secure the zone where material thrown down the lift shaft landed; nothing ensured nobody was there until the throwing had ended – e.g. clear light signals, which had been considered and dropped. With those measures the death would have been avoidable.
- Site foreman: convicted of negligent homicide; breach of building regulations, 180 day-fines, suspended. Did not supervise how the (insufficient) measures were implemented and followed; also failed to enforce other protection, e.g. against falls at the open lift shaft.
- Safety officer (technician): convicted of negligent homicide, 180 day-fines, suspended. His safety plan did not effectively secure the landing zone for the material.
- Worker who threw the frame: acquitted of . Acquitted: he had carried out the instructions he was given.
Never throw material down: use a chute or crane and fence the drop zone. Site management and the safety officer share liability.