Four people have been arrested in Alzira, Valencia, after a construction worker fell through an unprotected elevator shaft at a building site on January 28 and later died. Police say the worker had no formal contract and lived in precarious conditions inside the unfinished building. The suspects include two brothers who managed the construction company, their father, its legal representative, and another employee.
Information from the National Police, the worker was required to work excessive shifts and slept on a mattress at the site without basic amenities such as hot water. The two brothers are accused of reckless homicide and offenses involving workers’ safety and rights. Their father and the other employee are accused of helping conceal the circumstances of the incident. The allegations remain subject to the judicial process.
Investigators say the suspects moved the worker from the elevator shaft to the staircase area after the fall. They allegedly installed metal railings and told emergency responders that the man was a client or visitor who had fallen on the stairs. Police say the account was meant to conceal his employment at the site and the alleged safety breaches.
The emergency call came on January 28. The caller reported that a man had suffered a serious head injury in an apparent fall on the stairs. Police and medical teams found the worker unconscious and unresponsive. He was taken to Hospital de la Ribera, where he later died. The company’s owner initially told authorities that the man was a prospective tenant visiting the site; subsequent police inquiries identified him as a company worker.
Police say the worker had been employed by the company since the start of the year without a formal contract and had worked hours exceeding legal limits. Investigators also allege that he was made to sleep at the site in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. The elevator shaft reportedly lacked lighting and protective barriers, leaving a serious fall hazard unguarded.
Spanish workplace-safety law requires employers to protect workers’ health and safety in all aspects of their work. The basic structure is Law 31/1995 on the Prevention of Occupational Risks; Royal Decree 1627/1997 sets minimum safety requirements for construction sites. An open elevator shaft poses a fall-from-height hazard and requires effective collective protection, such as guardrails or an equivalent system. Alleged failures to provide that protection can raise labor-administrative issues and potential criminal liability, depending on the evidence and the court’s findings.
The allegations also involve possible undeclared employment, working-time limits, and the conditions in which the worker was housed. These issues are separate from the alleged movement of the worker and staging of the accident scene. An arrest or accusation is not a conviction; criminal responsibility will be determined through the judicial process.
The case comes amid wider concerns about occupational safety. The National Institute for Safety and Health at Work recorded 677 fatal occupational accidents during working hours in Spain in 2024, alongside approximately 647,200 occupational accidents resulting in sick leave. Those national figures provide context for workplace risks but do not determine the circumstances or responsibility in the Alzira case.
The investigation has renewed attention on labor exploitation and construction-site safety in the Valencia region. A recent case involving a family detained for a large-scale investment scam in Valencia also highlighted the challenges of investigating multiple alleged offenses.
