Hulshout (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A Veurne worker aged 36 lost his life in an industrial accident at the Hulshout Nijverheidsstraat. The man came under a bulldozer that operated at GGK Van den Bosch’s excavation and earthmoving facility, leading to his instant death. The circumstances are being investigated.
A Veurne-based worker aged 36 lost his life in a fatal industrial accident at excavation company GGK Van den Bosch in Hulshout. An instant death occurred when rubble crushed him while he was working beneath the bulldozer. Authorities work to determine every detail leading to this industrial accident.
The workplace accident took place at Nijverheidsstraat, where the project staff member from the subcontracting company worked. Reports show that labourers became entrapped beneath an advancing bulldozer when they were performing regular duties. Initial emergency responders reached the site too late to save the man who passed away at the accident location.
How common are workplace fatalities in Belgium’s construction sector?
Statistics from the Belgian Federal Public Service for Employment, Labor and Social Dialogue show construction activities make up about 30% of workplace fatalities in the country. The national count of occupational deaths from 2022 reached 58, while construction work sites and heavy machinery presented the most hazardous conditions.
Research by Eurostat shows that Belgium has 2.4 fatal work accidents per 100,000 workers, which is a slightly elevated rate compared to EU standards at 1.8.
The workplace safety agency Dienst Preventie en Bescherming op het Werk (DPBW) registered 17 fatal accidents within the Flemish region in 2023, while machinery-related incidents led the total count.
Bulldozers and excavators caused the death of at least four employees at their workplaces across Flanders during the last five years. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) previously reported that Belgium has weak points in industrial safety compliance regarding subcontracting despite repeated industrial accident events.
Each year the Belgian Labour Inspection Authority conducts around 50,000 workplace inspections, while safety violation penalties have reached a 15% increase since 2020. The inspection frequency for subcontractors who perform dangerous tasks is lower than the standard inspections for other groups.
The Hulshout incident joins previous accidents similar to it, such as the 2021 Antwerp excavator death of a worker. A new set of safety rules for heavy machinery operations will go into effect in 2025, according to the EU’s Framework Directive 89/391/EEC.
