Undeclared, Ahmed, 22, dies on an asbestos roof: six months in prison for his employer

The tragedy occurred in Técou, near Albi. A micro-entrepreneur from Lagrave had secured a €12,000 contract to redo the roof of a farm building damaged by hail. On the second day of the work, Ahmed fell through a panel before plunging more than five meters. He did not survive.

The young Moroccan was in an irregular situation and was working without being declared. Another man present at the site was also undeclared, reports La Dépêche.

Before the Albi Criminal Court, the tradesman explained that he had not known Ahmed before the work began. The young man had allegedly been introduced to him by the other worker. Nevertheless, he had agreed to employ him after learning that he knew how to drive the forklift used at the site.

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The defendant maintained that Ahmed was not supposed to climb onto the roof. On the day of the accident, however, the Moroccan was working at height while the tradesman had gone to buy materials.

He decides to remove the asbestos sheets himself

Asbestos was at the heart of the case. The tradesman had initially contacted a specialized company and had the owner accept a quote of more than €3,000 for removing the asbestos from the building.

Believing that the work was taking too long, he ultimately decided to remove the asbestos sheets himself with the two undeclared workers. Ahmed was carrying out precisely this operation when he fell through one of them, suffering the fall that cost him his life.

The micro-entrepreneur was prosecuted for concealed employment, exposure to asbestos, failure to comply with safety regulations, as well as involuntary manslaughter through a manifestly deliberate breach of a safety or prudence obligation in the workplace.

“I know that I acted wrongly, that a man died because of me. It will haunt me for the rest of my life,” he declared before the judges.

The prosecutor had requested six months in prison, compensation for Ahmed’s family and a five-year ban on working in the profession. The court did not uphold the latter request.

The tradesman was ultimately sentenced to six months in prison. The reported decision does not specify how the sentence will be served. He will be able to continue his professional activity, but will have to pay a total of €55,200 to members of the young Moroccan’s family.