After the death of two undocumented workers on a construction site in 2019, seven men in court

They had been asked to work exceptionally on a Saturday morning: Kamel B., 34, and Omar A., ​​29, died in Epinay-sur-Seine from a fall of several tens of meters.

The two workers were involved in the rehabilitation of the Cité La Source, a construction site of 478 housing units whose lessor is Plaine Commune Habitat.

They were working on thermal renovation from the outside of a building when the nacelle they were working on came off. Significant gusts of wind had affected the Paris region that day, however insufficient to stop the work, judged the site managers.

Immediately after the accident, an investigation was entrusted to the judicial police of Seine-Saint-Denis to determine its causes.

According to an expert report quoted by a defense lawyer, "an anchoring defect" of the nacelle was identified. "The trial, which will be very technical, will determine who is responsible for the failure", explains this lawyer on condition of anonymity.

Asked by AFP, the defendants' lawyers did not wish to speak before the opening of the trial Monday at 10:00 a.m. before the Bobigny criminal court, scheduled until Friday.

Seven men aged 37 to 61 are prosecuted in particular for "manslaughter" and "concealed work". They face up to five years in prison and a fine of 75.000 euros.

Three construction companies are also on the bench of the defendants as a legal person.

Accidents at work affect hundreds of thousands of people each year in France and the building industry remains the most accident-prone sector, according to Health Insurance, which recognized during the year 2021 a total of 645 deaths in accidents at work all sectors. confused.

In recent years, with major projects such as the Grand Paris Express or the facilities planned for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, several fatal accidents have involved employees of subcontracting companies or service providers.