La Scala faces trial for eight asbestos deaths
mainThe Milan prosecutor has issued proceedings against the Teatro alla Scala and eight named individuals for the death of eight staff members from asbestos-related illnesses between the years 1986 and 2002.
Among those cited are four ex-mayors of Milan, former La Scala sovrintendente Carlo Fontana and members of his technical staff.
Thank you for sharing this sad news. Workers in Seville, Spain’s opera house, the Teatro Maestranza are also facing a situation of asbestos exposure. It’s been determined that up to 50 employees have been exposed.
Local labor unions have filed sanctions against the theater and they are now on the 4th “cleaning” procedure to remove the asbestos. Previous cleanings have been determined ineffective. Here’s the latest:
http://www.elmundo.es/andalucia/sevilla/2016/04/19/571521b622601d38358b464e.html
The Maestranza is also home to the Royal Seville Symphony Orchestra (ROSS) which is in dire financial straits and is being threatened with disolution, while workers are simultaneously learning of the asbestos crisis.http://www.europapress.es/andalucia/cultura-00621/noticia-rosa-aguilar-apuesta-dialogo-dar-certeza-sinfonica-sevilla-20160420175608.html
Very upsetting and serious news.
In the wake of the recent comments on this site about musicians losing their hearing at work, I wonder if we’ll get any comments asking “is this a joke?”, opining that “this litigation culture has gone crazy” or simply remarking that “well, they were theatre staff – what did they expect? No-one made them work there”?