In the Lviv district, during loading operations on the premises of a warehouse, a 17-year-old worker was killed. In connection with this, the entrepreneur who organised the work has been formally notified of suspicion. This is reported on the basis of investigative data from the Pustomyty District Prosecutor’s Office.
The tragedy occurred at the end of December 2024. Preliminary findings indicate that the entrepreneur, whose main line of business is the storage and handling of cargo, engaged four people to work without entering into formal employment contracts. Three of them were minors: one aged 16 and two aged 17, who, under verbal arrangements, were performing the duties of general labourers and loaders.
In the evening, the 16-year-old worker was operating a fork-lift truck. At one point, another worker – a 17-year-old boy – jumped onto the forks of the machinery. While the vehicle was moving, he lost his balance, fell under the wheels of the truck, sustained severe injuries and soon died in hospital.
According to the findings of a forensic life safety examination, the teenager died as a result of the entrepreneur’s negligence. Investigators believe that the “employer” ignored occupational safety requirements: he failed to ensure safe working conditions, allowed minors to carry out heavy and hazardous work with the fork-lift truck without proper training, and also breached the rules for the operation and registration of the machinery.
Under the procedural guidance of the Pustomyty District Prosecutor’s Office, the entrepreneur has been notified of suspicion of violating labour legislation in respect of minors and of breaching safety regulations during high-risk work at an enterprise by a person obliged to comply with them, where such breach resulted in the death of the victim (Part 2 of Article 172, Part 2 of Article 272 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by Police Department No. 3 of Lviv District Police Directorate No. 2 of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Lviv Region.
Pursuant to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and may not be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt has been proven in accordance with the law and established by a guilty verdict of a court.