A violent explosion at a vinegar plant in Examilia, Corinth, on July 27, killed a 67-year-old worker and injured another, reigniting scrutiny over Greece’s workplace safety record. Investigators are examining whether a gas leak ignited while the victim was welding near an alcohol tank, close to four LPG storage tanks.
The tragedy has raised broader concerns over labor oversight, as the worker was reportedly not a licensed welder and was allegedly working off the books, echoing the July 9 blast at a truck repair shop in Aspropyrgos where authorities initially struggled to identify an unregistered worker.
Labor experts warn that understaffed inspection services and fragmented safety data are hampering prevention efforts.
Corinth has just one labor inspector, while Aspropyrgos, Greece’s largest industrial hub with more than 15,000 businesses, has six or seven.
Ninety-two workplace deaths across the country have been recorded so far this year, following 201 in 2025. Meanwhile, work-related illnesses remain largely untracked, despite EU estimates of thousands of cases annually in Greece.
