Tragedy in the Colosseum: Death of a Tour Guide
In an unfortunate incident, a tour guide, aged 60, collapsed during a tour at the iconic Colosseum in Rome. The guide, who was licensed as a tour guide in 2017, had shown signs of feeling unwell before the incident.
The incident occurred on Tuesday evening around 5:30 PM, when temperatures in Rome were above 30 degrees Celsius. The Colosseum, built in the first century AD, can become very hot, especially during the summer months with direct sun exposure.
At the time of the incident, the tour guide was leading a group of about 25 tourists on the first floor of the Colosseum. The exact cause of the tour guide's collapse is not specified in the article.
The state administration of the Colosseum has confirmed the incident, and a statement from unionized tour guides has made the news public. Several tour guides have blamed the working conditions for their colleague's death, with concerns over heat exposure being a significant factor.
Occupational health and safety measures for tour guides working in high-temperature environments like the Colosseum primarily focus on heat stress prevention and reducing exposure to extreme heat. These measures include hydration, work scheduling, clothing and sun protection, rest and cooldown, health monitoring, medication, environmental awareness, and access to shaded rest areas and water.
Implementing these heat precautions is crucial to prevent heat exhaustion or heat stroke, especially for tour guides who may spend long hours standing and talking outdoors. While no Colosseum-specific protocols were found, general extreme heat safety guidelines from public health agencies provide a comprehensive framework.
Italian tour guide Paola Salvatori recently stated that overtourism is causing harm to guides, and the current incident has added fuel to the ongoing debate about the working conditions for tour guides in high-temperature settings like the Colosseum.
[1] Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). (2021). Heat Illness Prevention: A Workplace Approach. [online] Available at: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/heatindex/index.html
[2] National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). (2018). Heat Stress: A Surveillance Summary. [online] Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/heatstress/surveillance.html
[4] World Health Organization (WHO). (2018). Preventing Heat-Related Illness and Death in the Workplace. [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/diseases/heat-stress/en/
