Tour Leader Perishes Inside the Colosseum
News Article: Urgent Calls for Improved Safety Measures at Rome's Colosseum Following Tour Guide's Death
A tragic incident has occurred at Rome's iconic Colosseum, where a 60-year-old tour guide, licensed since 2017, collapsed and died on Tuesday evening. The incident took place around 5:30 PM on the first floor of the Colosseum, in front of a group of about 25 tourists.
The state administration of the Colosseum confirmed the incident, and the tour guide's death was made public by a statement from unionized tour guides. Some Italian media reported that the tour guide died of the heat, while the exact cause of her death remains unknown and under speculation.
The tour guide, who was Italian, had been feeling unwell before the incident. The incident occurred during hot temperatures in Rome, often exceeding 30 degrees Celsius in the summer. The Colosseum, a nearly two-thousand-year-old symbol of Rome, can become very hot, especially during the summer months.
Several other tour guides have blamed the working conditions for their colleague's death, with some suspecting that the cause may be more than just the heat. Italian tour guide Paola Salvatori stated that the working conditions are killing them due to overtourism.
Key concerns include high temperatures during summer months, combined with prolonged outdoor exposure, crowded conditions, and physically demanding work, increasing risks of heat-related illnesses and cardiac events for guides. Lack of protective measures or safety protocols to mitigate heat stress and other occupational risks is another significant issue.
Additionally, long working hours during peak summer times, with the Colosseum open from 8:30 am to 7:15 pm between March and September, lead to extended periods in the heat without relief. Inadequate recognition and support for the physical and mental strain on guides, who require stamina, cultural knowledge, and crowd management under difficult conditions, is another concern.
Calls from tour guide associations for earlier opening hours or adjusted schedules to avoid the hottest parts of the day and reduce health risks have been made. Broader concerns about tourism policies undermining professional tour guides, with unqualified individuals allowed to work, potentially increasing work pressure and lowering safety standards, are also being addressed.
The incident has caused a dramatic response among those present at the Colosseum, with calls for urgent changes to improve the health and safety of tour guides working in the heat and under demanding conditions. The current health and safety concerns for tour guides working at the Colosseum are primarily related to extreme heat exposure, physical exhaustion, and lack of adequate safety measures.
[1] Tour Guide Union Press Release, 2022. [2] Italian Media Reports, 2022.
