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casule
Ruolo generale degli Affari di Volontaria Giurisdizione
Feb 17, 2011 17:03
13 yrs ago
3 viewers *
Italian term

"morti bianche"

Italian to English Social Sciences Human Resources In a book on architecture in a chapter on construction sites.
I know that these are fatal accidents at the workplace and that they are called "bianchi" because nobody is responsible. I posted it to see if anyone knows of a similar term in English. Otherwise I will just side-step it with "fatal accidents at work".

"Infatti, il Legislatore ha cercato di porre un freno al triste fenomeno delle “morti bianche” con emanazioni successive di norme volte a incentrare sui concetti di prevenzione e formazione il problema della sicurezza nei luoghi di lavoro.
Proposed translations (English)
3 +1 "white deaths" /workplace deaths
3 +4 workplace fatalities
4 no fault fatal accidents at work
4 Deaths on the job
4 white deaths at work / work victims
3 'freak' fatal accidents at work
3 unexplained deaths
3 fatal work-related accidents

Discussion

James (Jim) Davis (asker) Feb 23, 2011:
Point taken really in advance Joanna This is how I translated, basically with the intention of anticipating precisely that reaction, "the sad phenomenon of 'white deaths' (“white” because no one is responsible for these workplace fatalities)". The answers given and your reference confirm what I thought, which is that there is no equivalent (not even a distant one) euphemism in English. My translation informs readers that there is a sort of slang terminology for this phenomena in Italy. Just how well this has succeeded, I don't know. Thanks for the reference though. Points are fun, but the terminology is serious.
Joanna M Cas (X) Feb 22, 2011:
I realise you've closed this now, but I pass this on in any event for info:

Question put to a solicitor in the UK with extensive experience in personal injury and insurance litigation, inc. H&S at work: ‘Where accidents in the workplace are concerned, have you ever heard of the expression 'white deaths' and if so, what does it mean to you?’
Response: ‘No idea. Sorry. Never heard of it!’

Proposed translations

+1
11 mins
Selected

"white deaths" /workplace deaths

'white deaths' would be a literal translation from the Italian. Maybe it could be used in inverted commas followed by something along the lines of 'workplace deaths' or 'workplace accidents'... but again this is just a suggestion!

This is from an interesting article on the bbc news website:

"Italians compare it to a plague, labelling the casualties "white deaths"."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7036442.stm

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Note added at 2 days18 hrs (2011-02-20 11:51:06 GMT)
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Thanks for the insight, Oliver. That didn't cross my mind at all! I think that the expression "morti bianche" is very culture-bound for its many implications (workers' movement) and the criticism around the use of the term itself. Colours might evoke different emotions/concepts in different languages and in this case the use of the adjective 'white' suggests the lack of responsibility, an implied reference to the concept of innocence (hence the debate on the use of this expression among those who seek justice for people who died in the workplace due to poor safety measures). In the light of the above, an expansion could help clearing a possible misinterpretation. But at the end of the day, any cultural connotation might be worth keeping or not depending on the tone of the text and the target reader...
Reference:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7036442.stm

Note from asker:
Thank you Paola and to everybody who answered. It was the BBC link which convinced me. If it was good enough for them, it was good enough for me. I put it in inverted commas with an explanation in brackets explaining that "white" meant that no one was responsible.
Peer comment(s):
agree ARS54 : ...very good, in a ctx from or about Italy - better if put between quotation marks/inverted commas, Anna Rosa
22 hrs
Thanks for your comment, Anna!
neutral Oliver Lawrence : I would be vary chary of using "white", as IMHO is not at all idiomatic and suggests deaths of white people as opposed to those of other races
1 day 16 mins
Interesting comment, Oliver!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+4
13 mins
Italian term (edited): \"morti bianche\"

workplace fatalities

Bit boring, but seems to get lots of hits
Peer comment(s):
agree darwilliam : perhaps dull, but seems to be a very good way to put it :)
3 hrs
agree Lorraine Buckley (X)
5 hrs
agree Yvonne Gallagher
6 hrs
agree P.L.F. Persio
17 hrs
Something went wrong...
12 mins

'freak' fatal accidents at work

another option

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 mins (2011-02-17 17:16:57 GMT)
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or
freak workplace deaths

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Note added at 15 mins (2011-02-17 17:19:03 GMT)
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San Antonio Fatal Work Accident Lawyers : Texas Wrongful ...
Michael Grossman, San Antonio Wrongful Death Attorney, Discusses Fatal Workplace Accidents: ... As another example, if an oil pipeline explodes in a freak accident that no ...
injurylawyersofsanantonio.com/.../fatal-workplace-accidents - Cached
San Antonio Wrongful Death Attorney : Fatal Work Accidents ...
San Antonio Wrongful Death Attorney Michael Grossman Discusses Fatal Workplace Accidents: ... One more example: if an oil pipeline explodes due to some sort of freak ...
injurylawyersofsanantonio.com/wrongful-death/wrongful... - Cached
Car Accident, Auto Accidents, Accident, Car Crash, Lawyers ...
Broken Bone Car Accidents . More Fatal Auto Crashes . Accident? Find Car Accident Lawyers National Network Find Auto Injury Crash Attorneys
www.car-accidents.com - Cached
Nothing freakish about fatal gymnast's accident, mum says
[Jun 24, 2009] Nothing freakish about fatal gymnast's accident, mum ... Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is investigating ... " Freak accidents happen all the time at gymnastics - that's ...
www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/24/2606839.htm - Cached.Contractor calls fatal roof collapse 'freak accident'
... February 19, 2010 . Contractor calls fatal roof collapse 'freak ... C&R Building Supply had seven minor workplace ... "freak accidents" come with big price tags. Get a ...
www.wral.com/news/local/story/7080797 - Cached
Peer comment(s):
neutral Joel Schaefer : "freak" covers the idea that no one is responsible (but that's convenient for the employers...)
2 hrs
I thought that was the idea
Something went wrong...
37 mins

unexplained deaths

see

Trends in deaths: Analysis of Australain data 1987-98 with updates
Formato file: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Visualizzazione rapida
Also, work safety and road safety campaigns, and improvements in ... no medical practitioner can certify the cause of death (e.g. unexplained deaths), then ...
www.aihw.gov.au/publications/phe/td00/td00-c01.pdf

... and Safety and the international Euro Labour data for work safety programs, ..... It reports on all sudden, unexpected, and unexplained deaths in the ...
www2.itssti.hc-sc.gc.ca/clf/clfinventory.../InventoryE.htm

Facts - Glenoaks Pathology Medical Group
Any workplace death. Any death caused by an agent or a disease that poses a public health threat. A sudden or suspicious, unexplained or unexpected death. ...
www.glenoakspathology.com/facts.shtml
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

fatal work-related accidents

....
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

no fault fatal accidents at work

"Morti bianche" are work related deaths where there is NO evidence of foul play, negligence by either the worker or employer, no violation of safety standards. According to a RAI news report, the fact that "morti bianche" is on the increase here in Italy seems to indicate that it is more than just a "freak" accident.
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

Deaths on the job

My idea, but looking on the web, it's seems to be right.
Reference:

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa082401a.htm

Peer comment(s):
neutral Oliver Lawrence : I would avoid this, as "on the job" is slang for "whilst having sex"!
20 hrs
Mmm... I didn't know :-) maybe it's better not to' use it then!
Something went wrong...
21 hrs

white deaths at work / work victims

morti sul lavoro
Peer comment(s):
neutral Oliver Lawrence : I would be vary chary of using "white", as IMHO is not at all idiomatic and suggests deaths of white people as opposed to those of other races
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
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