152 workers died in occupational accidents in Turkey in September: report

THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS
ONLY PREVENTABLE INCIDENTS

ByTurkish Minute
October 4, 2024

A total of 152 people died in workplace accidents in Turkey in September, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing a monthly report by the Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG).

Three minors were included in the work-related fatalities.

Construction was the leading sector in fatalities in terms of overall workplace accidents, representing 28 percent of the deaths. It was followed by transportation with 15 percent and agriculture with 12 percent.

The most frequent causes of death were traffic accidents, which accounted for 23 percent of all deaths, crushing incidents with 20 percent and falling from heights, 17 percent.

A major deadly incident highlighted the issue of workplace safety this month. A devastating explosion occurred at the Oba Makarna pasta factory in northwestern Turkey on September 15, leaving one worker dead and 30 others injured.

In a statement following the explosion, the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) slammed the government for failing to implement necessary safety regulations and inspections.

People have been suffering from lax work safety standards for decades in Turkey, where workplace accidents are nearly a daily occurrence. İSİG reported nearly 2,000 work-related deaths in 2023.

According to the group, more than 30,000 occupational accidents have taken place since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in November 2002.

İSİG General Coordinator Murat Çakır had earlier said the reason for the record number of fatalities in work-related accidents has to do with the policies of the AKP, which he said aim to turn Turkey into a source of cheap labor for Europe.

According to Çakır, workers feel obliged to work under unsafe conditions fearing that they will become jobless and unable to support their families.

İSİG began to record occupational fatalities in 2011. The platform also records the number of workers who died due to the lack of work safety in past years in addition to campaigning for stricter measures to maintain safety in workplaces.

A yearly report by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) on labor rights reveals that Turkey is one of the 10 worst countries in the world for working people. According to the Brussels-based ITUC, workers’ freedoms and rights continued to be relentlessly denied with police crackdowns on protests in Turkey in 2023.