At least 1,606 people died in work-related accidents in Turkey in the first 11 months of 2019, according to a report from Turkey’s Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG).
The report showed 126 of the workers were killed in November alone. İSİG’s report was drafted based on relevant news reports in local and national media outlets and information gathered from coworkers and families of victims as well as work safety experts, workplace doctors and labor unions.
The highest number of work-related deaths occurred in July when 178 workers were killed.
The report also showed that there has been an increase in the number of suicide cases among workers. A total of 351 workers committed suicide either due to harsh working conditions or due to unemployment over the past six years, according to the report.
Turkey has been suffering from low work safety standards for decades. Workplace accidents are nearly a daily occurrence in the country. In the worst work-related accident in Turkey’s history, 301 miners lost their lives in an explosion in Manisa’s Soma district in May 2014.