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At least 2,664 young workers have died in workplace accidents in Turkey over the past 12 years, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing a new report by the Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG).
The data reveal that an average of over 220 young workers die annually due to unsafe working conditions, with the highest number recorded in 2023, when at least 260 fatalities occurred.
İSİG’s report includes workers aged 18 to 25.
The construction industry has been identified as the deadliest sector for young workers, with at least 695 deaths recorded over the last 12 years. Other high-risk sectors include agriculture and forestry, where 453 young workers lost their lives, and the hospitality and entertainment industry, which saw 231 deaths. The transportation sector accounted for 178 fatalities, metalworking for 157 and mining for 150. The report also highlights an increase in work-related deaths in the hospitality sector in recent years, particularly due to the rise of gig economy jobs such as food delivery.
Traffic and transport accidents caused the most deaths, with 637 fatalities, followed by falls from heights at 436. Crush injuries and collapses resulted in 403 fatalities, while electrocution caused 242 deaths. Other causes included poisoning and suffocation, which led to 209 deaths, workplace violence with 167 deaths, and explosions and fires with 123. The report also noted 194 cases of suicide linked to work conditions. Many of these deaths, it said, could have been prevented through proper safety measures and oversight, particularly in high-risk industries such as construction and agriculture.
Of the 2,664 young worker deaths recorded, 230 were women and 280 were migrant workers. The majority of the migrant workers were from Syria, followed by Afghanistan.
Another key issue identified in the report is the lack of union protection among young workers. Only 3.2 percent of those who died were members of unions, compared to a 13 percent unionization rate across Turkey’s workforce. Lax work safety standards have been a significant cause of concern for decades in Turkey, where workplace accidents are a nearly daily occurrence. İSİG reported nearly 2,000 work-related deaths in 2024.
According to İSİG more than 30,000 occupational accidents have been reported since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in November 2002.
İSİG General Coordinator Murat Çakır earlier said the reason for the large 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 otherwise be unable to support their family.
İSİG began to record occupational fatalities in 2011. The group records the number of workers who die due to the lack of workplace safety and campaigns for stricter workplace safety measures.
A yearly report produced by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) on labor rights revealed that Turkey is one of the 10 worst countries in the world for workers in industrial sectors. According to the Brussels-based ITUC, workers’ freedoms and rights have been further denied since police crackdowns on protests in Turkey in 2024.