At least 1,477 people died in work-related accidents in Turkey in the first 10 months of 2019, according to a report from Turkey’s Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG).
The report showed 155 of the workers were killed in October alone. İSİG’s report was drafted based on relevant news reports in local and national media outlets and information gathered from co-workers and families of victims as well as work safety experts, workplace doctors and labor unions.
The highest number of work-related deaths occurred in the agriculture, construction and transportation sectors, and most victims were seasonal workers in agriculture.
The report showed that the number of work-related deaths in the construction sector has dropped in 2019 when compared to the previous year, caused primarily by a slowdown in construction due to economy problems.
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.