At least 126 individuals died in work-related incidents across Turkey in February, according to a new report from the Health and Safety Labour Watch Turkey (İSİG).
Construction saw the heaviest losses with 27 deaths, accounting for 22 percent of all fatalities. It was followed by transportation with 17 percent.
The report, compiled using information gathered from national and local media, trade unions and workers’ families, found that among the victims were three women and six refugees or migrants from Iran (2), Syria (2), Azerbaijan (1) and Pakistan (1).
Traffic accidents were the leading cause of death, accounting for 29 percent of all fatalities, followed by falling from a height at 15 percent and crush incidents at 14 percent, İSİG said.
Denizli province recorded the highest number of fatalities with nine deaths, followed by İstanbul (8) and Antalya (6).
İSİG documented 2,105 work-related deaths in 2025, the highest annual total in at least a decade, indicating that workplace safety in Turkey is worsening rather than improving.
Workplace accidents remain a chronic problem in Turkey, where lax enforcement of occupational health and safety standards continues to cost lives.
Turkey made progress in aligning its occupational health and safety legislation with European Union standards after it became an EU candidate country in 1999 and also ratified the relevant International Labour Organization conventions in 2005. However, implementation and enforcement of these standards have been far less effective. In recent years an influx of migrants and growing economic instability have further undermined workplace safety, as investments in safety measures declined and informal employment increased.
Turkey’s poor record on labor rights has also been highlighted internationally. 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 2025, while strikes and attempts to unionize were prevented by the authorities.
