At least 148 people died in work-related incidents across Turkey in March, according to a new report from the Health and Safety Labour Watch Turkey (İSİG), bringing the total number of deaths in the first three months of the year to at least 432.
Construction recorded the highest number of deaths with 26, accounting for 18 percent of all fatalities, followed by transportation with 16 percent.
The report, based on information from national and local media, trade unions and workers’ families, said the victims included 16 women and 15 refugees or migrants from Syria (9), Afghanistan (2), Georgia (1), İran (1), Kazakhstan (1) and Egypt (1).
Traffic accidents were the leading cause of death, accounting for 24 percent of all fatalities, İSİG said.
The report also found that only a small fraction of the deceased workers were unionized, with just three identified as union members.
İSİG also called for the release of labor union leader Mehmet Türkmen, who was arrested after supporting protesting carpet factory workers and accusing factory owners of delaying wage payments and criticizing poor workplace safety conditions.
İstanbul recorded the highest number of fatalities with 22 deaths, followed by Antalya (13) and İzmir (8).
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.
