A total of 3,960 people died in workplace accidents across Turkey under a state of emergency (OHAL) that was in effect between July 21, 2016 and July 18, 2018, according to data shared by the Workers Health and Work Safety Assembly (İSİGM).
The İSİGM data also showed that workplace fatalities have increased by 100 percent in the metallurgy sector, 20 percent in the energy sector and 10 percent in the mining, textile, chemicals, transportation and forestry sectors. Deaths due to workplace accidents also increased by 40 percent among refugee workers under the two-year-long state of emergency in Turkey.
At least 149 people died in workplace accidents across Turkey in June, according to a monthly study released by the nongovernmental organization focused on worker health and safety issues, bringing the number of workplace deaths in Turkey in the first six months of 2018 to 907.
On Jan. 6, 2018 İSİGM published a report saying that 2,006 workers died at work throughout 2017. That number marked an increase from 2016, when 1,970 workers were killed in Turkey. According to İSİGM, five workers were killed every 24 hours last year. Of the 2,006 workers who were killed on the job in 2017, 116 were women.
On Feb. 14, 2018 Turkey’s Labor Ministry announced that 27 workers have been killed in the construction of İstanbul’s third airport since it began in May 2015. That announcement came only after unconfirmed reports that 400 workers have been killed so far in work accidents at the multi-billion dollar project’s site, operated by the İstanbul Grand Airport (IGA).
