At least 1,063 people died in work-related incidents in Turkey during the first six months of 2026, including 228 in June, according to figures released Tuesday by the Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG), an independent workplace safety watchdog.
Six child workers and 14 migrant laborers were among those killed in June, İSİG said in its monthly report.
The highest number of fatalities last month occurred in agriculture and forestry and construction, with 54 deaths in each sector. They were followed by transportation with 24 deaths, the metal industry with 19 and municipal services with 14.
The leading causes of death were crushing incidents, falls from heights and traffic or shuttle-bus crashes, according to the report.
İSİG also said at least 72 child workers died between September 2024 and August 2025, a period corresponding to the 2024-2025 school year. The figure represented a 10 percent increase from the previous school year, when 66 child workers died.
Workplace fatalities have remained a persistent problem in Turkey, with labor unions and rights advocates blaming weak enforcement of occupational safety regulations, widespread subcontracting and informal employment.
İSİG recorded 2,105 work-related deaths in 2025, the highest annual total since the COVID-19 pandemic, up from 1,897 in 2024.
The watchdog compiles its figures using national and local media reports and information provided by workers, their families, labor organizations, workplace safety specialists and other sources.
Turkey has experienced a series of deadly industrial disasters over the past two decades, including the 2014 Soma mine disaster, the country’s deadliest industrial accident, in which 301 miners were killed.
Other major incidents include the 2022 Amasra coal mine explosion, which claimed 41 lives, and the 2024 İliç gold mine landslide, in which nine workers were killed.
Labor unions and rights advocates say the disasters have exposed longstanding failures to enforce workplace safety regulations despite repeated promises of reform.
This article is republished from Turkish Minute.
