At least 189 people died in work-related incidents across Turkey in April, bringing the total number for the first four months of the year to at least 622, according to a new report by the Health and Safety Labour Watch Turkey (İSİG).
Construction accounted for the highest number of deaths with 48, accounting for 25 percent of all fatalities, followed by agriculture/forestry with 22 percent.
The report, compiled from national and local media, trade unions and workers’ families, said the victims included 14 women and three refugees or migrants from Syria (2) and Afghanistan (1).
Traffic accidents were the leading cause of death, accounting for 22 percent of all fatalities, İSİG said.
The report also found that 7 percent of the deceased workers were unionized, with 13 identified as union members.
İSİG warned that deaths in the agriculture sector had doubled compared to March due to warmer weather and increased seasonal activity, adding that agricultural workers continue to be employed under unsafe conditions. The group also said that the deaths of three workers in Kocaeli this month at a steel factory where numerous fatal and non-fatal workplace incidents have been reported over the past 20 years pointed to a failure of inspection and enforcement mechanisms.
İstanbul recorded the highest number of fatalities with 20 deaths, followed by Bursa (9) and Ankara (7).
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.
