A cosmetics factory in northwestern Turkey where seven workers died in a fire last month had been operating without a fire-safety certificate or a valid occupancy permit, according to an inspection report, Turkish Minute reported, citing the DHA news agency.
The blaze broke out on the morning of November 8 in the factory, which was also used as a warehouse, in the Dilovası district of northwestern Kocaeli province and quickly engulfed the building.
The victims, including six women, two of whom were minors and two who were elderly, were trapped inside, inspectors said, in part because the facility had only one exit and no emergency escape route.
Located around 70 kilometers (43 miles) from İstanbul, Dilovasi is an industrial town hosting numerous warehouses and factories.
According to the report, drafted by inspectors from the Social Security Institution (SGK), the factory had begun operating without the legally required fire-safety approval from local authorities in Kocaeli and without an occupancy certificate.
Inspectors said the building lacked basic protections, including functional grounding, adequate ventilation, explosion-control systems, a fire escape and a fire detection and alarm system.
Regarding the cause of the fire, the report said the blaze began during the production process, when ethyl alcohol was being transferred into a mixing tank used to prepare perfume. Inspectors concluded that either a discharge of static electricity or an electrical contact ignited the alcohol/fragrance mixture, triggering an explosion and rapidly spreading fire.
In witness statements included in the report, some workers said they were able to flee in the first moments of the fire, but others were trapped as flames closed off the only door.
The investigation also found that none of the seven workers who died had valid social insurance registration on the day of the fire.
According to inspectors, the operator of the facility bore primary responsibility for the deaths.
The owner of the building, who leased the space despite the absence of fire and occupancy permits, was deemed secondarily but jointly liable.
The report also faulted public institutions for failing to carry out proper licensing and inspection, assigning them “secondary administrative responsibility.”
Arrests and a death in custody
Eleven people were detained in the aftermath of the disaster. Seven were jailed, including company owner Kurtuluş Oransal and four relatives who served in managerial roles, on charges of “murder with probable intent.” Two others were arrested on accusations of aiding the suspects. Four additional detainees were released under judicial supervision.
On November 30 Oransal suffered a heart attack in pretrial detention and died after being taken to Kocaeli City Hospital.
Twelve public officials including the Kocaeli provincial director of the SGK, two deputy directors, officials from the Gebze Social Security Center and the Dilovası Municipality have been suspended from their jobs.
The tragedy took place during what labor groups describe as one of the deadliest months for workers in recent years.
The Health and Safety Labour Watch/Turkey (İSİG) reported on Thursday that November saw the highest monthly toll outside the pandemic period, with an average of at least seven workers dying each day.
The group said 19 children — four of them under 14 — and 11 workers over the age of 65 were among those killed in workplace incidents across the country.
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.
According to İSİG data, nearly 35,000 workers have died in workplace accidents since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in November 2002.
