10.12.2025 21:41
The expert report regarding the factory fire in the Dilovası district of Kocaeli, which resulted in the deaths of 7 female workers, has been completed. The report indicates that production was carried out in an unlicensed and illegal manner, flammable materials were handled improperly, and mandatory safety measures were absent in the workplace. While the company managers were assessed as primarily at fault, various levels of secondary fault were identified for property owners, the Occupational Health and Safety Unit (OSGB), Dilovası Municipality, and SEDAŞ.
A fire broke out at a cosmetics factory on Mimar Sinan Street in the Mimar Sinan neighborhood of Dilovası on November 8 at around 09:00. In the fire, Şengül Yılmaz (55), Tuğba Taşdemir (18), Nisa Taşdemir (17), Cansu Esatoğlu (16), Esma Dikan (65), Hanım Gülek (65), and Tuncay Yıldız (48) lost their lives.
NUMEROUS ARRESTS IN THE FACTORY FIRE WHERE 7 WORKERS DIED As part of the investigation, 11 suspects were detained, including company owner Kurtuluş Oransal, company officials İsmail Oransal, Altay Ali Oransal, Aleyna Oransal, and Gökberk Güngör, who were arrested on charges of 'manslaughter with probable intent.' Ali Osman Akat and Onay Yürüklü were arrested on charges of 'aiding a criminal.' Suspects G. B., H. E., Ö. A., and Güven Demirbaş were released under judicial control. On November 30, factory owner Kurtuluş Oransal, who suffered a heart attack in the prison where he was held and was taken to Kocaeli City Hospital, passed away.
MANY NAMES SUSPENDED As part of the investigation conducted by the Gebze Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Ünal Aslan, the Responsible Manager of the Joint Health and Safety Unit (OSGB), and Güven Demirbaş, the property owner who rented the factory building to the cosmetics company, were detained. After their procedures at the police station, the suspects were referred to the courthouse and arrested. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security announced that the Kocaeli Provincial Director of the Social Security Institution (SGK), the Deputy Provincial Director of SGK Kocaeli, the Gebze Social Security Center Director, the Kocaeli Provincial Director of the Employment Agency, the Dilovası Service Center Director of İŞKUR, the Branch Manager responsible for CİMER at İŞKUR, and one staff member were suspended. Additionally, Dilovası Municipality suspended Deputy Mayor Necati Temiz, Zoning Director Nizamettin Balcı, and municipal police officers Cengiz Taşdemir, Ömer Kocabay, and Tekin İlaslan.
"TRANSFORMED INTO HIGH HEAT BETWEEN 1200-1400 DEGREES" Following the preliminary report prepared regarding the cause of the fire, an expert committee prepared a report detailing the fault status of the suspects. The report created by the committee assigned by the Gebze Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that the cause of the fire was the ignition resulting from the combined effect of static electricity discharge during the transfer of ethyl alcohol to the boiler and electrical contact deformation occurring in the mixer motor or connection equipment. The report also noted that the absence of ex-proof equipment, lack of pressure relief and ventilation systems, ineffective grounding, and the accumulation of dense vapor led to local flashovers, which quickly transformed into an explosion characterized by internal pressure reaching 0.4–0.8 bar, resulting in high heat and flame spread in the range of 1,200–1,400 degrees. It was also mentioned that the fire engulfed a large part of the production area within 3-4 minutes.
"FIRE AND EXPLOSION A NATURAL RESULT" The report, which also included deficiencies in regulations and legislation, indicated that the simultaneous violation of all these technical legal obligations demonstrated that the workplace operated in direct violation of both national legislation and the most fundamental provisions of international safety standards. The committee stated that these violations were critical factors directly affecting the transformation of the incident from a flash to an explosion and the loss of many workers' lives. The report concluded that the use of the structure without obtaining occupancy permits, the absence of a fire safety project, the non-compliance of the electrical installation with standards, the lack of ATEX requirements, and the complete absence of occupational health and safety services collectively indicated that the fire and explosion were a natural consequence of operating conditions that violated regulations.
"SGK, HEALTH DIRECTORATE, AND MINISTRY'S FAULT AND NEGLIGENCE NOT EVALUATED" The report stated that only G. B. was actively insured, while the other employees were not insured. It was noted that no inspection, sanction, or active monitoring process was conducted by the SGK, district health directorate, and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security on the date of the incident, and that these institutions had no direct impact on the occurrence of the incident due to their areas of responsibility. The report stated, "It is not possible for SGK to detect unregistered workers through the system on the date of the incident; the district health directorate's authority over the appointment of workplace physicians is limited, and the inspection authority belongs to the Labor Ministry's Occupational Inspection Board. Therefore, no fault or negligence of the mentioned institutions has been evaluated regarding the occurrence of the incident."
"FINE AND DEMOLITION DECISION ISSUED" The report indicated that Dilovası Municipality conducted an inspection at the relevant address and issued a fine and demolition decision, filed a criminal complaint with the prosecutor's office, and submitted the necessary information and documents to the court in the criminal case seen at the 11th Criminal Court of First Instance. It was stated that the municipality could not execute the planned actions at the expected speed due to economic conditions, budget constraints, the pandemic, the extensive stock of illegal structures in the district, and operational difficulties related to demolition tenders.
"ADMINISTRATIVE FAULT ON THE PART OF THE MUNICIPALITY" The committee's report stated, "The failure to detect the difference between the actual production area and the licensed address earlier and the delay in stopping the illegal upper floor usage indicate that the relevant inspection unit of the municipal police could not ensure sufficient effectiveness in control and follow-up processes. Therefore, although it does not directly create an impact determining the technical cause of the incident from the perspective of Dilovası Municipality, it has been evaluated that there is a limited degree of administrative fault due to delays in inspection and implementation processes."
"COMPANY MANAGERS GUILTY OF SERIOUS FAULT" The report concluded that the incident was an industrial accident that occurred as a result of completely improper production conditions, technical inadequacies, uncontrolled building usage, and violations of employer obligations, which were predictable and preventable, without external intervention or intent.
Asli ağır kusur işletmeci Ravive Kozmetik Sanayi ve Dış Ticaret A. Ş. ile fiilen yöneticilik yapan İsmail Oransal ve Ali Altay Oransal olduğu, fiili işveren vekili konumundaki Kurtuluş Oransal yönünden de asli nitelikte ağır kusur bulunduğu belirtildi.
"DEMİRBAŞ IS SEVERELY AT FAULT" It was stated in the report that the usage history of the property before the incident was significantly determined by the former owner Güven Demirbaş, and it was noted that the upper floor of the property was an illegal structure without any permit or usage permission, which was not included in the architectural project. Nevertheless, it was determined that it was rented to Ravive Kozmetik Sanayi ve Dış Ticaret A. Ş. on August 18, 2023, and that the tenant started production activities as of January 1, 2024. The committee stated, "The statements in the file show that the area used by the tenant has been used for the production of perfume, essence, solvent, and alcohol-based products from the very beginning, and that this activity was known or at least could have been easily noticed by the lessor," and it was also noted that severe fault was determined for the former owner Güven Demirbaş and secondary-medium fault for the new owner Özzade Yapı İnşaat Ltd. Şti.
RECEIVED REDUCED PRISON SENTENCE FOR CONSTRUCTION POLLUTION CRIME Furthermore, in the trial that started after the prosecutor's complaint against Güven Demirbaş, the court concluded on July 6, 2023, that the defendant Güven Demirbaş had constructed the illegal building and sentenced him to 1 year in prison for the crime of 'causing construction pollution', which was reduced to 10 months in prison by the court applying a discretionary reduction. The committee report stated, "When all these official documents are evaluated together, it is understood that the said structure has consistently been recorded as an unlicensed and illegal structure in the municipality, prosecutor's office, and court records since 2021, and that administrative and penal processes have been carried out in this direction, and that the illegality has continued over the years."
"OSGB IS SEVERELY AT FAULT, MUNICIPALITY IS SECONDARY AT FAULT" The committee also stated that due to the failure of Küresel OSGB to carry out the necessary occupational health and safety services in the field, there was a secondary severe fault on the part of OSGB; in this context, secondary severe fault was found for the operator Ü. Ç. and responsible manager Ünal Aslan, while secondary fault was found for occupational safety expert S. Ç. and workplace physician M. D. Regarding Dilovası Municipality, it was stated that there was a limited level of administrative secondary fault due to the failure of the relevant inspection units of the municipal police department to timely detect and prevent the illegal upper floor usage.
"ELECTRICITY PROVIDER COMPANY IS SECONDARY AND LIMITED TECHNICALLY AT FAULT" Regarding the electricity provider company SEDAŞ, it was stated that there was secondary and limited technical fault due to the insufficient follow-up of the temporary electricity provided to the structure without a permit and the inability of the relevant field inspection units of SEDAŞ Control Chief to timely detect the energy transfer contrary to the project. The committee also stated regarding the fault, "The faults of the parties are not independent of each other and can be evaluated within the scope of joint liability in terms of their contributions to the occurrence of the event."