Report: Job-Related Accidents Kill At Least 166 In July

At least 166 workers died in work-related accidents in the month of July, the Council for Workers' Health and Work Safety (İSİG) stated in a report released on Monday.

Based on data compiled data from print, visual and digital media, along with statistics kept by unions and notifications from victims' relatives, İSİG noted that at least 166 workers were killed in what many call “workplace murders” in bid to have the negligence often involved in the incidents recognized.

Most of July's workplace accidents occurred in the agriculture, construction and transportation sectors, claiming 121 workers' lives in total.

“Over time, these three lines of business are marked by [a high number of] labor deaths. The lack of safety measures is the main characteristic and the workday lasts at least 12 hours [in these sectors],” said İSİG in the report.

Among July's death toll, 24 were women and eight were under the age of 18. Vehicular accidents, falling from construction site buildings and being trapped in a collapse or other wreckage were among the most common causes of death in July, İSİG reported. Manisa, İstanbul and Adana were the provinces where the largest number of worker deaths occurred.

In one example, 15 workers were killed when a pick-up truck carrying a group of agricultural workers crashed into a tanker carrying milk in Manisa province on July 6.

July's victim toll recorded an increase of 36 victims over the same month last year, when 130 were killed. Looking at the long-term statistics, we come across the implication that no measures seem to have been taken over the years to prevent industrial accidents, İSİG said.

İSİG also stated that the latest data on workplace accident deaths reveal a toll of 127 deaths in January, 85 in February, 139 in March, 134 in April, 167 in May, 153 in June and most recently 166 in July, a total of 971 this year to date.

“Between 1,500 and 2,000 workers are killed in work murders each year. According to ILO [International Labour Organization] statistics, the number of those who die because of occupational illness is five to six times greater than job-accident victims, yet they are not even identified due to a lack of a [reliable] data system,” İSİG maintained.

Last year 1,886 workers died in work-related accidents in Turkey.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)