201 workers, 10 children among them, killed on the job in August

Word Cloud with the names of the workers killed on the job in August 2023 in Turkey

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According to the monthly report by the Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG Assembly), at least 201 workers lost their lives in work-related accidents in August.

August 2023 marked a significant milestone in İSİG Assembly's monthly report on workplace accidents, which has been regularly published since September 2011 (12 years). It recorded more than 200 worker deaths for the first time, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic and the mining disaster in Soma.

Furthermore, the number of people who died while working in the first eight months of 2023 has risen to at least 1,255, including the  number of deaths in August.

In January, 116 workers, in February 195, in March 130, in April 123, in May 146, in June 161, and in July 183 workers died while working.

In August, the highest number of deaths occurred in the construction and road construction sectors, with 53 workers losing their lives. It was followed by agriculture and forestry, with 52 deaths (31 workers and 21 farmers), and transportation came next with 25 deaths.

When looking at the distribution of workplace accidents by their causes, traffic accidents and accidents during transportation (52 workers) ranked first. It was followed by falls from height and electric shocks, both causing 25 deaths.

Crushing and cave-ins (24 workers), heart attacks, and brain hemorrhages (24 workers), and explosions and burns (10 workers) were also among the causes of workplace deaths.

In August, 10 of the workers who lost their lives in workplace accidents were children. This year in total, at least 40 of the victims were child laborers, with 18 of them being 14 years old or younger, until the end of August. Child fatalities were primarily in the fields of agriculture, industry, construction, and services. The İSİG Assembly report also highlighted an increase in worker deaths among those aged 60 and above.

The distribution of workplace accident victims in August by age groups is as follows:

* 4 child workers aged 14 and under,
* 6 child/young workers aged 15-17,
* 39 workers aged 18-29,
* 82 workers aged 30-49,
* 49 workers aged 50-64,
* 9 workers aged 65 and above,
* 12 workers whose age could not be determined.

Out of the 201 workers who lost their lives in workplace accidents in August, 11 were migrants/refugees.

It's important to note that İSİG Assembly emphasizes "at least" in their data, as they gather 70% of the information from national media and 30% from sources such as coworkers, families, occupational health experts, workplace doctors, labor unions, and local media. The actual numbers may be higher. (HA/PE)