165 workers died at work in the month of October, says Health and Safety Labor Watch

The Health and Safety Labor Watch (ISIG) released its monthly report on deaths in the workplace for the month of October. The report shows that at least 165 workers lost their lives in their workplace. In the first 10 months of this year, at least 1,853 workers have died in work-related incidents.

The report said that 145 of the 165 deaths were wage earners (workers and civil servants) and 20 were self-employed (farmers and shopkeepers). 16 of the deaths were women, 149 men. Women victims were employed in education, metal, healthcare and general affairs.

According to the report, five migrants/refugees also lost their lives while working. Three of them were from Syria, while one was from Afghanistan and one from Georgia.

The report said that 17 workers and five farmers lost their lives in the agricultural sector, while one quarter of deaths occurred on industrial business lines. The COVID-19 deaths among workers were registered mostly in the sectors of healthcare and education/bureau.

In October 2021, nine of the dead workers (5.45 percent) were unionized.

The most frequent causes of death were COVID-19, being crushed/trapped under debris, traffic/service vehicle accidents, falling from a high place, being poisoned/suffocated, heart attack, violence, explosion/burning, suicide, electric shock and cut/perforation.

15 workers died of COVID-19 in the healthcare sector, 14 in the bureau/education sector and three in security.

Half of the deaths on construction sites happened as a result of falling from a high place.

Two children also lost their lives while working in the agriculture sector.