47 Energy Workers Dead, Half by Electric Shock in 2015

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According to the data from Occupational Health and Safety Council, in 2015 at least 47 persons lost their lives in energy sector.

The most prominent cause for workplace murders, intensifying in electricity distribution companies st electric shock. In 2015, at least 22 energy sector workers have lost their lives due to electric shocks.

Other causes of workplace murders are as follows: Seven cases of traffic accident, five cases of dropping, four cases of smashing, three cases of drowning and each two cases of wreckage, explosion and gunfire.

According to the Occupational Health and Safety Council, more than 1,730 workers lost their lives in 2015.

Privatization of electricity distribution companies increased workload

In the statement made by Energy Union (EnerjiSen) affiliated with the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), it has been noted that due to the the new approach of “less workers-more work” following the privatization of electricity distribution companies, especially the energy sector employees working in malfunction-maintenance-repair services have been put under great tremendous workload.

Adding that there has been no decrease in work accidents and workplace murders in the energy sector neither, like in other sectors since the introduction of the Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 6331, EnerjiSen noted:

“The application and execution of liabilities required by the Occupational Health and Safety Law should not be handed over to inspection companies (OSGBs) which are getting paid by managers.

“Inspection which is a public duty, should not be delivered to the conditions of the market, reduced to the relationship between managers and inspection companies which are an other managerial organization as well, and all the precautions and measures which are said to be taken, should not be left on paper and turned into verbiage.

“Occupational Health and Safety Boards on workplaces should be re-regulated in a way to reflect the will of the workers and the number of workers’ representatives should be increased at least to the half of the number of board members in total. Occupational Health and Safety board meetings should be held open and all the decisions should be announced to all workers. (NV/DG)