Health and Safety Labor Watch: At least 164 workers lost their lives in July

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At least 164 workers lost their lives during work in July, the Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG) said in the monthly report. 

The report also noted that workers are still working at Dardanel canned fish factory in Çanakkale and Vestel home electronics company's factory in Manisa despite Covid-19 infections and deaths.

It questioned how the companies were able to obtain a "safe production document" by the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE) and whether it was aimed to protect the companies in possible future lawsuits by issuing them these documents.

1,098 occupational homicides in seven months

The number of workers who lost their lives in occupational homicides rose to 1,098 at the end of July, said the report.

The tally was compiled from the national press (88 percent) and local press, died workers' colleagues and families, job safety specialists, workplace doctors and unions (12 percent).

According to the report:

• 140 (workers, civil servants) of the 164 workers who lost their lives were paid employees and 24 (farmers, shop owners) were working on their own behalf.
• 3 of the deceased were women, 184 were men, 7 were children and 6 were refugee/migrant workers.
• Women workers died in agriculture, chemical and healthcare sectors.
• Only 7 of the killed workers were union workers.
• The average age of those who worked on their own behalf was 51, of paid employees was 39.
• The highest number of deaths occurred in the sector of agriculture, construction, transportation, chemicals, metals, mining, energy, municipal/general affairs, food, health, security, textile and commerce/office.
• The most common causes of death were crush/dent, traffic/shuttle accident, falling from a height, electric shock, Covid-19, explosion/fire, heart attack, poisoning/suffocation and violence.
• Occupational homicides occurred in 59 provinces of Turkey and two other countries.
• The highest number of occupational homicides occurred in the provinces of Sakarya, İstanbul, Kocaeli, Mersin, Zonguldak, İzmir, Maraş and Samsun. (TP/VK)