Work-related deaths in Turkey hit record high in November, 13 child workers killed

High number of child worker fatalities

Of the 216 workers who lost their lives last month, 73 were in the construction sector, 68 in industry, 41 in services, and 34 in agriculture. The 71 deaths in the construction sector represent an all-time high for this industry in the İSİG Assembly’s records.

The İSİG Assembly noted the severity of the situation in construction, stating, “We had never recorded such a high number of deceased construction workers. The deaths of 71 construction workers summarize the state of precarious employment.”

The statistics included 13 minors, four of whom were under the age of 14, forced into work. The İSİG noted that recent policies on education and impoverishment have made child labor a mass phenomenon, shifting its focus from rural to urban areas.

“Hundreds of thousands of child workers are now employed in urban factories, workshops, construction sites, shops, and shopping malls under the guise of apprentices or interns,” the Assembly said. “The result is clear: the 71 child worker deaths we recorded in 2024 was the highest year for child occupational homicides. As of the end of November this year, the number of deceased child workers is 85.”

Among those killed in November were 19 women and 12 migrant workers. Only four of the deceased were members of a trade union.

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Sectors and causes of death

After construction, the agriculture sector saw the second-highest number of deaths with 34, followed by the transportation sector with 31.

The distribution of occupational homicides by sector in November was:

• Construction and road work: 71 workers

• Agriculture and forestry: 34 workers (18 employees and 16 farmers)

• Transportation: 31 workers

• Trade, office, education, and cinema: 14 workers

• Mining: 12 workers

• Municipality and general works: 8 workers

• Petrochemicals and rubber: 7 workers

• Metal: 7 workers

• Accommodation and entertainment: 6 workers

• Energy: 5 workers

• Health and social services: 4 workers

• Ship, shipyard, maritime, and port: 3 workers

• Defense and security: 3 workers

• Textile and leather: 2 workers

• Food and sugar: 1 worker

• Wood and paper: 1 worker

• Cement, soil, and glass: 1 worker

The cause of death breakdown showed that falls from height ranked first with 52 workers, with 85% of these incidents occurring at construction sites. Crushing and cave-ins, primarily seen in agriculture, construction, and industry, were the second leading cause with 44 deaths. Traffic and service accidents were the third, causing 39 deaths, with half of these occurring in the transportation sector.

Other causes included:

• Heart attack and cerebral hemorrhage: 26 workers

• Electrocution: 10 workers

• Explosion and fire: 9 workers

• Suicide: 9 workers

• Violence: 9 workers

• Poisoning and suffocation: 7 workers

• Object impact and fall: 4 workers

• Other reasons: 7 workers

The cities with the highest number of occupational deaths were İstanbul (24), followed by Kocaeli, Şanlıurfa, Manisa, Ankara, and İzmir. (HA/VK)