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At least 622 workers lost their lives in workplace-related incidents across Türkiye in the first four months of 2026, according to the newly compiled data by the Health and Safety Labor Watch Council (ISIG).
April alone accounted for 189 deaths, marking a notable increase compared to previous months.
The council’s April report shows a steady upward trajectory in fatalities, with deaths recorded at 155 in January, 129 in February, 149 in March, and rising sharply to 189 in April.
The data was compiled from a mix of national media coverage and reports from workers’ relatives, colleagues, unions, workplace doctors, and local sources.
Sectoral data indicate that construction remained the deadliest field in April, accounting for 48 deaths, followed by agriculture and forestry with 41 fatalities, and transportation with 16 deaths.
When grouped more broadly, industrial sectors saw 59 deaths, construction 51, agriculture 41, and services 38.
Among the fatalities were five engineers, whose deaths, the council emphasized, should not be viewed as isolated incidents. Cases ranged from a construction engineer struck by a vehicle while waiting at a bus stop in Istanbul’s Kucukcekmece district, to others killed in collapses, falls, traffic accidents, and one reported suicide linked to workplace mobbing during an internship.
The report notes a near doubling of deaths in agriculture as seasonal activity increased, with fatalities rising from 21 in March to 41 in April. Two main causes were identified: small-scale farmers being crushed under overturned tractors, often lacking rollover protection systems (ROPS), and precarious working conditions for agricultural laborers, including unsafe transport and housing.
A deadly example cited in the report involved a collision between a worker shuttle and a concrete mixer truck in Burdur’s Bucak district, which resulted in the deaths of seven agricultural workers.
Weak enforcement of safety regulations and insufficient inspections were highlighted as major contributors to workplace deaths.
One case involved three workers who fell from a height of around 20 meters after a platform collapsed during maintenance at a metal factory in Kocaeli’s Dilovasi district.
Traffic and service vehicle accidents emerged as the leading cause of fatalities in April, particularly affecting workers in transportation and agriculture.
These were followed by crush injuries and collapses, heart attacks and brain hemorrhages, and falls from height. Notably, nearly seven out of ten fatal falls occurred in construction sites.
Among those who died in April were 14 women, most of whom worked in agriculture, prompting calls for gender-specific occupational safety measures. At least three migrant workers also lost their lives, including two from Syria and one from Afghanistan.
Union representation remained low among victims, with only 13 of the deceased reported as union members, while 176 were non-unionized.
Workplace fatalities were recorded across a wide geographic spread, including major urban and industrial centers such as Istanbul, Bursa, Ankara, and Izmir, as well as provinces like Antalya, Kocaeli, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, and Sanliurfa.
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