On Saturday evening in Istanbul’s Mecidiyeköy district, a lift plummeted to the ground from the 32nd storey of a building under construction killing 10 workers.
The reason for the accident is yet unclear, though workers on site say that the same lift broke down two weeks ago and repair work was pending. The Turkish economy has thrived in the past decade, but workplace injuries and deaths are far too frequent. Opposition estimates that more than 12,000 people have been killed in workplace accidents, placing Turkey an unenviable third worst in worker safety internationally. Although the government has promised a full enquiry, many analysts blame a lack of health and safety inspectors, and the fact that far too often those inspectors have a far too cozy relationship with employers. The unprecedented construction boom in Turkey, especially in major cities such as Istanbul, whilst helping grow the economy, has come at a terrible price both environmentally and physically, with an average of 100 workers losing their lives every month on building sites.
