Workplace fatalities on the rise in Kurdistan Region

ERBIL, December 28 — Statistics released by a local labor organization indicate a concerning increase in worker fatalities in the Kurdistan Region, with a 40 percent increase in deaths reported this year compared to 2022.

The Voice of Workers Organization said 73 workers died on the job in 2023, with victims’ ages ranging 15 and 70 years.

Shabaz Mahmoud, the head of the organization’s workplace accidents department, said inadequate safety conditions are a danger to workers’ lives.

According to Mohammed, the causes of death vary and include falls, electric shocks, equipment-related accidents, burns, drownings, explosions, and other incidents.

Statistics further detail the distribution of fatalities across different regions, with 19 worker fatalities in Sulaymaniyah, 22 in Erbil, six in Duhok, five in Halabja, and 21 in Kirkuk.

The Voice of Workers Organization has published such statistics for the past two years, while another group, the Workers’ Construction Organization, has tracked similar numbers for the past decade. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has not, however, released or published comprehensive annual worker fatality statistics.