Kurdistan
Two construction workers in the Kurdistan Region working on a scaffolding without taking proper safety measures. File photo: Bilind T. Abdullah/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Eighteen workers died on the job in the Kurdistan Region in the first six months of 2024, a workers’ syndicate said on Sunday.
According to data from the four provincial branches of the Kurdistan Workers’ Syndicate, Erbil recorded the highest number of casualties with nine workers dying. Sulaimani had eight deaths and Duhok one. No deaths were recorded in Halabja.
The figures might not be accurate according to Chalak Rauf, the head of the syndicate's Sulaimani branch, as some deaths are hidden by employers.
“Every year, hundreds of workers are injured and taken to hospital by employers who hide the injury and do not allow it to be revealed,” Rauf said.
According to the syndicate’s compiled data, 41 workers died across the Region in 2023.
The construction workers’ organization, however, has very different figures. They said that 73 workers lost their lives in 2023.
According to Iraq's Labor Code of 1987, Act no. 71, an employer must ensure safe conditions at the workplace and take sufficient safety measures to protect the worker on the job.
Many companies do not sign contracts with their employees, as a way to avoid installing safety measures. Workers who suffer accidents often lose their source of income.
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