Turkey cracks down on shipyard safety

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security in Turkey announced on Tuesday that three shipyards in Istanbul?s Tuzla district, the site of numerous work-related fatalities in recent years, have been shut down for violation of occupational safety measures following ministry inspections.

A statement released by the ministry said serious occupational safety hazards that could result in injury or death were detected at the three shipyards. The statement also stated that inspections had been intensified at the shipyards since 2002, when the number of accidents started rising sharply. Between 2000 and 2005 eight shipyard workers were killed due to accidents and safety violations. In 2006 six more workers died at the shipyards while in the 2007 to 2008 period, 18 workers died in an eight-month period.

The closures come following media reports that began circulating last week about deaths at Tuzla shipyards.

Labour Minister Faruk ?elik announced last Thursday that his ministry would be taking measures to prevent work-related deaths at the Tuzla shipyards. Minister ?elik said the shipyards had been given enough time to remedy violations of safety measures noted in previous inspections. Most of the fatal accidents in Tuzla have occurred due to electric shocks and falls from platforms.