The Health and Safety Labor Observatory (ISIG), which published the May workplace incident data, announced that at least 177 workers lost their lives last month. The total number of worker fatalities in the first five months of the year has now reached 796.

In May, the highest number of fatalities occurred in the construction, agriculture, transportation, and service sectors.

The leading causes of these workplace deaths included traffic accidents, crushing and collapses, heart attacks, and falls from heights.

Among the notable incidents in May were two livestock workers who died from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, a miner who lost his life due to silicosis, and a textile worker who suffered a fatal heart attack during a protest over unpaid wages.

According to ISIG, six of the workers who died in May were children, while seven were refugees. Most child workers were employed in the agriculture, metal, and textile sectors. Refugee workers were predominantly engaged in heavy industries such as agriculture, construction, transportation, and mining.

ISIG underlined that 95 percent of the workers who lost their lives were not unionized, underlining that workplace deaths are not a matter of fate but a consequence of unorganized and insecure working conditions.

The highest number of worker deaths in May was recorded in Istanbul, Aydin, Mugla, and Sakarya.