What is it about?

This study looks at how workplace accidents in Turkey are affected by informal (unregistered) employment. Informal workers often have limited protections, increasing their chances of getting hurt on the job. Turkey introduced new laws in 2012 to improve workplace safety and reduce informal work, but the results weren’t as expected. While fewer people work informally now, reported workplace accidents have gone up. The study found that before these laws, many workplace accidents were hidden and not reported. Better enforcement of safety rules has made these accidents more visible in recent years. However, this doesn’t mean workplaces are more dangerous—just that the accidents are now being counted. The findings show that long-term changes, such as building a strong safety culture and rewarding employers who follow the rules, are necessary to truly reduce workplace accidents in Turkey. The study highlights the importance of balancing legal reforms with practical improvements to ensure safer workplaces for everyone.

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Why is it important?

This study tackles a critical and underexplored issue: how informal employment impacts workplace accidents in Turkey, a developing country with high rates of informal work. Its findings are particularly significant because they shed light on a paradox—while fewer people work informally due to government reforms, workplace accidents have increased, mainly because previously unreported incidents are now being recorded. What makes this work unique is its dual focus on labor informality and occupational safety in the context of a major legal reform aligned with EU standards. Unlike previous studies that often overlook the hidden risks in informal employment, this research highlights how improving reporting and enforcement can expose deep-rooted challenges in workplace safety systems. This work is timely because it addresses global concerns about precarious employment and its effects on worker safety, making it relevant beyond Turkey. It emphasizes the need for holistic approaches that not only enforce safety laws but also create a culture of prevention and accountability, offering valuable insights for policymakers, employers, and labor organizations worldwide. By advancing understanding of these complex dynamics, this research provides practical lessons that could reduce workplace injuries and fatalities, especially in regions grappling with informality and industrial safety challenges.

Perspectives

This study offers a crucial look into the intersection of informal labor practices and occupational safety, not just as a local issue in Turkey but as a globally relevant challenge. It highlights the unseen costs of informality, where workers are exposed to unsafe conditions, and accidents are often hidden from public view. What stands out to us is the insight that reforms, while crucial, can initially reveal systemic flaws rather than immediately improving safety outcomes. This is a powerful reminder that progress in labor standards and worker protection is not linear—it requires sustained effort, cultural change, and the willingness to face uncomfortable truths. We believe this work could serve as a call to action for governments, industries, and researchers worldwide to reevaluate how we address workplace safety in informal sectors. The focus on data visibility and enforcement, combined with the call for structural and cultural shifts, provides a roadmap for making workplaces safer for all, particularly in regions where informality remains widespread. By bringing to light these nuanced dynamics, the study challenges us to look beyond surface-level metrics of progress and to strive for meaningful, lasting change in worker welfare.

Volkan Isik
Hacettepe Universitesi

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Analysis of the relationship between unregistered employment and occupational accidents in Turkey, Work, June 2024, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.3233/wor-240158.
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