Continued Insecurity in Workshops in Iran; Death and Injury of Two Sabzevar Workers and Electrocution of a Lineman

Despite international warnings regarding the necessity of securing workshops and strict government oversight of law enforcement, individuals such as a Sabzevar construction worker are still killed or, like a lineman, electrocuted daily in Iran due to the lack of a healthy supervisory structure. According to the ILNA news agency, in an incident that occurred on Jihad Street in Sabzevar, a construction worker fell from an 'uneven height' of a building and 'immediately lost his life' due to 'impact with the ground.' In another incident that also took place in Sabzevar, another worker was severely injured after falling from a building on Moalem Street due to 'carelessness and failure to observe safety principles.' Official statistics released at the end of September, coinciding with 'Government Week' in the field of work and safety, indicated that '37 percent' of workplace accidents were related to the 'construction' sector, with '50 percent' of these incidents resulting in 'fatalities.' These statistics come as labor activist Ehsan Sohrabi described the actions of the Islamic Republic officials regarding this issue as performative, stating that 'a government memorandum cannot prevent the deaths of workers' and that 'accidents in production units have not decreased.' This labor activist also mentioned that 'accidents in production units have not decreased' and attributed this to the fact that 'the conditions for these accidents still exist.' He emphasized that only a 'small number' of workshop accidents are reported in the media, and many incidents 'do not even appear in official statistics.' Meanwhile, a lineman working for the Kohdasht electricity distribution company in Lorestan province named 'Ali Amraei' was also hospitalized after an electrocution incident while working. A labor source stated that this lineman is currently in poor condition due to severe electrocution and burns and is receiving treatment. The source told ILNA that 'despite officials being aware of the problems faced by linemen, the conditions for linemen's work remain unsafe, and they are not provided with good quality safety equipment.' Due to the prevention of independent labor unions and syndicates in Iran, there is no precise oversight of the status of work contracts in workshops. In many production or service centers, workers operate without contracts or insurance, and when unfortunate accidents occur, in addition to the injured worker being deprived of basic necessary services such as treatment in health centers or receiving pensions, the statistics related to them are also not recorded. A few months ago, the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate issued a statement referring to official statistics from the forensic medicine in Iran indicating that '1,900 workers died in the workplace last year,' stating: 'Although such statistics are not reliable, they show that the unsafe work environment has turned into a slaughterhouse for workers.'