Forensic Medicine: 55 Workers Died in Mazandaran in 6 Months

The Forensic Medicine Organization confirmed that at least 55 workers died in the first six months of the current solar year, solely in Mazandaran province, due to work-related accidents. The lack of safety measures in workplaces in Iran has repeatedly led workers to their deaths. According to the public relations office of Forensic Medicine in Mazandaran, Ali Abbasi, the director of the organization in this province, stated that the death toll from work accidents in the first six months of the year 1403 (2024) was '55,' all of whom were men, and 11 of the deceased workers were aged between 51 and 60 years. Abbasi noted that the number of workers dying from 'work accidents' during this period has decreased by '21 percent' compared to the same time last year. The director of Forensic Medicine in Mazandaran also mentioned that in the first six months of this year, 457 individuals, including 435 men and 22 women, sought medical examination due to work-related injuries, which represents an '11 percent increase' compared to the same period last year. According to a previous report from Forensic Medicine in Mazandaran, 43 workers were killed in the first five months of this year, and according to this data, only in the month of Shahrivar (September), 12 workers lost their lives while working in this province. The mortality of workers due to the lack or inadequacy of workplace safety in Iran has previously made headlines. For instance, an explosion in a coal mine in Tabas last month claimed the lives of 52 workers. This incident has led not only Iranian labor activists but also labor unions in other countries to hold the Islamic Republic's government accountable. According to the Forensic Medicine Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, last year, 2,115 people lost their lives due to incidents occurring in workplaces. Ali Ziaei, head of the crime scene investigation group of the Forensic Medicine Organization, stated that this figure represents an 11.3 percent increase compared to the same period last year, with 2,094 of the workplace accident victims being men and 21 women. The Ministry of Labor has removed 'safety qualifications' from tender documents. Three workers were injured due to an explosion in a rubble stone mine in Khuzestan province. The lack of safety in the workplace claims the lives of six workers daily. The investigator of the Tabas mine explosion confirmed the non-compliance with safety principles in the workplace. The Committee in Solidarity with the Labor Movement in Iran stated that the massacre of workers in the Tabas mine was due to the negligence of employers and the government.