ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 18 construction workers have died in the Kurdistan Region in the first four months of 2026 due to unsafe working conditions, a senior member of Kurdistan Workers’ Syndicate said on Thursday.
Ten of the workers died in Sulaimani, five in Duhok, two in Erbil, and one in Halabja province, Abdulqadir Nawprdani, a member of the syndicate’s executive office, told Rudaw.
He attributed the fatalities to employers’ failure to provide adequate safety equipment and maintaining safe working environments.
Nawprdani added that workers themselves do not always adhere to safety procedures.
In the past decade, 431 workers have died in workplace incidents across the Kurdistan Region, according to the official.
Workplace safety has long been a concern in both the Kurdistan Region and federal Iraq, where laborers frequently face hazardous conditions, particularly in the construction sector. Many employers do not formalize contracts with workers, allowing them to bypass obligations related to safety measures and compensation. As a result, injured workers often lose their only source of income without receiving adequate support.
Weak enforcement of labor regulations has further exacerbated the issue, leaving many workers without protective gear, insurance, or proper training.
Under Iraq’s Labor Code of 1987 (Act No. 71), employers are required to ensure safe working conditions and implement measures to protect workers on the job, but enforcement remains inconsistent.
The figures come ahead of Labour Day on May 1, when many laborers in the Kurdistan Region continue to work despite the public holiday.
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