Shafaq News – Kirkuk

Workplace accidents in Kirkuk have killed or injured at least 25 workers since the start of 2025, mostly during construction projects, medical sources reported to Shafaq News on Tuesday.

According to the sources, most incidents occurred due to the absence of regular on-site inspections by the relevant authorities.

Among the victims was prominent calligrapher Awni Al-Naqqash, who lost his life while working in a mosque in central Kirkuk—an accident that stirred widespread grief across cultural and artistic circles.

In remarks to Shafaq News, Abdullah Hassan, a researcher and academic, attributed the increase in workplace accidents to the lack of professional safety standards, explaining that “many workshops employ untrained laborers and lack basic safety equipment.”

Urging the enforcement of mandatory occupational safety regulations, he underscored the importance of labor unions in monitoring and promoting awareness, particularly across smaller projects and sites that operate without direct government supervision.

Iraq’s Labor Code (Act No. 71 of 1987) and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Manual require employers to provide protective gear and maintain safe working conditions. Yet only 1–2% of construction sites reportedly have functional safety committees in place.

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