text: Mining: The sector with low added value, high loss of life - Latest News
  Miners discuss in front of a statue representing a miner holding a shovel in the western town of Soma, in the Manisa province. The death toll from the devastating coal mine disaster was 301. AFP photo
  According to a survey conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) on labor force costs, the mining labor force - which is generally provided from the rural region due to more mines being located there and because not many qualifications are needed for the job - is found to be the cheapest labor force.
  Meanwhile, 2.3 percent of all workers who have been employed in the past 12 months in Turkey have experienced an occupational accident. However, when reviewed according to sectors, the rate of those who have had a job accident in the past year in the mining and quarrying sector is 10.4 percent, while in the electricity and gas sector it is 5.2 percent, and in the construction sector it is 4.3 percent. The fact that technology in the mining sector is not being updated is crucial to the mining sector coming last in occupational safety. The fact that coal extraction is conducted in galleries underground increases risks, while in regions such as Soma the fact that the coal seams burn also increases the risk. There have reportedly been debates in the Cabinet about whether to terminate coal production in places such as Soma. However, the Energy Ministry - which is aiming to reduce dependency on energy imports by focusing on local fuels - does not want to give up on coal, and is including coal in the packages of several electric power plant privatizations. Nevertheless, in the wake of the last major disaster, the private sector is expected to be extra careful.