"A postal worker forced to work in extreme heat had a cerebral hemorrhage in Turkey"

Correction: We have learned that Berran Özen Kırmızıgül, a PTT worker who was reported by the Haber-Sen union, of which she is a member, to have suffered a cerebral hemorrhage during a distribution in extreme heat, is fighting for her life in intensive care. We wish her a rapid recovery. The article was updated on 30.07.2023.

Berran Özen Kırmızıgül (42), a postal worker from the state-owned Turkish Post (PTT), was hospitalized [...] after she collapsed due to sunstroke while delivering mail in the western city of Izmir...

Experts say working outdoors in this heat, especially between 11 am and 3 pm, is dangerous for health. In particular, workers in agriculture, construction, municipalities, mail delivery, shipyards, ports and cleaning can face the danger of sunstroke.

An article by public health expert Dr. Hazal Cansu Çulpan published on T24 pointed out that extreme heat affects vulnerable groups such as the elderly [...] those with comorbidities, as well as the workers more. Çulpan wrote:

People with low socioeconomic status are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of heat for a number of reasons. The higher prevalence of chronic diseases among these people, the fact that their jobs require more physical activity, poorer housing conditions, and difficulties in accessing treatment are some of the reasons why they are in the risk group.

After Kırmızıgül’s death, the Haber-Sen union, of which she was a member, organized a protest in front of the Izmir Post Office Directorate. The union demanded the resignation of the PTT General Director and the Izmir Chief Director and filed a criminal complaint against them for violating the Occupational Safety Law...

[...] the union bureaucracy has a long and criminal record of accepting unsafe working conditions.

The General Directorate of Meteorology has warned of record high temperatures in Turkey this week, urging people to “stay indoors.”