According to the reports spread on May 30, 2017, a construction worker fell from the height to his death in Tbilisi. According to the same information, an investigation was launched under Article 240 of the Criminal Code (violation of safety rules in mining, construction or other works).

The Public Defender expresses deep sorrow over the incident and offers sympathy to the relatives of the worker. This has been the seventh case of death in the workplace this year, which have been responded by Public Defender’s public statements. Quite high number of cases remains beyond media attention, while the reality is even graver. In recent years, the number of injuries and deaths in the workplace has been increasing, which clearly indicates the need for urgent and effective measures from the state.

It is noteworthy that the public does not have information about the results of the investigation of the cases of injuries and deaths in the workplace. It is important each case to be timely and effectively investigated. At the request of the Public Defender's Office, systematization and proactive publication of information about the progress of investigations of the cases of injuries and deaths in the workplace have been defined as one of the key priorities by the Government’s Human Rights Action Plan 2016-2017. The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia was charged with implementing the mentioned task; 2016-2017 was defined as the term of implementation and “Information is published within appropriate timeframes” as an indicator. It is noteworthy no information has yet been published.

Injuries and deaths in the workplace need timely and strict response from the state. At the same time, the state should spare no efforts to provide appropriate mechanisms for preventing such cases, including through creation of effective labour inspection mechanism.