Kazakhstan's Ministry of Labor and Social Protection is initiating unscheduled inspections at construction sites in Astana following a series of tower crane incidents that left two people dead and two seriously injured. The ministry intends to apply extreme measures to repeat offenders, including revoking construction licenses, according to infohub.kz.
Special investigations are currently underway into each case of worker death or injury in the capital. Following an interagency meeting, the State Labor Inspectorate Committee has been tasked with launching a comprehensive audit of the industry. If violations are found, materials will be immediately forwarded to the relevant authorities.
First Vice Minister of Labor Yerbol Tuyakbayev stated that the period of warnings is over. Companies with a pattern of workplace accidents will face separate scrutiny. For such organizations, procedures will be initiated to suspend or fully revoke their construction licenses.
The ministry emphasizes that a repeated incident at a site signals a systemic management problem, not a coincidence. Tuyakbayev urged builders to stop attributing workplace injuries to the "human factor."
The ministry's position is that behind any mistake by an ordinary worker lies management failure: lack of proper training, equipment malfunction, or violation of technological control. Responsibility for site safety rests solely with the top executives of construction companies, who must manage occupational risks alongside project deadlines and financial performance.
On August 31, it was reported that a tower crane collapsed near Kurgaldzhinskoye Highway in Astana, killing one person and injuring two others.
Workplace injuries on construction sites remain a systemic problem across Kazakhstan. In late August 2026, a tragedy occurred at the Kokjiek City residential complex in Almaty, where a worker—a father of five—died.
In Astana, incidents involving high-rise equipment have also been recorded repeatedly. In April 2026, a tower crane caught fire at one of the capital's construction sites, and in July 2025, similar equipment collapsed to the ground.
Law enforcement and courts are increasingly imposing strict sanctions on responsible parties. In December 2025, a court sentenced two foremen to actual prison terms for the deaths of workers at a construction site in Temirtau.