A construction company director and an occupational safety engineer have been detained in Dushanbe following the death of a worker who fell from the 13th floor of a building, the city’s Police Department reported.

A criminal case has been opened against the two officials on suspicion of violating occupational safety regulations.

The accident occurred on June 24, 2026, while Imomali Qosimov was installing exterior lighting on a building. He fell from the 13th floor and died at the scene.

An investigation by the Dushanbe prosecutor’s office found that the head of the construction company, Sulton Samiyev, and safety engineer Abdumavlon Samadov had allowed Qosimov to carry out work at height without a signed employment contract.

According to police, the officials had also failed to verify his qualifications and professional training. Qosimov did not have the special permit required to perform high-altitude work.

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against Samiyev and Samadov under Article 154, Part 2, of Tajikistan’s Criminal Code, which covers violations of occupational safety regulations. Both have been remanded in custody pending investigation.

The Dushanbe Police Department reminded employers that workers may be assigned hazardous tasks only after their qualifications, training and required permits have been verified. Employers are also responsible for ensuring compliance with occupational health and safety requirements.

Police urged construction company executives, contractors and developers to comply with the law and allow only properly trained and qualified specialists to perform hazardous work.

Twenty-one people killed in workplace accidents

Construction and other industrial work remain among the most dangerous areas of employment in Tajikistan.

In the first half of 2026, 32 accidents were recorded at enterprises and facilities supervised by the State Service for Industrial Safety and Mining Supervision.

The incidents left 21 people dead and 19 injured.

The agency cited violations of safety rules, negligence by engineering and technical personnel, and a shortage of qualified specialists among the main causes of workplace accidents.

Similar fatal incidents have previously occurred at construction sites in Dushanbe.

In February 2019, nine workers fell from a height of approximately 30 to 35 meters after a structure collapsed at the construction site of the Central Mosque.

In August 2020, one worker was killed and another injured when a construction crane collapsed.