Miniskirt and Bikini-clad Tourists Big Dig Distraction

distraction links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 29 July 2011)

Tourists coming to the Myra-Adriake excavation at Demre in shorts and
bikinis are causing distractions so work hours have been changed.

The excavation activity begins at 5 in the morning and a break is given to
workers during the hours when tourist traffic is heaviest. Excavation chief
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Çelik explained that 'it would be very dangerous for the
attention of the operator of a five-ton winch to be distracted while he's
lifting giant rocks and columns. Tourist girls wearing miniskirts and bikinis
come into the excavation area to take pictures. If a worker's concentration
is distracted there could be an accident at any time.'

The excavations at Myra-Andriake in Antalya's Demre district are entering
their third season and 500,000 tourists per year come to see the Myra
Antique Theater excavation. Dr. Çelik noticed that workers using tractors
and winches to move rocks weighing hunreds of kilograms were eyeing
Russian tourists so he decided to change the work hours. Continuing, Dr.
Çelik stated that 'excavation work starts at 9 AM and we used to give the
workers a lunch and nap break between 12 and 1 PM. Now we've changed
it to 12-5 PM in consideration of the hours when there's the most tourist
traffic. We start the work again at 5 PM and the 100-strong excavation
team, 30 of whom are day-workers, work until sunset.'

This arrangement was decided upon to minimize workers' distraction and
to avoid working during the hottest hours of the day, according to Dr. Çevik,
who added that the excavation team member have to have their wits about
them.  He stated that every excavation can arrange its work hours based on
its own season but he doesn't look kindly on the idea of foreign tourists
coming into excavation areas that are not yet museums. Dr. Çevik reiterated
that there must be no distractions when rocks weighing thousands of
kilograms are being lifted, saying 'the tourists generally come in miniskirts
and shorts. Some even wear bikinis. They distract the work and this must
not happen in consideration of job safety.'