Research Information System
International Congress on Health Sciences, Occupational Health and Safety, Iğdır, Turkey, 15 - 16 April 2025, pp.159-160, (Summary Text)
Occupational health and safety (OHS) is a highly significant issue for both the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Union (EU). The ILO addresses OHS as an independent field through its conventions and recommendations and aims to broaden its scope with the concept of "decent work." Similarly, the EU establishes extensive standardization in OHS by referring to ILO conventions and recommendations for both itself and candidate countries. In line with its EU accession process, Turkiye has been striving to align its OHS legislation and policies with these standards. This study analyzes the regulatory changes, policy transformations, and sectoral impacts of the EU harmonization process on OHS in Turkiye. Despite the enactment of Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety, which represents one of the most significant legal reforms in this field, the increasing incidence of workplace accidents, particularly in high-risk sectors, highlights ongoing implementation challenges. In this context, the study evaluates how Turkiye’s OHS policies have evolved, the types of workplace practices they have led to, and their overall effectiveness. Furthermore, the study assesses the impact of the EU harmonization process on workplace accidents and occupational diseases in Turkiye, examining the practical implementation of legal regulations and their effectiveness using statistical data. A literature review and sectoral data analysis provide insights into Turkiye's progress and ongoing deficiencies in the OHS field. The study identifies the gaps in Turkiye’s legislation and implementation from the perspective of EU requirements and proposes strategic recommendations to address these shortcomings. In conclusion, while Turkiye has made significant progress in aligning its OHS framework with EU standards, challenges remain in terms of implementation and the effectiveness of legal regulations. This study offers recommendations for ensuring full compliance with EU OHS standards and provides strategic evaluations for policymakers in this context.