2nd International, 11th National Occupational Health and Safety Conference

Organized under the leadership of the Adana Branch of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers (TMMOB), the 2nd International, 11th National Occupational Health and Safety Congress took place at the Cukurova University in Adana on October 25-28.

Held uninterruptedly since 2001, this year’s congress discussed issues such as national and international developments, the implications of digitalization, artificial intelligence and R&D on occupational health and safety (OHS), and the effects of remote, on-call, flexible and short-term jobs, which have become more widespread during the pandemic period, on occupational health. 

Organized internationally for the second time, the main theme of the congress was “OHS Management in Crises: Together We Can Succeed,” featuring numerous presentations, speeches and poster presentations in a total of 29 sessions.

The opening remarks of the four-day congress were delivered by Umit Galip Uncu, president of TMMOB Adana Branch; Zeydan Karalar, mayor of Adana Metropolitan Municipality; Yunus Yener, president of TMMOB; and Hüsnü Meydan, Executive Committee member of TMMOB.

Yunus Yener, president of TMMOB, began his inaugural speech by referring to the work of the Chamber in the field of occupational health and safety and made the following statements in brief: 

“Developing safety measures to properly address the problems of OHS is one of the fundamental duties of our profession and our Chamber. I would like to point out that the symposiums and congresses we have been organizing for 24 years, as well as the comprehensive proposals shaped in these events, the proceedings and panel books, and the Chamber Report of the Chamber have played an important role in strengthening the level of awareness in this field. Our activities include the publication of many books on occupational safety, periodic controls, lifting and conveying machines, pressure vessels, fire safety, construction machinery and other relevant subjects. 

98% of work accidents are preventable.

As in all of our professional practice areas, our Chamber regards the development of the knowledge and experience of our members in this field as a necessity and supports undergraduate education with on-the-job trainings and organizes relevant training courses. 

As is well known, work is a fundamental right. This right must be complemented by enforcement and legislative regulations. Labor rights and activities must be in a manner and content to fulfill the requirements of the right to work and live humanely, accompanied by OHS measures, and the laws and legislative arrangements must be oriented along these principles. 

Considering that 98% of occupational accidents are preventable, the conditions of production and service, i.e., working conditions, should be organized in accordance with this approach and the opportunities provided by scientific and technological developments should be used accordingly. 

The problems related to OHS, occupational safety engineering/expertise and occupational medicine in our country derive mainly from the social formation, that is, the way the economy is organized and the issues associated with it. 

At least 1409 laborers lost their lives in the first nine months of 2023.

Official statistics reveal that there has not been a decline in the number of occupational accidents and workplace homicides since 2012; on the contrary, there has been a steady increase. Both the frequency and severity rates of occupational accidents are increasing. So much so that the number of occupational accidents, which was 74,847 in 2000 and 191,389 in 2013, has kept increasing each year and reached 588,523 in 2022. According to the data provided by the Social Security Institution, the incidence of occupational accidents increased by 786% in 2022 compared to 2000.

There is also a similar increase in workplace homicides, as well. Social Security Institution (SSI) figures show that there were 731 deaths in 2000 and 744 in 2012, while in 2022 there were 1,517 deaths according to the data of the SSI and at least 1,843 deaths according to the data of the Occupational Health and Safety Council (OHSC). 

Moreover, data from OHSC also reveals that at least 1,409 laborers lost their lives in the first nine months of 2023. It can be observed that the data of OHSC report more fatalities than the data of SSI. Again, as per the data of OHSC, the number of workplace homicides has surpassed 32,000 during the ruling period of the AKP government.

Working conditions resemble the brutal working conditions of the 19th century.

The extremely problematic nature of occupational disease data also persists, and the data is very dramatic. For example, there are only 166 reported fatalities due to occupational diseases according to SSI 2000-2022 data covering 23 years. However, within the framework of ILO’s international acceptance and considering the number of workers in our country, at least 9,000 workers pass away every year due to occupational diseases, but these are not recognized and recorded as being caused by occupational diseases. 

Considering that the prevalence of occupational diseases is between four-12 per thousand individuals, the number of occupational diseases must have been at least 35,000 based on the number of employees with compulsory insurance in Türkiye, while this number would have been between 100,000 and 300,000 if all employees were taken into account! Furthermore, as we witness almost every day, the dramatic problems particularly in the mining and construction sectors, as well as migrant labor, child and female labor are heartbreaking. Working conditions sometimes resemble the brutal working conditions of the 19th century.

There are so many problems, and I have only pointed out some of them. Finally, I would like to state that our Chamber will continue its activities, suggestions and contributions to eliminate all the adversities in OHS legislation, to develop preventive approaches to occupational accidents and occupational diseases, to implement occupational safety engineering and workplace medicine in a manner that can contribute to solving the problems of working life and to ensure that the lives of all laborers are protected.” 

The Occupational Health and Safety Congress boasted a total of 29 sessions in two halls over the course of four days, under the main theme of “OHS Management in Crises: Together We Can Succeed.”