Laboratories

Improvement of laboratories constitutes one of the main activities of the Project. In this frame, Kocaeli and Ankara have been chosen as pilot regions for laboratory support to the OHS. Together with Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kupfer, Laboratory expert of the ISAG Project, we evaluated the activities carried out in this field.

That there is no available statistical study country-wide concerning the working conditions at work places is a serious problem. This shortage of data in the field of chemistry, physics and ergonomics creates an obstacle in planning for occupational health and safety. Therefore, a market analysis must be carried out to provide the necessary data.

Governmental laboratories have not kept pace with new scientific developments in recent years. Both small and medium size enterprises and large companies are in need the support from the government laboratories to determine and measure certain risks and hazards in the work place. Mobile units will also be provided to provide a flexible response to industry needs. The laboratory in Kocaeli will become a model laboratory for future designs to be based on. Construction of both laboratories will be completed by the second quarter of 2005.

The EU provided 500.000 € to renovate the Ankara Laboratory (ISGUM) and this is now underway. The renovation of the building will start in October and all staff members at ISGUM are looking forward to the commencement of training activities. When the renovation process is completed, new laboratory equipment (GC, AAS; spectro-photometre, electron microscope, etc.), financed by EU, will be in operation.

As for the laboratory in Kocaeli, there is an agreement between Kocaeli University and Directorate General of Occupational Health and Safety. The services and training to be provided in the laboratory which will be established within the university campus, will present a model for the whole Turkey.

At this point, it is very important for the University and the Ministry to have strong relationships. To exemplify, the cost of construction will be covered by the University, while the cost of the establishment of the laboratory will be covered by the Ministry which will act with the support of EU. Within the frame of the present work plan, detailed project plans have been prepared with the contribution of Marco Pleuss.

Country-Wide Raising Awareness Seminars on Safety Culture

The ISAG Project Team and the Directorate General of Occupational Health and Safety, have been working together in a joint effort to create social dialogue with the social partners through a series of regional seminars on Raising Awareness for Stakeholders.

The regional seminars were planned to be held on Bursa, İzmir, Adana, Gaziantep, Malatya, Samsun, Konya, Kayseri, Kocaeli and İstanbul.

The seminars in Ankara, Bursa, İzmir, Adana, Antep, Samsun and Malatya have been completed successfully and the publicity gained through these were well above expectations. Media coverage through newsletters and TV Channels was excellent which helped the spreading of the Safety Culture idea.

The regional seminars will continue until 27 June 2005 with a closing event Istanbul and the next issue of the ISAG Project newsletter will cover a detailed story of events.

Raising Awareness Seminars became a success story in several respects like qualitative participants, social dialogue with stakeholders, content of programme under safety culture, participation, contribution of stakeholders, content of training kit and manuals delivered, organization of venues. The closing ceremony of the seminars took place in İstanbul on 29 July 2005. Erhan Batur (Director General of DGOHS), Paul Huijzendveld (ISAG Project Team Leader), Salih Kılıç (Türk-İş President), Salim Uslu (Hak-İş President), Süleyman Çelebi (DİSK President), Tuğrul Kudatgobilik (TİSK President) and Murat Başesgioğlu (Minister) participated to the closing ceramony as speakers.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work aims to make Europe’s workplaces safer, healthier and more productive. It acts as a catalyst for developing, collecting, analysing and disseminating information that improves the state of occupational safety and health in Europe. And now Turkey has joined the network.

The Turkish NIP site is available at http://tr.osha.eu.int

Hans-Horst Konkolewsky (Director) and Finn Sheye (Network Manager) from the European Agency for Safety And Health at Work, held a conference in Ankara, Turkey about the National Information Point website for Turkey, on 21 June 2005. Erhan Batur (The Director General of OHS) also made a presentation about the newly founded National Information Point of Turkey and along with Mr. Konkolewsy, they answered questions asked by stakeholders and the press members.

The National Information Point is a three-partite structure, consisting of the government, employers and employees. The Turkish NIP was founded by the cooperation between the ISAG Project (Berk Cengiz) and the Directorate General of Occupational Health and Safety. (Sakine Büyükgüçlü, Esra Postalcıoğlu, Çiğdem Ünal and Süreyya Kapusuz)

The reconstruction of the ISGUM Laboratory is complete.

The first floor is reserved for offices, the second for library and cafe and the third floor is reserved for the lab equipment purchased through the ISAG Project.