Occupational Health and Safety Symposium Focused on Workplace Safety Culture Held in Üsküdar

The 9th Symposium on Occupational Health and Safety Issues and Solution Proposals in Turkey, organized under the theme "Innovative Training and Practices Developing Safety Culture in Workplaces," was held under the auspices of Üsküdar University. The symposium, which brought together academics, sector representatives, occupational safety experts and public institutions, addressed numerous topics including prevention of work accidents, strengthening safety culture and the impact of digitalization on the sector.

The opening of the symposium was attended by Prof. Dr. Arif Aktuğ Ertekin, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Üsküdar University; Dr. Rüştü Uçan, Head of the Occupational Health and Safety Department; and Dr. Sertaç Temur, Deputy Head of the Occupational Health and Safety Department and Symposium Moderator.

"MORE THAN 700,000 WORK ACCIDENTS OCCURRED"
Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Arif Aktuğ Ertekin stated that awareness of occupational health and safety needs to be increased in Turkey.

Ertekin said in his remarks:

"Occupational health and safety is one of the most important issues in our country. Despite all this technological development, we are still losing people due to work accidents. All of these are preventable deaths."

Ertekin noted that according to latest data, more than 700,000 work accidents occurred in 2024, and as of November 2025, work accident deaths reached figures in the 1,900s, adding that children and migrant workers are also among those who lost their lives.

EMPHASIS ON EARTHQUAKE EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS AND GAS SAFETY
Head of the Occupational Health and Safety Department Dr. Rüştü Uçan recalled that the symposium was being held for the first time following the Soma disaster, stating that the event represents an important academic output for the field.

Dr. Uçan emphasized the importance of security practices related to earthquakes:

"Early warning systems related to earthquake fault lines can provide information 15–30 seconds in advance. This is not yet being implemented in residential buildings. It needs to be activated urgently."

He also emphasized the critical importance of making natural gas detectors and automatic gas shut-off systems mandatory.

"SAFETY CULTURE" BECAME THE CORE FOCUS OF THE SYMPOSIUM
Symposium Moderator Dr. Sertaç Temur stated that values and sustainability form the foundation of safety culture:

"This year we aimed to organize a symposium with the theme of 'safety culture.' I believe that the field of occupational health and safety will reach much more advanced points in the second and third generations."

SECTOR, ACADEMIA AND STUDENTS CAME TOGETHER
Throughout the program:

- Root cause analysis of work accidents,

- Safety practices in the mining sector,

- Earthquake early warning systems,

- Safety approach in human resources,

- Psychosocial risks,

- Digitalized occupational health and safety solutions

and many other topics were discussed.

SECOND DAY HELD ONLINE
The second day of the two-day symposium continued on 10 January 2026 via online platform. The event concluded with closing remarks after evaluations.