Birleşik Metal-İş Raises the Occupational Health and Safety Shield Across 81 Provinces

Kocaeli / Karabük – Birleşik Metal-İş Union, organized in the heart of Turkey's heavy industrial sectors – the metal industry – views its members' right to healthy and safe working conditions as a fundamental entitlement and a continuous area of struggle. With this principle, the union's occupational health and safety (OHS) inspections continue uninterrupted nationwide. In this context, the union's OHS expert, along with executives from its Kocaeli Branch and workplace representatives, conducted comprehensive inspections at the Çelsantaş workplace in Karabük.

Proactive Steps for a Safe Working Environment

Birleşik Metal-İş Union regularly carries out OHS inspections to minimize potential risks in workplaces and eliminate factors that could threaten its members' health and safety. This proactive approach by the union stands out as one of its fundamental principles in the union struggle, going beyond mere legal obligations. These inspections both question the adequacy of existing measures and lay the groundwork for taking protective measures against potential new risks.

Details of the Çelsantaş Visit: Field Observation and Emphasis on Cooperation

Today's inspection was led by Nuran Gülenç, the union's experienced occupational safety expert, with the participation of executives from Birleşik Metal-İş Kocaeli Branch and union representatives at the Çelsantaş workplace. The delegation thoroughly reviewed the production areas, machine safety systems, use of personal protective equipment, general order of the working environment, and hygiene conditions. During the inspections, firsthand information was gathered from workplace representatives and direct employees regarding practical applications on the ground and any encountered problems.

By combining the technical knowledge and experience of expert Nuran Gülenç with the direct contact of Kocaeli Branch executives with workers and the field observations of workplace representatives, a comprehensive assessment of the OHS situation at Çelsantaş was made. Such visits enable the union to achieve more effective results by combining central technical expertise with local branch field experience.

The Indispensable Place of OHS in Union Struggle

Birleşik Metal-İş consistently emphasizes that the union struggle is not merely about economic gains such as wages and social rights, but that occupational health and safety is also one of the fundamental pillars of this struggle. Given that the metal sector inherently carries high risks, the union's work in this area is of vital importance. Preventing occupational accidents and diseases is among the union's top priorities.

These inspections are a concrete reflection of Birleşik Metal-İş's principle that "our members' workplaces must be safe and healthy." The union will continue to use the findings obtained from such inspections as strong arguments in discussions with employers and during collective bargaining processes. Birleşik Metal-İş will remain determinedly on the field to ensure its members can work in healthy and safe conditions.