What Is an OSGB, How to Choose One?
What Is an OSGB?
The OSGB (Joint Health and Safety Unit) is a unit authorized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security that provides occupational health and safety services to workplaces. For an OSGB to be established, it is mandatory to assign at least one workplace physician, one occupational safety expert and one other healthcare staff member employed under a full-time employment contract (Art.12/1).
Applications are made through e-Devlet (e-Government), and an authorization certificate in accordance with the Annex-2 template is issued to the authorized unit (Art.16).
Establishment and Physical Conditions
For an OSGB to obtain authorization, it must meet certain minimum physical conditions at the address where it will provide services (Art.12/3). These conditions are summarized in the table below.
| Section | Minimum area / condition |
|---|---|
| Workplace physician examination room | At least 10 m² |
| First aid and emergency intervention room | At least 15 m² |
| Occupational safety expert room | At least 10 m² |
| Waiting area | At least 12 m² |
| Archive room | Mandatory |
| Toilet and washbasin | Mandatory |
It is essential that the OSGB is open and actively operating at the address for which it is authorized (Art.12/7). As for the service area, an OSGB may provide services in the province where it is authorized and in the provinces bordering that province (Art.12/5).
Authorization Certificate and Visa
The authorization certificate issued upon authorization is not permanent; for the certificate to remain valid, it must be visaed every five years (Art.20). A service carried out with an OSGB whose visa is out of date carries a risk in terms of authorization. Therefore, the validity of the authorization certificate and the currency of the visa date should be verified before signing a contract.
How to Choose an OSGB?
The minimum criteria stipulated by the legislation for choosing an OSGB for a workplace can be listed as follows:
- Valid authorization certificate: The OSGB must hold a valid authorization certificate issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in accordance with the Annex-2 template (Art.16).
- Up-to-date visa: The five-year visa period of the authorization certificate must not have expired (Art.20).
- Service area compatibility: The province where the workplace is located must fall within the province where the OSGB is authorized or its bordering provinces (Art.12/5).
- Staff suited to the hazard class: A workplace physician and an occupational safety expert with qualifications appropriate to the workplace’s hazard class must be available for assignment (Art.12/1).
- İSG-KATİP contract: The service must be recorded through a contract concluded via the İSG-KATİP system.
All of these criteria are assessed together with the principle that the OSGB must be open and actively operating at its address of activity (Art.12/7).