The 65th Session of the '1 Topic 1 Guest' event, organized by Üsküdar University's Occupational Safety, Health and Environmental Health Application and Research Center, ÜSGÜMER, was held. The guest of the program was Farmasi HSE Manager Remzi Yurtseven.
In the event held online, Farmasi HSE Manager Remzi Yurtseven delivered his presentation titled “OHS Management System Applications in Integrated Facilities.”
“We are trying to bring risks to an acceptable level”
Farmasi HSE Manager Remzi Yurtseven, pointing out that they are trying to reduce the potential for harm and bring risks to an acceptable level, stated: “At my workplace, we had panels and fire extinguishers. The number of fire extinguishers was not fully adequate at that time. We wanted to increase the number of fire extinguishers a bit, and we did. We wanted the panel rooms, especially the large ones, to be better insulated, and later we installed self-detonating fire suppression systems in these rooms. Subsequently, there are automatic suppression systems inside the panels, within the fuses, and we developed these systems. We created IT rooms that could be combined. This continuous development is an example of Kaizen. No matter how big your business is, it's not possible to do everything at once. You need to build upon it and constantly strive for better. After developing this system, we will develop much better systems. Therefore, there was a danger, a potential for harm. We are trying to reduce the likelihood, the probability of this occurring. We are trying to bring risks to an acceptable level.”
The most important item of the ISO Improvement System: The PDCA System
Yurtseven, speaking about the PDCA cycle (Plan, Do, Check, Act) and how the ISO Management System is established within this cycle system, said: “The most important item of the ISO improvement system is the PDCA System. We have a system called Plan, Do, Check, Act, and it operates with this system. When planning, it needs to answer the questions: what, how, where, when, and by whom will it be done? The ‘who’ question is especially important. You can make a very good plan, but there might be no one to take ownership of it. In such cases, a good plan needs to be made. ‘Do’ means the plan becomes implementable. The plan will need to be well-implemented. We will follow up during implementation, and we will call this ‘Check’. If there are any lagging or prolonged aspects when we check, we will try to eliminate them by taking action. If it's on track, and the system is progressing very well, then we will continue with the Kaizen continuous improvement system.”
“A person cannot develop a system alone”
Yurtseven emphasized that when non-conformities are observed in an area, they must be addressed immediately: “Of course, I follow up on certain issues, ensure control, and make warnings, but this should always be done by the person who is present in that area, meaning the area supervisor. Because the area manager I wanted to mention earlier works with 10-20 people. Due to their continuous work, it is much easier for them to have authority over and direct 10 people in that area. Even if the area chief above them oversees two areas, they should also have control over everything, but if you give the system to the person at the very top, they cannot do it alone. Whether it's an occupational safety specialist, an employer, a director, or a coordinator, one person alone cannot develop a system. That's why support is needed. When we see a non-conformity in an area, we need to address it immediately. Of course, there are also non-conformities that are not critical but need to be recorded. We share these in a WhatsApp group and await their resolution, and these come to us as weekly reports. Our weekly reports arrive digitally, and we also print them out. In our weekly reports, we are meticulous about resolving non-conformities within one week, and after converting these reports into monthly ones, we critically review them and resolve them by bringing them to the agenda, especially in board meetings. ‘What did we do, we planned, we implemented, we checked, and we took action.’ These form the basis of Kaizen.”
The online event concluded after participants' questions were answered.