Opr. Dr. Uçar Çallı: “Üsküdar University is the Oxford of OHS”

The topic of the 40th episode of the '1 Topic 1 Guest' program, organized by Üsküdar University, was scenario-based occupational health and safety training techniques. The guest was Opr. Dr. Uçar Çallı, an in-service trainer for workplace and occupational safety. Çallı said, “I call Üsküdar University the Oxford of this field. They are truly a team that is very enthusiastic about education and training, paving the way for young people. I am amazed at how such a wonderful team came together.”

Asst. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan: “Üsküdar is the best in Turkey for Occupational Health and Safety”

The opening speech was delivered by Asst. Prof. Dr. Rüştü Uçan, Head of Üsküdar University's Occupational Health and Safety Department. Uçan said: “We are holding the 40th of these meetings. 40 is indeed a large number. In Turkey, we generally don’t reach 40. We have surpassed three years by holding one every month. Uçar hocam (professor) has been a great support from the very beginning. I confidently state that our university is the best in Turkey in OHS, both for two-year and four-year programs. We are in a good position with our laboratories, working-at-height, and fire training areas.”

“Üsküdar University is the Oxford of this field”

Opr. Dr. Uçar Çallı began his speech by stating his agreement with Dr. Rüştü Uçan’s remarks: “Our professor Rüştü said we are good in this field, but I don't quite agree with that word, because I think Üsküdar University is excellent in this field. I call Üsküdar University the Oxford of this field. They are truly a team that is very enthusiastic about education and training, paving the way for young people. I am amazed at how such a wonderful team came together.”

Sharing his workplace physician experiences, Opr. Dr. Çallı stated: “Workplace medicine and occupational safety are intertwined. In the international trainings I received, they know and teach very well which disease will develop in which job. I was working with foreigners in the field; there were Spanish, Italian, Korean, Japanese, and they were treating our people very badly, and our people couldn't really do anything. Those people were so knowledgeable that I wondered, 'How are these people so well-informed?' That's when I decided to learn about occupational health and safety as well.”

“Scenario-based training provides incredible experience.”

Opr. Dr. Çallı explained: “Scenario-based training (SBLİSG) provides you with incredible experience. I emphasize, not knowledge, but experience. With scenario-based training, I started writing about 7-8 scenarios a day, and each time it started getting better. We have progressed so much that we now take a real event and write a scenario based on it. After researching world literature, we find new equipment. As SBLİSG, we first created 5-6 different types of modeling with our colleagues. For example, one of my colleagues really liked the 'ergo health' model. Another colleague liked 'crime scene investigation'. I want to talk a bit about these models. Let me give an example from ergo health; there are hydroelectric power plants that collect water and then release it in stages. Because the river flow is somewhat affected, for instance, very high levels of methylmercury have been found worldwide. This methylmercury passes into the vegetables we eat from the soil. The workers there are affected. For example, methylmercury falls under ergo health here.”

In the later minutes of the event, Opr. Dr. Çallı continued his speech with examples from work equipment.