Within the scope of the Safety Culture course, a workshop titled “The Architecture of Safety Culture: Policy and Procedure Development Workshop” was organized by Asst. Prof. Sertaç Temur, Deputy Head of the Department of Occupational Health and Safety at the Faculty of Health Sciences of Üsküdar University. The workshop addressed the creation of policies and procedures in the field of occupational health and safety, their correct implementation, and their integration into corporate culture from a multidimensional perspective. During the event, it was emphasized that social compliance is a complementary component of occupational health and safety, while hands on workshop activities enabled students to transform theoretical knowledge into practice.
The program was held at the Emirnebi 2 Conference Hall of Üsküdar University Çarşı Campus and was attended by undergraduate and associate degree students from the Occupational Health and Safety Departments. Social Compliance Specialist Yunus Durmuş participated in the workshop as a guest speaker.
Practical training provided within the scope of the Safety Culture course
In the workshop organized as part of the Safety Culture course, students received comprehensive training in the field of social compliance audits, with the aim of highlighting the role of social compliance audits in establishing a safety culture in workplaces.
The event emphasized that occupational health and safety practices should not be limited solely to legislation and examined how corporate culture can be integrated into this process.
Asst. Prof. Sertaç Temur: “A sustainable safety culture is possible through conscious practices”
Delivering the opening speech of the program, Asst. Prof. Sertaç Temur emphasized that one of the most critical stages of safety culture is not only the creation of rules, policies, instructions, and procedures, but also ensuring that these documents are read correctly and effectively implemented in the field. Temur stated that a sustainable safety culture can only be achieved through conscious practices.
Yunus Durmuş: “Social compliance is the umbrella of occupational health and safety”
Social Compliance Specialist Yunus Durmuş, the guest speaker of the training, stated that the discipline of occupational health and safety is not limited to technical measures alone and emphasized that social compliance serves as a complementary and inclusive umbrella for this field.
Durmuş explained that he began his career journey as an occupational safety technician and later turned to the field of social compliance after recognizing the needs of the sector. He highlighted that occupational health and safety encompasses a wide range of issues, not only physical risks but also working hours, prevention of child labor, environmental pollution, and employee rights.
The Rana Plaza disaster became a turning point
Durmuş stated that companies previously considered only price and quality criteria, but today global brands do not work with companies that have low social compliance scores. Recalling the Rana Plaza disaster that occurred in Bangladesh in 2013, in which more than 800 workers lost their lives, Durmuş emphasized that this tragedy marked a significant turning point in the textile sector and that audit processes became much stricter afterward.
Students had the opportunity to put theory into practice
In the afternoon session of the workshop, practical activities were carried out together with the students.
Students were divided into groups and worked on procedure writing, instruction preparation, and audit scenarios, giving them the opportunity to put their theoretical knowledge into practice.
The event concluded with a group photo session following the workshop activities.