Dr. Assist. Prof. Sertaç Temur, Deputy Head of the Department of Occupational Health and Safety at Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Faculty of Health Sciences, organized a workshop titled “The Architecture of Safety Culture: Policy and Procedure Creation” within the scope of the Safety Culture course. The workshop multi-dimensionally evaluated the creation, correct implementation, and integration of policies and procedures in occupational health and safety into corporate culture. During the event, it was emphasized that social compliance is a complementary element of occupational health and safety, and students had the opportunity to turn their theoretical knowledge into practice through applied workshop sessions.
The program, held at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Çarşı Campus Emirnebi 2 Conference Hall, was attended by students from undergraduate and associate degree Occupational Health and Safety Departments. Social Compliance Specialist Yunus Durmuş participated in the workshop as a guest.
Applied Training Provided within the Scope of the Safety Culture Course
In the workshop organized within the scope of the Safety Culture course, students were given comprehensive training in social compliance audits, aiming to draw attention to the role of social compliance audits in establishing a safety culture in workplaces.
The event discussed how occupational health and safety practices should not be limited to legislation alone, and how corporate culture can be integrated into this process.
Assist. Prof. Dr. Sertaç Temur: “Sustainable Safety Culture is Possible Through Conscious Practices”
Delivering the opening speech of the program, Assist. Prof. Dr. 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 the correct interpretation and effective implementation of these documents 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”
Yunus Durmuş, Social Compliance Specialist and guest of the training, stated that the discipline of occupational health and safety is not limited to technical measures alone, expressing that social compliance is a complementary and comprehensive umbrella for this field.
Durmuş explained that he started his career as an occupational safety technician and, realizing the needs in the sector, turned to the field of social compliance. He emphasized that occupational health and safety covers a wide range of areas, from working hours to the prevention of child labor, from environmental pollution to employee rights, not just physical risks.
Rana Plaza Disaster Became a Turning Point
Durmuş stated that in the past, companies only considered price and quality criteria, but today, global brands do not work with companies that have low social compliance scores. Durmuş reminded that the Rana Plaza disaster, which occurred in Bangladesh in 2013 and claimed the lives of more than 800 workers, was a significant turning point in the textile industry, adding that auditing processes became much stricter after this event.
Students Had the Opportunity to Put Theory into Practice
In the afternoon session of the workshop, practical studies were carried out with the students.
Students, divided into groups, had the opportunity to put their theoretical knowledge into practice by working on procedure writing, instruction preparation, and audit scenarios.
The event concluded with a group photo session held after the workshop.