MİSGEP Held Its Final Meeting with Employers and NGO Executives of the Mining Sector in Tekirdağ
Within the scope of MİSGEP, implemented by the Directorate General of Occupational Health and Safety (İSGGM) and co-financed by the European Union and the Republic of Türkiye, the final meeting of the “MİSGEP Mining Sector Consultation Meetings” — which aimed to improve occupational health and safety conditions in mining workplaces and raise awareness in this field — was held in Tekirdağ. Covering 25 provinces across 7 regions of Türkiye, this was the 25th and final meeting of the series. The event was attended by Tekirdağ Deputy Governor Dr. Osman Abdullah Günaydın, Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Bülent Eker, President of the Occupational Health and Safety Research and Development Institute Ms. Sakine Ovacıllı, Tekirdağ Provincial Director of the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) Mr. Yaşar Esen, representatives from the Social Security Institution and KOSGEB, mining companies operating in the Tekirdağ region, OHS service providers (OSGBs), and senior executives of NGOs.
In the opening session, Tekirdağ İŞKUR Provincial Director Mr. Yaşar Esen shared current information about the local labor market and ongoing services, expressing his wishes for a successful and productive meeting held within the scope of MİSGEP.
President of the Occupational Health and Safety Research and Development Institute, Ms. Sakine Ovacıllı, presented an overview of occupational health and safety in the Tekirdağ region, noting significant improvements: “Between 2013 and 2019, the number of workplaces increased by 17.1%, and the number of employees rose by 38.4%. Meanwhile, fatal work accidents decreased by 60.7%, exceeding the national average reduction rate of 41.3%. Access to OHS services in the mining and quarrying sector also improved remarkably, with workplace coverage increasing 86.6-fold and employee coverage 13.1-fold between 2013 and 2020. We hope Tekirdağ will continue to provide an even safer and healthier working environment in the years ahead.”
Tekirdağ Deputy Governor Dr. Osman Abdullah Günaydın extended his congratulations, wishing MİSGEP to be a beneficial and successful project for both Tekirdağ and Türkiye as a whole, and expressed his gratitude to the President of the Institute, the MİSGEP Team Leader, and all team members for their efforts.
During the consultation session, MİSGEP Team Leader Mr. Gökhan Güler and Dr. Hacer Kayhan delivered presentations on occupational health and safety practices in the mining sector (including international examples), legal obligations related to administrative fines in mining, compensation after occupational accidents, the impact of unionization on OHS, pneumoconiosis as one of the most common occupational diseases in the sector, and the costs and benefits of preventing work accidents. Participants shared their views following each discussion topic throughout the session.
