What are the OHS obligations in construction?

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In construction (NACE 41, 42, 43) 60 of the 72 activity codes — 83% — fall in the highly hazardous class, so obligations apply at their strictest level. SGK recorded 82,024 occupational accidents and 586 deaths in these three divisions in 2025: 30.1% of all occupational accident deaths in the country. The sector's hazard profile The annex of the workplace hazard class communiqué lists 72 activity codes for the construction divisions (41, 42, 43). Sixty of them are highly hazardous, ten are hazardous and only two are less hazardous. That 83% share ranks third among all sector views, behind mining (95%) and oil and gas (91%), and the weight of the legal duties follows directly from that class. The SGK 2025 table NACE division Accidents Deaths Occupational diseases 41 · Construction of buildings 51,927 360 23 42 · Civil engineering 20,529 145 6 43 · Specialised construction activities 9,568 81 2 Sector total 82,024 586 31 The sector holds 10.7% of accidents but 30.1% of deaths. That is 7.1 deaths per 1,000 accidents against a national average of 2.5. In construction the problem is not the number of accidents but their severity. What the employer has to put in place The articles of Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 6331 that carry administrative fines also set the inspection agenda on site: General obligation of the employer — taking measures, organising the work, providing equipment and adapting measures to changing conditions. Occupational health and safety services; assigning a workplace physician and an occupational safety specialist. Risk assessment, control, measurement and research. Emergency plans, firefighting, first aid and evacuation. Health surveillance; informing and training workers. Recording and reporting occupational accidents and diseases. Worker representative, the OHS board and — the article that defines site work — coordination of occupational health and safety. Coordination is decisive in construction: when several employers and subcontractors work on the same site the duty does not disappear, it becomes a coordination duty. The accident statistics confirm this — more than half of all deaths are recorded in workplaces with fewer than 50 employees, and subcontractor crews on site are usually exactly that size. Your own activity code Your site's hazard class depends on your NACE code, and that class sets how heavy the obligations are. Search your code with the hazard class query , or open the construction sector view for all 72 codes and the division-by-division accident table. For the national comparison, use the sector table on the Türkiye OHS statistics page.

Obligation	Legal basis	How the page covers it
The employer's general duty applies on site in the same way	Law no. 6331, art. 4(1) — the employer is obliged to take all measures, arrange the organisation, provide the necessary means, adapt the measures to changing circumstances, monitor and inspect compliance with them, carry out or have carried out a risk assessment, and take the employee's fitness into account when assigning tasks.	The first item of the "Headings the employer must meet" list.
Employers sharing the same work area work in coordination	Law no. 6331, art. 23(1) — where more than one employer shares the same work area, the employers shall cooperate in applying occupational hygiene and health and safety measures, coordinate their work on preventing occupational risks, and inform each other and the employee representatives about those risks.	The last item of the "Headings the employer must meet" list and the coordination paragraph that follows it.
A coordinator is assigned and a plan drawn up on the construction site	Regulation on Occupational Health and Safety in Construction Work, art. 8(1) — where more than one employer or subcontractor is present on the same site, the employer or project supervisor assigns one or more health and safety coordinators; art. 8(2) — the safety and health plan is drawn up in the preparation stage before the construction work starts.	The coordination heading in the "Headings the employer must meet" list: the item that distinguishes a construction site.
The hazard class is set by the activity code and fixes the weight of the duties	Communiqué on Workplace Hazard Classes, art. 1 — the hazard classes are set out in the List of Workplace Hazard Classes in Annex 1; art. 2(1) — in determining the class, the class of the principal activity carried out at the workplace is taken into account.	The "Your own activity code" section: the hazard class of the site depends on its NACE code.
Accident and occupational disease recording and notification, and health surveillance, are separate headings	Law no. 6331, art. 14(1)(a) — the employer keeps a record of all work accidents and occupational diseases and draws up the reports; art. 14(2)(a) — reports work accidents to the Social Security Institution within three working days; art. 15(1) — ensures that employees undergo health surveillance.	The health surveillance and the recording and notification items of the "Headings the employer must meet" list.

Obligation	Legal basis	How the page covers it
A coordinator is appointed on site, a plan is drawn up and a prior notice is given above the threshold	Directive 92/57/EEC, art. 3(1) — a coordinator is appointed for any site with more than one contractor; art. 3(2) — a safety and health plan is drawn up before the site is set up; art. 3(3) — for sites lasting more than 30 working days with more than 20 workers simultaneously, or exceeding 500 person-days, a prior notice is communicated before work starts and displayed on the site.	The EU counterpart of the coordination heading in the "Headings the employer must meet" list.
The minimum requirements on site and the general principles of prevention are listed in the Directive	Directive 92/57/EEC, art. 8 — while the work is carried out, the principles in art. 6 of Directive 89/391/EEC apply in particular as regards keeping the site in good order and clean, choosing the location of workstations and how they are accessed, handling of materials, technical maintenance and regular checks of installations and equipment, demarcation of storage areas, removal of dangerous materials and disposal of waste; art. 9(a) — employers shall take measures in line with the minimum requirements in Annex IV.	The EU counterpart of the "Headings the employer must meet" list.

Obligation	Legal basis	How the page covers it
The client makes and maintains suitable arrangements for managing the project	Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, reg. 4(1) — the client must make suitable arrangements for managing a project, including the allocation of sufficient time and other resources; reg. 4(2) — the arrangements are suitable if they ensure the work can be carried out, so far as is reasonably practicable, without risks and that the facilities in Schedule 2 are provided; reg. 4(3) — the arrangements must be maintained and reviewed throughout the project; reg. 4(4) — the client must provide pre-construction information to every designer and contractor appointed or being considered.	The United Kingdom counterpart of the "Headings the employer must meet" list.
The contractor plans, manages and monitors the work and, where there are several contractors, follows the directions	Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, reg. 15(1) — a contractor must not carry out construction work unless satisfied that the client is aware of the client duties under these Regulations; reg. 15(2) — the contractor must plan, manage and monitor construction work carried out by the contractor or by workers under the contractor's control; reg. 15(3) — where there is more than one contractor, the contractor must comply with directions given by the principal designer or principal contractor and with the relevant parts of the construction phase plan.	The United Kingdom counterpart of the coordination heading in the "Headings the employer must meet" list.

Obligation	Legal basis	How the page covers it
The employer sets up the accident prevention programme and has competent persons inspect frequently and regularly	29 CFR 1926.20(b)(1) — it shall be the responsibility of the employer to initiate and maintain such programs as may be necessary to comply with this part; § 1926.20(b)(2) — such programs shall provide for frequent and regular inspections of the job sites, materials and equipment by competent persons designated by the employers; § 1926.20(b)(3) — the use of any machinery, tool, material or equipment not in compliance with this part is prohibited and it shall be identified as unsafe by tagging or locking the controls, or physically removed from its place of operation.	The United States counterpart of the "Headings the employer must meet" list.
Each employee is instructed in recognising and avoiding unsafe conditions	29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2) — the employer shall instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and the regulations applicable to his work environment to control or eliminate any hazards or other exposure to illness or injury.	The information and training item of the "Headings the employer must meet" list.
On the same site the prime contractor continues to carry overall responsibility	29 CFR 1926.16(a) — the prime contractor and any subcontractors may make their own arrangements with respect to obligations which might be more appropriately treated on a jobsite basis; in no case shall the prime contractor be relieved of overall responsibility for compliance with the requirements of this part for all work to be performed under the contract.	The United States counterpart of the coordination paragraph following the "Headings the employer must meet" list.

What are the OHS obligations in construction?

The sector's hazard profile

The SGK 2025 table

What the employer has to put in place

Your own activity code

Legal basis

Legal basis — Türkiye

Legal basis — European Union

Legal basis — United Kingdom

Legal basis — United States

Manage this in Optifora

NACE division	Accidents	Deaths	Occupational diseases
41 · Construction of buildings	51,927	360	23
42 · Civil engineering	20,529	145	6
43 · Specialised construction activities	9,568	81	2
Sector total	82,024	586	31

What are the OHS obligations in construction?

The sector's hazard profile

The SGK 2025 table

What the employer has to put in place

Your own activity code

Related answers

Legal basis

Legal basis — Türkiye

Legal basis — European Union

Legal basis — United Kingdom

Legal basis — United States

Manage this in Optifora