Employer duties

How many hours does an occupational safety specialist work?

The specialist's time is measured in minutes per employee: at least 10 minutes a month in a low hazard workplace, 20 in a hazardous one and 40 in a highly hazardous one. A full-time month equals 195 hours, that is 11,700 minutes, so one full-time specialist covers 1,000, 500 or 250 employees respectively.

Time is minutes per employee

The assignment time of an occupational safety specialist is not a question of days per week; it is the hazard class multiplied by the number of employees. A full-time month equals 195 hours, that is 11,700 minutes.

Hazard classMonthly time per employeeEmployees covered by one full-time specialist
Low hazard10 minutes1,000
Hazardous20 minutes500
Highly hazardous40 minutes250

Worked examples

  • Low hazard site with 60 employees: 60 × 10 = 600 minutes, that is 10 hours a month, a part-time assignment.
  • Hazardous site with 300 employees: 300 × 20 = 6,000 minutes, 100 hours a month, still part time.
  • Hazardous site with 600 employees: the 500 threshold is passed, so one full-time specialist plus 2,000 further minutes for the remaining 100 employees.
  • Highly hazardous site with 250 employees: the threshold is met exactly, so one full-time specialist is required.

How the time is split

If the headcount is below the full-time threshold, the total minutes are divided by 11,700 and a part-time assignment results. Above the threshold, full-time specialists are counted first and the remaining employees generate additional minutes. More than one specialist may be assigned to the same workplace.

Physician and other health personnel

The same logic applies to the workplace physician: 5 minutes per employee a month in low hazard, 10 in hazardous and 15 in highly hazardous workplaces, with full-time thresholds of 2,000, 1,000 and 750 employees. Other health personnel are required only in highly hazardous workplaces with ten or more employees; the time is 10 minutes per person for 10-49 employees, 15 for 50-249 and 20 for 250 and above. Where a full-time physician is assigned, other health personnel are not mandatory.

Who is left out of the headcount

Apprentices and interns holding student status under the Vocational Education Law and the Higher Education Law are not included in the employee total when the assignment time is calculated.

If no specialist is assigned

In the 2026 administrative fine tables, failing to assign an occupational safety specialist starts at TRY 111,263 and repeats every month while the breach continues. The amount rises with workplace size and hazard class.

Work out your own figure with the OHS duration calculator, confirm your class in the hazard class lookup, and see the amounts in the penalty tables.

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