Is occupational health and safety required in an office?

Question

Accepted Answer

Yes. The less hazardous class is not an exemption: SGK recorded 20,062 occupational accidents and 70 deaths in the office, IT and professional service divisions in 2025. Of the 165 activity codes in this view 143 are less hazardous, but six are highly hazardous, and office administration alone accounts for 8,114 accidents. Short answer: the class changes, the duty does not disappear The duties in Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 6331 get heavier or lighter with the hazard class; they do not disappear. Most office work sits in the less hazardous class, but that class does not mean 'no OHS required'. Risk assessment, the emergency plan, training, health surveillance and accident reporting are employer duties in an office too. Hazard class distribution of office work The view that covers IT, finance, real estate, consultancy, engineering and office support divisions (NACE 58-74 and 82) draws 165 activity codes from the communiqué annex: 143 less hazardous, 16 hazardous and six highly hazardous. In other words the activity code of an organisation that looks like a plain office does not always come back as less hazardous; units doing field measurement, technical testing or maintenance fall into a different class. The less hazardous class still has accidents NACE division Accidents Deaths 82 · Office administration and support 8,114 18 70 · Head offices and management consultancy 3,336 9 71 · Architecture, engineering, technical testing 2,225 5 68 · Real estate activities 1,993 23 64 · Financial service activities 832 5 62 · Computer programming and consultancy 672 3 View total 20,062 70 International data points the same way: in US labour statistics the recordable case rate is 0.7 per 100 full-time workers for information and for finance, insurance and real estate, and 1.0 for professional and business services, against 2.6 for all industries (BLS, 2024). The rate is low, not zero — and that unit is not on the same scale as SGK's frequency rate, which is published per one million working hours. Which duties run in an office Risk assessment — display screen work, seating, lighting, cable management, electrical installation, air conditioning. Emergency plan, firefighting, first aid and evacuation drills, including floor plans and assembly points. Informing and training workers; induction training is mandatory in an office as well. Health surveillance and the accident recording and reporting routine. Worker representative, and an occupational health and safety board once the workplace reaches the size that requires one. Verify the class of your own code with the hazard class query ; all 165 codes are in the technology and services view . For national accident tables see Türkiye OHS statistics .

Obligation	Legal basis	How the page covers it
The Act applies to all workplaces regardless of the field of activity	Law no. 6331, art. 2(1) — this Act applies to all work and workplaces in the public and private sectors, to their employers and employers' representatives and to all employees including apprentices and interns, regardless of the field of activity.	The "Short answer: the class changes, the duty does not" section.
A risk assessment is mandatory in an office workplace too	Law no. 6331, art. 10(1) — the employer is obliged to carry out or have carried out a risk assessment for occupational health and safety; art. 4(1)(c) — the employer carries out or has carried out a risk assessment. Regulation on Occupational Health and Safety Risk Assessment, art. 5(1) — the employer carries out or has carried out a risk assessment in order to ensure, maintain and improve the working environment and the health and safety of employees.	The risk assessment item of the "Which headings run in an office" list.
The emergency plan, the drill and the teams are set up in an office too	Law no. 6331, art. 11(1) — the employer assesses emergencies in advance, identifies those that may affect employees and the working environment, and takes the measures. Regulation on Emergencies in Workplaces, art. 11(1) — the employer forms the firefighting, rescue, protection and first aid teams; art. 13(2) — the drill is carried out at most once a year in workplaces outside mining.	The emergency item of the "Which headings run in an office" list.
Information, training, health surveillance and the employee representative apply in an office too	Law no. 6331, art. 16(1) — the employer informs employees and their representatives about risks, protective measures and their legal rights and responsibilities; art. 17(1) — ensures that employees receive training; art. 15(1) — ensures that they undergo health surveillance; art. 20(1) — assigns employee representatives according to headcount; art. 22(1) — sets up a committee in workplaces above the committee threshold.	The last three items of the "Which headings run in an office" list.
The activity code of an organisation thought of as an office is not always less hazardous	Communiqué on Workplace Hazard Classes, art. 2(1) — in determining the hazard class, the class of the principal activity carried out at the workplace is taken into account; art. 2(3) — where more than one activity fits the definition of a principal activity, the one with the higher hazard class prevails.	The closing sentence of the "Hazard-class distribution of office work" section.

Obligation	Legal basis	How the page covers it
The framework directive applies to all sectors, including administrative and service sectors	Directive 89/391/EEC, art. 2(1) — this Directive shall apply to all sectors of activity, both public and private (industrial, agricultural, commercial, administrative, service, educational, cultural, leisure, etc.).	The EU counterpart of the "Short answer: the class changes, the duty does not" section.
The workplace is subject to a separate directive on maintenance, cleaning and emergency exits	Directive 89/654/EEC, art. 2 — "workplace" means the place intended to house workstations on the premises of the undertaking and any other place within the undertaking's area to which the worker has access in the course of his employment; art. 6 — the employer shall see to it that traffic routes to emergency exits and the exits themselves are kept clear at all times, that technical maintenance of the workplace and its equipment is carried out and faults liable to affect safety and health rectified as quickly as possible, that the workplace and equipment are regularly cleaned to an adequate level of hygiene, and that safety equipment is regularly maintained.	The EU counterpart of the risk assessment and evacuation items in the "Which headings run in an office" list.

Obligation	Legal basis	How the page covers it
The general duty does not depend on the type of workplace	Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s. 2(1) — it shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees. Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg. 3(1) — every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to his employees and to others affected by his undertaking.	Matches the "Short answer: the class changes, the duty does not" section.
Procedures for serious and imminent danger and for evacuation are set up in every undertaking	Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg. 8(1)(a) — every employer shall establish appropriate procedures to be followed in the event of serious and imminent danger; reg. 8(1)(b) — shall nominate a sufficient number of competent persons to implement the evacuation; reg. 13(2) — shall ensure employees are provided with adequate health and safety training on being recruited.	The emergency and training items of the "Which headings run in an office" list.

Obligation	Legal basis	How the page covers it
The general duty clause binds every employer	29 U.S.C. § 654(a)(1) — each employer shall furnish employment and a place of employment free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees; § 654(a)(2) — shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this chapter.	The United States counterpart of the "Short answer: the class changes, the duty does not" section.
Having few accidents does not remove the recording duty altogether	29 CFR 1904.1(a)(1) — a company with 10 or fewer employees need not keep OSHA injury and illness records unless OSHA informs it in writing; however, under § 1904.39 all employers covered by the Act must report to OSHA any work-related fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye; § 1904.1(a)(2) — an employer with more than ten employees must keep records unless its establishment is classified as a partially exempt industry under § 1904.2.	Matches the "There are accidents in the less hazardous class too" section: the rate is low, not zero.

Is occupational health and safety required in an office?

Short answer: the class changes, the duty does not disappear

Hazard class distribution of office work

The less hazardous class still has accidents

Which duties run in an office

Legal basis

Legal basis — Türkiye

Legal basis — European Union

Legal basis — United Kingdom

Legal basis — United States

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NACE division	Accidents	Deaths
82 · Office administration and support	8,114	18
70 · Head offices and management consultancy	3,336	9
71 · Architecture, engineering, technical testing	2,225	5
68 · Real estate activities	1,993	23
64 · Financial service activities	832	5
62 · Computer programming and consultancy	672	3
View total	20,062	70

Is occupational health and safety required in an office?

Short answer: the class changes, the duty does not disappear

Hazard class distribution of office work

The less hazardous class still has accidents

Which duties run in an office

Related answers

Legal basis

Legal basis — Türkiye

Legal basis — European Union

Legal basis — United Kingdom

Legal basis — United States

Manage this in Optifora