**9. Occupational health and safety services for health professionals in Turkey**

The Central Council of the Turkish Medical Association initiated first studies about the health status of health professionals in Turkey in 1989 with the slogan entitled "This is our health." Then, a database on the subject was aimed to be established [58]. The requirement of a com‐ mittee, which should carry out the studies regarding the health and safety of employees working in the hospital, was discussed in 1999–2000, and the pilot studies were initiated, but these studies were not completed. The precautions were compiled intended for the safety of the health professionals in the 15th item of the "Notification on Principles and Procedures related to Ensuring the Patient and Staff Safety and Protection in Health Institutions" which was approved in 29th of April, 2009. In a sense, this document created a basis for the establish‐ ment of the related OHS unit [59, 60].

The concept of OHS services is defined by the USA Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Hospital Safety Committee (HSC). Accordingly, they are explained as first step health care which improves and protects the health of health professionals and fulfills the thera‐ peutic care services for outpatients. An effective hospital occupational health program must include at least the following titles: recruitment examinations including a full medical history, periodic inspections, health and safety trainings, immunizations, health counseling, environ‐ mental control and surveillance, record systems of health and safety, and coordinated plan‐ ning between hospital departments and services. Furthermore, the environmental control and surveillance program should be a part of the occupational health program, and required pre‐ cautions should be taken by performing risk analyses [61–63].

The Association of Public Health Professionals (originally HASUDER in Turkey) Occupational Health Working Group (OHWG) performed their first activity in Gazi University, Medical Faculty, Ankara, hosted by the Chief of Medicine in 18th of September, 2010. The title of the activity was "Health Organization Workshop of Health Professionals in Hospitals." In the meeting organized by HASUDER and OHWG in 2010, the problems of hospitals' OHS units were discussed. It was stated that the basic problem was financing. Since it was not written in the Health Communication Notification (HCN), it was decided that employers should pay the costs in case the payment is a burden to employees. It has been emphasized that the committees in hospitals still need a consensus about organization, function and finance [64].

Public health professionals had opportunity to take advantage of occupational health and safety services with the help of "Regulation on the Provision of Patient and Staff Safety" pub‐ lished by the Ministry of Health in 6th of April, 2011, in Official Gazette and the "Occupational Health and Safety Law" published by Ministry of Labour and Social Security in 30th of June 2012 in Official Gazette [62]. Later, hospitals were informed about the implementation of regulations and establishment of the employee safety unit via instructions issued in 14th of May, 2012 [63]. In the HASUDER‐OHWG workshop hosted by Antalya Akdeniz University, Medical Faculty, between 13th and 15th of September, 2012, organization of employee health units, functions of these units and financing topics were discussed and a model was estab‐ lished by receiving the contributions and recommendations of the participants. In this work‐ shop, the aim was to recommend a model about the organization of OHS units which are newly established or to be established in the future, functions of these units and financing. It was also aimed to notify the institutions and create a common language in terms of naming of the concepts in order not to complicate the issues [65].
