In order to ensure occupational health and safety (OHS) in workplaces, it is necessary to first resort to collective protection measures and to eliminate the risk at its source. In cases where the risk is not completely eliminated at its source, the aim is to provide personal protective equipment to employees and to prevent or reduce their exposure to occupational and work risks.
In this regard a “Personal Protective Equipment” is defined as any device, tool or material designed to be worn or carried by individuals to protect against one or more health and safety risks. Equipments such as safety shoes, gloves, protective clothing, eye protection, helmets, and fall protection seat belts are examples of the most common examples of personal protective equipments.
Personal protective equipment must comply with the standards determined by the Turkish OHS Legislation and must carry the CE mark. The CE mark is the sign that shows that the manufacturer has fulfilled all its obligations arising from the Personal Protective Equipment Regulation and that a personal protective equipment has been subject to all relevant conformity assessment procedures. In this regard, conformity assessment covers all activities related to testing, inspection and/or certification of the conformity of personal protective equipment with the provisions of the regulation.
According to the Turkish Occupational Health and Safety Code No. 6331, employers are obliged to provide personal protective equipment to their employees free of charge. Accordingly, the employer is obliged to determine the occupational health and safety measures to be taken and the protective equipment or tools to be used as a result of the risk assessment to be carried out and to provide it to the employee.
It is the responsibility of employees to use and maintain the personal protective equipment provided to them correctly. If the employee insists not to use the protective equipment without any justified reason this would give the employer the right to terms the employment contract with just cause after following the relevant procedures.
If personal protective equipment breaks down, it must be replaced by the employer.
According to the Occupational Health and Safety Code No. 6331, employers who do not provide their employees with personal protective equipment that complies with the standards and has a CE mark are subject to an administrative fine of 4.972 Turkish Lira per employee for the calendar year of 2024 by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.
