In brief
An occupational accident is notified to the SGK within 3 working days after the accident; the 2026 basic fine for failing to notify is 44,443 TL and rises up to threefold according to the size and hazard class of the workplace. In the first hours come the response and protection of the scene, followed by recording, root cause analysis and updating the risk assessment. The injured employee receives additional training before returning to work; near misses are also investigated and reported.
Why does time matter so much after an occupational accident?
Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety defines an occupational accident as an event occurring at the workplace or because of the conduct of work that causes death or renders the body mentally or physically disabled (Art. 3). When an accident occurs, the employer's obligations follow a sequence: first protecting people, then keeping the record and investigating the event, then notifying the SGK (Social Security Institution) within the deadline and preventing recurrence.
The first 72 hours are critical both for the legal deadline and for not losing information. A statement taken while witnesses' memories are fresh, the machine settings at the time of the accident and the shift arrangements cannot be reconstructed a week later. In shift-based production plants in Bursa, an accident can also happen on a night or weekend shift when managers are not on site; for this reason every shift supervisor needs to know the sequence below:
| Time | What to do | Who? |
|---|---|---|
| First minutes | Stop the hazard, first aid, 112 if necessary | Shift supervisor, first aiders |
| First hour | Make the area safe, protect the scene, inform management, the specialist and the physician | Department manager |
| First day | Witness statements, photographs, collecting documents and records | OHS specialist, department manager |
| Within 3 working days | Occupational accident notification to the SGK | Employer or the person they authorise |
| First week | Root cause analysis, corrective actions, updating the risk assessment | Specialist, physician, employee representative |
| Before return to work | Additional training, return-to-work examination on request | Specialist, workplace physician |
The first hour: response and protecting the scene
- Stop the hazard. Stop the machine, isolate the energy and apply lockout-tagout; in a chemical leak, clear the area. Preventing a second accident is the first priority.
- First aid and 112. In a serious injury, call 112 without losing time; let the first aiders intervene. Do not move the casualty carelessly unless there is a danger to life.
- Panic and headcount. If the event has become an emergency, the protection team prevents panic and confusion and carries out the headcount. These team duties are explained in our emergency plan guide.
- Protect the scene. Apart from what is necessary for rescue and safety, do not touch machines, materials or settings. Tape off the area, take photographs and video, and note the machine's settings and position.
- Raise the alarm. Management, the OHS specialist and the workplace physician should be informed within the same hour.
These steps come after the employee's safety: if intervention is needed for rescue, protecting the scene comes second.
The first day: gathering information and recording
The Law gives the employer the obligation to keep a record of all occupational accidents and occupational diseases, carry out the necessary investigations and prepare reports on them (Art. 14/1-a). An event not recorded because it was "just a small cut" both breaches this obligation and loses the signal of a similar accident in future.
What needs to be collected on the first day:
- Statements: From witnesses, separately and on the same day; from the injured person when their health allows; from the shift supervisor.
- Photographs and sketches: The scene, equipment, guards, floor, lighting.
- Documents: The employee's training records and induction record, pre-employment and periodic examination results, PPE issue records, the equipment's periodic inspection report and maintenance records, the relevant instruction and work permit, the relevant line in the risk assessment.
The information gathered is combined in an accident investigation report. The legislation does not impose a single template for this report; however, a good report contains these headings: date, time and place of the accident; the injured person's role, length of service and training received; a chronological account of the event; type of injury and treatment information; witnesses; direct causes and root causes; corrective actions, their owners and deadlines; attachments (photographs, statements, relevant records). The specialist prepares the report, and the employer or their representative and the relevant department manager sign it. Using the same format for near misses makes it easier to compare incidents.
The health facility where the injured person is treated also notifies the SGK of the occupational accident referred to it within ten days at the latest (Art. 14/4). This is a separate obligation of the health facility; it does not replace the employer's own notification.
Within 3 working days: SGK notification
The employer notifies the SGK of occupational accidents within three working days after the accident (Art. 14/2-a). For occupational diseases, the period is three working days from the date on which the disease notified by the healthcare provider or workplace physician becomes known (Art. 14/2-b). Our practical recommendation is simple: do not open the deadline up to debate over weekends and holidays; make the notification on the first working day. The account of the event in the notification must be consistent with your internal records and witness statements.
To speed up notification, collect the following information in a single file immediately after the accident: the injured person's identity and insurance details, the workplace registration details, the date, time and exact location of the accident, a short account of the event, the type of injury and its location on the body, the health facility to which they were referred and the names of witnesses. Collecting this information with a short "initial notification form" that the shift supervisor can fill in on the same day allows the human resources department to use the three-working-day period comfortably. How many days the injured person will be unable to work may not be clear in the first days; this uncertainty is not a reason to delay notification.
| Number of employees | Less hazardous | Hazardous | Very hazardous |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 10 | 44,443 TL | 55,553.75 TL (+25%) | 66,664.50 TL (+50%) |
| 10–49 | 44,443 TL | 66,664.50 TL (+50%) | 88,886 TL (+100%) |
| 50 and over | 66,664.50 TL (+50%) | 88,886 TL (+100%) | 133,329 TL (+200%) |
Failing to keep records and prepare reports (Art. 14/1) is a separate breach; its 2026 basic amount is 33,326 TL for each obligation, and the same increase rates apply. For other items, see our OHS administrative fines tool.
Root cause analysis: "carelessness" is not a cause
The most common conclusion of accident reports is "employee carelessness", and this conclusion changes nothing. Root cause analysis aims to find which gap in the management system the event arose from. The legislation does not impose a method; in practice the "5 Whys", the fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram and event tree analysis are common. Carry out the analysis together with the specialist, the physician, the department manager, the employee representative and employees who know about the event.
Example: In a furniture workshop, an employee's hand is drawn into a sanding machine whose guard has been removed.
| Why? | Answer |
|---|---|
| Why did the hand reach the moving part? | The guard was not in place. |
| Why was there no guard? | It had been removed during maintenance and not refitted. |
| Why was it not refitted? | There was no checklist for commissioning after maintenance. |
| Why was there no checklist? | The maintenance instruction did not include a guard check. |
| Why was the instruction incomplete? | Commissioning after maintenance had not been addressed in the risk assessment. |
In this example, the root cause is the lack of a maintenance and commissioning procedure. Corrective actions are chosen accordingly: an interlock that prevents the machine from running when the guard is removed, a commissioning checklist, training for the maintenance team and revision of the risk assessment. Give each action an owner and a deadline, and check all machines of the same type with the same eye.
Risk assessment and additional training
An accident is one of the situations requiring the risk assessment to be renewed regardless of its period (Art. 12 of the Risk Assessment Regulation). Update the relevant department's hazard list, scores and action plan; we explained how to do this in our risk assessment guide.
Before returning to work, the injured person is given additional training on the causes of the accident, means of protection and safe working methods (Law Art. 17/4). The training regulation that entered into force on 2 April 2026 also provides for this training to be given on return to work, before starting work; details are in our article on the new OHS training regulation. Document the training with a record and place it in the personnel file.
Also do not skip the following:
- Return-to-work examination: On returning to work after an occupational accident, a health examination is carried out if the employee requests it (Art. 15). The physician's assessment determines whether the injured person can return to the same job.
- Inform other employees: Explain the event and the measures taken to employees doing similar work at a short meeting.
- Review the plans: If something went wrong in the response (missing items in the first aid cabinet, a first aider arriving late), update the emergency plan.
Building a near miss reporting culture
The Law requires the investigation and reporting not only of accidents with injuries, but also of events that, although they did not cause injury or death, damaged the workplace or equipment or had the potential to harm employees, the workplace or equipment (Art. 14/1-b). Near miss records are one of the information sources for the risk assessment, and a near miss is a reason to renew the assessment.
A sample record: "A forklift reversing on the dispatch ramp stopped one metre short of a pedestrian passing behind it." Nobody was injured, but this single sentence opens up for discussion, before an accident happens, measures such as segregating pedestrian routes, mirrors, reversing alarms and restricting pedestrian traffic during dispatch hours. Near misses feed on the same causes as accidents; the difference is often only luck.
Practices that work to increase reporting:
- Make reporting easy: A one-page form, a box on the department noticeboard or a simple digital form is enough.
- Do not punish: The employee who reports should not be questioned; the aim is to fix the system, not the person.
- Respond quickly: Reply to reports promptly and announce the measure taken on the noticeboard.
- Put it on the agenda: In workplaces with 50 or more employees where continuous work lasting more than six months is carried out, add a near miss summary to the agenda of the OHS committee.
In our OHS specialist and risk assessment services, we carry out accident and near miss investigations together with the business's team and link the results to the action plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the SGK notification period start?
For an occupational accident, the period is three working days after the accident. For an occupational disease, notification is made within three working days from the date on which the disease notified by the healthcare provider or workplace physician becomes known.
Who imposes the fine if no notification is made?
The fine for breaching the notification obligation is imposed directly by the SGK. The 2026 basic amount is 44,443 TL and can rise to 133,329 TL depending on headcount and hazard class.
If the hospital has notified the accident, do we still need to notify it?
Yes. The health facility notifying an accident referred to it is a separate obligation under the Law; it does not replace the notification the employer must make within three working days.
What should be done when the injured person returns to work?
Before starting work, additional training should be given on the causes of the accident, means of protection and safe working methods, and documented with a record. If the employee requests it, a return-to-work examination is carried out; the physician assesses fitness for the same job.
A risk assessment that identifies and scores hazards on site, links each measure to an owner and a date, and has a clear renewal schedule.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.