How to Set Up an OHS Committee: The 50-Worker Rule

OHS committee requirement: the 50 workers and 6 months rule

The OHS committee is the body that runs occupational health and safety work in the workplace jointly with the employer, OHS professionals and the worker representative. Under Art. 22 of Law No. 6331 and Art. 4 of the Regulation on OHS Committees, the obligation to set up a committee depends on two conditions being met together:

1. The workplace has 50 or more workers,
2. Continuous work lasting longer than six months is carried out.

If both conditions are met, the hazard class does not matter; a software firm in the less hazardous class and a production plant in the very hazardous class both set up a committee. If the same employer has several workplaces, such as a factory, branch or business unit, a separate committee is set up in each workplace with 50 or more workers (Regulation Art. 5). In that case the employer ensures coordination between the committees and ensures that the OHS reports of the workplaces are reviewed by the relevant technical staff and specialists at least every three months.

The Regulation does not set a separate deadline for how many days after the workforce exceeds 50 the committee must be set up. Companies approaching the threshold should therefore prepare in advance, and in particular complete the election of the worker representative in good time.

Who sits on the OHS committee?

Art. 6 of the Regulation lists the OHS committee members and how they are chosen:

The secretariat detail matters for companies that get their service from an OSGB (joint health and safety unit). In workplaces where the OHS specialist is not required to work full-time, the committee secretariat is run by the person responsible for human resources, personnel, social affairs or administrative and financial affairs. Since full-time assignment of a specialist in the hazardous class is required for every 500 workers, in a hazardous factory with 120 workers, for example, the secretariat usually lies with the HR officer; the specialist is still a member of the committee.

Under Art. 20 of Law No. 6331, the number of worker representatives rises with the number of workers: 1 for 2–50 workers, 2 for 51–100, 3 for 101–500, 4 for 501–1000, 5 for 1001–2000 and 6 for 2001 and above. If there is more than one representative, the chief representative is chosen by election among them and sits on the committee.

How do you set up an OHS committee? Step by step

1. Document the conditions. Record the number of workers and the duration of the work. If you have several workplaces, assess each one separately.
2. Hold the worker representative election. Carry out the election taking into account the risks and the number of workers in each department; document the result with minutes.
3. Hold the foreman member election. Choose the member and a substitute by open vote at a meeting attended by more than half of the supervisors, foremen or master craftsmen.
4. Make the appointments in writing. Issue appointment letters for the specialist, the physician, the HR officer and the civil defence specialist where there is one.
5. Train the members. Under Art. 7 of the Regulation, members and their substitutes are trained in the committee's duties and powers, legislation and standards, the causes of common accidents, occupational hygiene, communication techniques, emergency measures, occupational diseases, workplace-specific risks and risk assessment.
6. Hold the first meeting. Set the meeting schedule, put the preparation of a draft internal directive suited to the workplace on the agenda and draw up minutes.

OHS committee duties

Art. 8 of the Regulation lists the committee's duties. In practice they fall into four groups:

• Setting rules: Preparing a draft OHS internal directive suited to the workplace, submitting it for the employer's approval and monitoring its implementation.
• Assessing: Assessing hazards and measures and reporting them to the employer; investigating and reporting every workplace accident, incidents with the potential to cause harm and occupational diseases.
• Planning: Preparing and monitoring training programmes, planning safety measures in maintenance and repair work, and monitoring measures against fire and natural disasters and the work of the teams.
• Reporting: Preparing the annual OHS report, evaluating the year's work and making recommendations for the following year's programme. It is efficient to handle this report together with the annual work plan.

The committee has one more duty: when a worker invokes the right to refuse to work under Art. 13 of Law No. 6331, it meets urgently, regardless of the ordinary meeting schedule, and makes a decision. The decision is notified in writing to the worker and the worker representative.

Meeting procedure and minutes

Every meeting begins with information on the decisions of the previous meeting and how they were implemented. This rule turns the committee from a "decision book" into a follow-up mechanism: writing an owner and a deadline next to each decision makes the question "has it been closed?" easier at the next meeting. Decisions considered useful to announce to workers are posted in the workplace, and posted decisions bind employers and workers. The employer keeps the meeting minutes, accident investigation reports and the committee's inspection reports at the workplace for examination by inspectors (Art. 10).

A committee that genuinely works matters more than one that exists only on paper. A committee where the worker representative speaks, decisions are implemented and results are announced to workers is the most concrete sign of an OHS culture.

If there is a subcontractor, and the risk of fines

In a main employer–subcontractor relationship lasting longer than six months, who holds the committee depends on the number of workers on each side; we set out the options of separate committees, appointing a representative or a joint committee in a table in our article on OHS when working with subcontractors.

The 2026 base administrative fine for failing to set up an OHS committee or failing to implement committee decisions is TL 44,443. Because this fine is applied per workplace, the increase in Art. 26/3 of Law No. 6331 comes into play. Since workplaces required to have a committee already have 50 or more workers, the increase is calculated as follows: TL 66,664.50 in less hazardous workplaces with a 50% increase, TL 88,886 in hazardous workplaces with a 100% increase and TL 133,329 in very hazardous workplaces with a 200% increase. For other items you can use the OHS administrative fines tool, and to track meeting and training dates the OHS calendar.

In companies with 50 or more workers in Bursa and the surrounding provinces, under our OHS specialist service our specialist attends meetings as a committee member, prepares draft agendas and minutes and reports on the follow-up of decisions. For factories in organised industrial zones, see also our Bursa OIZ page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who sits on the OHS committee?

It consists of the employer or their representative (chair), the OHS specialist (secretary), the workplace physician, the human resources or administrative affairs officer, the civil defence specialist where there is one, a supervisor, foreman or master craftsman where there is one, and the worker representative or chief representative.

We have 50 workers but our job will last 4 months; must we set up a committee?

No. The requirement depends on having 50 or more workers and carrying out continuous work lasting longer than six months, both together. A job that does not exceed six months does not create a committee requirement; other OHS obligations continue as normal.

Our specialist comes from an OSGB; who is the committee secretary?

In workplaces where the specialist is not required to work full-time, the secretariat is run by the person responsible for human resources, personnel, social affairs or administrative and financial affairs. The specialist continues to attend meetings as a member of the committee.

Are committee decisions binding?

Under Art. 22 of Law No. 6331, the employer implements committee decisions that comply with OHS legislation. Under Art. 9 of the Regulation, decisions posted in the workplace bind employers and workers.