In brief
The Hygiene Training Regulation covers food production and retail workplaces, drinking water producers, thermal spas, Turkish baths, barbers, hairdressers and beauty salons, hotels and guesthouses. In these workplaces, nobody may be employed without a certificate issued by institutions under the MEB General Directorate of Lifelong Learning; the training lasts at least 8 hours and the certificate is valid for as long as the person works in the field. A hygiene certificate does not replace OHS training; the two are taken separately.
What is a hygiene training certificate?
A hygiene training certificate is a course completion certificate that employees in certain lines of business must obtain to protect public health. Its legal basis is the Hygiene Training Regulation, issued under Art. 127 of Public Health Law No. 1593 and published in the Official Gazette of 5 July 2013.
The aim of this certificate is not to protect the employee from work accidents, but to prevent disease being passed to customers or consumers through the employee. This is why the regulation puts the transmission routes of microorganisms, symptoms of disease and means of protection at the centre of the training. OHS legislation, on the other hand, targets the employee's own health and safety. Although the two kinds of training look similar, they are tied to different laws, different institutions and different inspections; having one does not make up for lacking the other.
Who needs a hygiene training certificate?
Art. 2 of the regulation defines its scope by line of business:
| Line of business covered | Example workplaces |
|---|---|
| Food production and retail workplaces | Bakeries, patisseries, restaurants, catering, workplace and institutional canteens, supermarkets, wholesale and distribution points |
| Production of water for human consumption and natural mineral water | Water bottling plants |
| Thermal spas, Turkish baths, saunas, barbers, hairdressers, tattoo and piercing studios, massage and beauty salons | Men's barbers, women's hairdressers, beauty centres, thermal facilities |
| Hotels, motels, guesthouses and guest houses | Accommodation facilities |
| Other lines of business deemed appropriate by the committee | Subject to the committee's decision |
The regulation's definition of a "retail workplace" is broad: main distribution centres, catering services, workplace and institutional canteens, restaurants, shops, wholesale outlets and supermarket distribution centres; in short, places where food is processed, handled or stored at the point of sale and distribution to the final consumer are covered. Kitchen staff working in a factory's own canteen are therefore also covered.
In covered workplaces, nobody may be employed without a certificate, and the owners and operators of the workplace bear primary responsibility for this. If the owner or operator works there personally, they must also take the training (Art. 5). This is why the answer to the frequently asked question "do barbers and hairdressers need a hygiene certificate?" is yes: both the master running the shop and the journeyman working alongside must hold a certificate. In Bursa, thermal spas and facilities, hotels, barbers and hairdressers, and food producers in the surrounding provinces are directly addressed by this regulation.
How do you get a hygiene certificate, and who provides the training?
The regulation clearly specifies who provides the training (Art. 6):
- Training provider: Educational institutions under the Ministry of National Education (MEB) General Directorate of Lifelong Learning. Public education centres are the best-known example of these institutions.
- The employer itself: Workplace owners and operators may also give this training to their employees with their own resources, within the procedures and principles set by the committee within the General Directorate.
- Certificate: At the end of the training, the course completion certificate is issued through MEB's e-yaygın system (the Ministry's non-formal education platform).
- Fee: The General Directorate may charge participants for training costs; participants cover personal materials used in practical work.
Before applying, confirm that the institution providing the training is affiliated with MEB and that the certificate will be issued through the e-yaygın system. Under the regulation, certificates are issued by educational institutions under the General Directorate; a "certificate" that does not meet this condition may not be accepted as a hygiene certificate in an inspection.
How many hours is hygiene training, and for how many years is the certificate valid?
The regulation sets a minimum for training time: training may not be less than eight hours (Art. 6/2). The committee sets the content and duration according to the line of business; so the programme for a hairdresser and for a catering business may differ.
The regulation is clear about the certificate's validity: certificates are considered valid for as long as the person works in the field (Art. 6/3). In other words, the regulation does not provide for the certificate to be renewed after a set number of years. This differs from the regular refresher logic of OHS training, and is another reason why the two kinds of training get confused.
The training content covers the general characteristics of viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi that pose a public health risk when hygiene rules are not followed, their transmission routes, how transmission can occur in each line of business, symptoms of disease and means of protection (Art. 8).
Illnesses that prevent work and the role of the physician
The regulation governs the employee's state of health as well as the certificate. People in the following situations may not work, and may not be employed, in covered workplaces until they document with a report that they have recovered or are not infectious (Art. 9):
- Those with an illness that can be transmitted through food, carriers of such illnesses and those with diarrhoea,
- Those with open or infected wounds, skin infections and similar skin lesions on visible parts of the body; those who have contracted leprosy, syphilis or tuberculosis,
- Those with an illness listed in the Regulation on the Principles of Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases that could create a public health problem if hygiene rules are not followed.
Employees are obliged to inform the employer of their illnesses; return to work is possible with a report from a physician or specialist (Arts. 9–10). The workplace physician asks about these conditions at pre-employment and periodic examinations and guides the employer. For where to obtain examinations and reports, see our articles on the pre-employment medical report and periodic examinations.
Hygiene training is not OHS training
| Hygiene training | OHS training | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Law No. 1593, Hygiene Training Regulation | Law No. 6331 Art. 17, 2026 Training Regulation |
| Purpose | Prevent disease being passed to customers and the public | Protect employees from work accidents and occupational disease |
| Who provides it? | Educational institutions under MEB, or the employer under the committee's principles | Basic training by the specialist and physician assigned to the workplace and the institutions listed in the regulation |
| Duration | At least 8 hours | At least 2 hours before starting work; basic training of 8, 12 or 16 hours depending on hazard class |
| Validity | For as long as the person works in the field | Refresher: every 3 years for less hazardous, every 2 years for hazardous, every year for very hazardous |
| Inspected by | The licensing ministry or local authority | Ministry labour inspectors |
For example, bread making (10.71.02) is in the less hazardous class. Someone working in a bakery needs both a hygiene certificate and at least 8 hours of basic OHS training; one cannot replace the other. For the current rules on OHS training, see our articles on the 2026 training regulation and induction training. Our article on safety in food machinery may also be useful for machine risks in the kitchen.
Bursa Sistemer does not issue hygiene training certificates; you need to obtain this certificate from educational institutions under MEB. As part of our OHS training service, we plan your employees' induction, basic and refresher training, and help you track the records of both kinds of training in the same calendar. For OHS topics specific to food businesses, see our food sector page.
Hygiene certificate checklist for employers
If you run a covered workplace, working through the following order reduces the chance of gaps being found in an inspection:
- Establish whether your activity falls into one of the lines of business in Art. 2 of the regulation; do not forget side activities such as a canteen.
- List all employees who come into contact with food, water or customers' bodies.
- Put a copy of each employee's certificate in their personnel file; plan a training date for those without one.
- Ask new recruits for their certificate before they start work; a person without a certificate may not be employed in these workplaces.
- If you work there personally as the owner or operator, add your own certificate to the file.
- Set up a simple way for employees to report diarrhoea, open wounds or communicable illnesses to the employer, and file the report on their return to work.
- Track hygiene certificates in the same calendar as OHS training and periodic examinations.
Inspection and sanctions
The hygiene certificate is inspected not by an OHS inspector but by the ministry or local authority that handles the permits, approvals, registrations and licences for each line of business (Art. 11). In an inspection, each employee without a certificate counts as a separate breach, and action is taken under Art. 282 of Law No. 1593. So keep the certificates in personnel files where you can produce them during a licence inspection.
On the OHS training side, the sanction comes from Law No. 6331: the 2026 basic fine for not giving an employee OHS training is 8,980 TL per employee. Details are in the OHS administrative fines tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
For how many years is a hygiene certificate valid?
Under the regulation, the certificate is considered valid for as long as the person works in the field. No obligation to renew it after a set period is provided for.
How many hours is hygiene training?
The regulation states that the training may not be less than eight hours. The content and duration for each line of business are set by the committee within the MEB General Directorate of Lifelong Learning.
Is a hygiene certificate mandatory for barbers and hairdressers?
Yes. Barbers, hairdressers, tattoo and piercing studios, and massage and beauty salons are within the scope of the regulation. If the owner works there personally, they must also obtain a certificate.
Does hygiene training replace OHS training?
No. Hygiene training is based on Law No. 1593, aimed at protecting public health, while OHS training is based on Law No. 6331, aimed at protecting employees. In a covered workplace, both kinds of training are given and recorded separately.
Induction, basic and refresher training in line with the 2026 regulation; on your premises, with examples from your own site and fully documented.
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.