ISG-KATİP Notification Before Workplace Exposure Measurement

ISG-KATİP notification of workplace measurements: what does the rule say?

An employer who is going to have noise, dust, chemical, vibration, lighting or thermal comfort measurements carried out often thinks only about agreeing a date with the laboratory. Yet for the measurement to be valid and traceable, there is a notification step the laboratory must complete. Under Art. 36/1-d of the Regulation on Occupational Hygiene Measurements, Tests and Analyses, published in the Official Gazette of 27 January 2023, the laboratory notifies the Ministry through ISG-KATİP (the Ministry's online OHS registration system) of the measurements, tests and analyses it will carry out at least three days in advance.

The same article imposes other notification obligations on the laboratory. Those of most concern to the employer are:

Notification of measurement, test and analysis results and data within 10 days of the publication of the related report (Art. 36/1-b),
Notification within 15 days of changes in the laboratory's accreditation, such as suspension or cancellation (Art. 36/1-a).

Prior notification enables the Ministry to inspect the measurement on site. So although the ISG-KATİP notification of workplace measurements may look like the laboratory's internal business, it is a quality indicator for the employer: a laboratory that makes notifications regularly tends to comply with the legislation throughout the rest of the process too.

Who carries out workplace measurements? Competence and preliminary competence

Workplace measurements are carried out by laboratories that have obtained a competence or preliminary competence certificate from the Ministry. The Regulation distinguishes the two certificates as follows:

Competence certificate: Issued to a laboratory that meets the provisions of the Regulation. A laboratory that will measure the parameters listed in Annex 1 of the Regulation must be accredited by the Turkish Accreditation Agency (TÜRKAK) for the relevant method and sampling procedure (Art. 8/1-a).
Preliminary competence certificate: Issued to a laboratory that meets the provisions of the Regulation but is not yet accredited for the relevant parameter and has applied to TÜRKAK for accreditation.

The employer's obligation is clear: to have measurements carried out by a laboratory with a competence or preliminary competence certificate. Art. 5/3 of the Regulation states that the results of measurements carried out by laboratories without these certificates are invalid. The fee paid to an uncertified laboratory may leave you, in an inspection, in the same position as if no measurement had been made at all.

Bursa Sistemer does not have its own laboratory. We plan measurements with authorised laboratories and health institutions and make sure the results are entered into the risk assessment. For which measurement is required in which workplace, see our article on workplaces where exposure measurement is mandatory.

Checking the measurement laboratory's competence certificate

For the laboratory you have received a quote from, make the following checks before signing a contract:

Certificate type and validity. Does the laboratory have a competence or preliminary competence certificate, and has it been suspended or cancelled? Look at the list of authorised laboratories published by the Ministry.
Parameter scope. The certificate is parameter-based. A laboratory authorised for noise may not be authorised for solvent vapour or crystalline silica. Check that every parameter you want is within the scope of the certificate.
Method and sampling. Will personal exposure or workplace area measurement be carried out? Using which standard method? The quote should state this clearly.
Confirmation of notification. Ask the laboratory for the record showing that it has notified the measurement on ISG-KATİP. Writing this into the contract prevents later disputes.
Report content. The report should include the sections measured, the work done, the exposure duration, the standards used, the measurement uncertainty and the limit values (Art. 19).

The 3-day occupational hygiene measurement notification: the employer's calendar

The three-day notification period makes it difficult to change the measurement date at the last minute. So the measurement calendar must also be planned on the employer's side:

Timing	Employer	Laboratory
2–4 weeks before the measurement	Identifies the measurement need from the risk assessment, obtains quotes, checks certificates	Preliminary survey, measurement plan and proposed points
1 week before the measurement	Sends information on technologies used, chemicals and safety data sheets, finalises the shift and production plan	Planning of staff and equipment
At least 3 days before	Confirms that the notification has been made	Notifies the measurement through ISG-KATİP
Measurement day	Appoints the person who will accompany, maintains normal production conditions	Measurement and sampling
After the report	Has the results entered into the risk assessment, plans controls	Notifies the data within 10 days of publishing the report

If the production plan changes and the measurement is postponed, the notification must be made again for the new date. Informing the laboratory of the postponement early ensures that the new date also complies with the three-day rule.

Is an unnotified measurement valid?

This question is often asked on site, and the answer must be given carefully. The situation the Regulation explicitly calls "invalid" is a measurement by a laboratory without a competence or preliminary competence certificate (Art. 5/3). Prior notification, on the other hand, is the laboratory's obligation towards the Ministry, and failure to comply has consequences in the laboratory's supervision.

The practical consequence for the employer is this: an unnotified measurement cannot be traced in the Ministry's records, and the reliability of the report may be questioned in an inspection. Obtaining confirmation of notification is the safest way to make sure the money and time you spent on the measurement are not wasted. If you are not sure whether the notification has been made, ask the laboratory for written confirmation before the measurement.

The employer's obligations on the day of measurement

The Regulation also gives the employer duties during the measurement process:

Accompanying: The employer appoints the OHS specialist or workplace physician or, in their absence, an employee who knows the work, to accompany the laboratory staff during the preliminary survey and measurement (Art. 5/4).
Information and documents: Information is given about the technologies used and the agents to be measured, and the necessary documents, including safety data sheets, are provided (Art. 5/5).
Normal conditions: For the measurement results to reflect reality, work continues under normal working conditions without any change in production capacity. Stopping, slowing or speeding up work to influence the measurement result is contrary to the Regulation.
Measurement points: Final responsibility for determining the measurement points and their number lies with the employer (Art. 14). The laboratory's proposal should be compared with the exposure points known to the specialist and physician.

For details specific to the type of measurement, see our articles on workplace noise measurement and dust measurement.

Measurement report validity: when is measurement repeated?

The Regulation does not set a fixed period for the measurement report such as "valid for so many years". Instead, it lists the situations in which measurement is repeated (Art. 5/2):

When it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the control measures taken,
When workplace or personal exposure conditions change (new machine, new chemical, layout change, shift pattern),
When the labour inspector requests it,
When the OHS specialist or workplace physician considers it necessary.

When you receive the report, make the following checks:

Do the laboratory name, certificate number and measurement date in the report match the contract and notification record?
Have all the requested sections and employee groups been measured? If a point was not measured, is the reason stated?
For personal exposure measurements, are the name, job and exposure duration of the person measured included?
Are the standard used, the measurement uncertainty and the limit value compared against stated clearly?
Is it clear from the description of working conditions in the report that production was normal on the day of measurement?

A report that does not pass these checks is a weak basis for the risk assessment. Asking the laboratory to correct gaps as soon as you receive the report is easier than having the measurement repeated months later.

The laboratory does not assess whether the results comply with the legislation (Art. 19/4). Comparing the results with limit values, entering them into the risk assessment and planning controls is the job of the specialist and physician. Measurement records are kept for at least 10 years unless a period is specified in the relevant legislation (Art. 5/6).

The 2026 base administrative fine for not having a required measurement carried out is 33,326 TL; an increase is applied according to the workplace's number of employees and hazard class. You can use our OHS administrative fines tool for the calculation. We carry out the identification of measurement needs, planning with the laboratory and evaluation of results as part of our risk assessment service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who notifies ISG-KATİP of a workplace measurement?

The laboratory that will carry out the measurement makes the notification. Under Art. 36/1-d of the Regulation on Occupational Hygiene Measurements, Tests and Analyses, the laboratory notifies the measurement through ISG-KATİP at least three days in advance. The employer is advised to confirm this notification.

How is a measurement laboratory's competence certificate checked?

The type, validity and parameter scope of the certificate are checked on the list of authorised laboratories published by the Ministry. Every parameter requested must be within the scope of the certificate.

How many years is a measurement report valid?

The Regulation sets no fixed validity period. Measurement is repeated to evaluate control measures, when exposure conditions change, at the inspector's request, or when the specialist or physician considers it necessary.

Can we reduce production on the day of measurement?

No. Measurement is carried out under normal working conditions and at normal production capacity. Stopping, slowing or speeding up work to influence the result makes the measurement misleading and is contrary to the Regulation.