In brief
Machining and welding work are in the hazardous class on the 2025 list; even a workshop with a few workers must appoint a specialist and physician, have a risk assessment carried out and obtain fitness-for-work reports. This article gives the ten steps that a small turning, milling and welding workshop on an industrial estate should take in order of priority, from the legal basis to machine guards, and from periodic inspection to coordination with neighbouring workshops.
Where should a small workshop on an industrial estate start?
Imagine a workshop with three lathes, a CNC machine, a milling machine and a welding table, employing five or six people. The employer is also the foreman; they have little time to devote to OHS and are looking for the answer to the question "what should I do first?" Our recommendation for machining workshop safety is to put the tasks in order according to risk and the weight of legal sanctions.
On the list of hazard classes renewed in 2025, machining and welding work (NACE 25.53.01) is in the hazardous class. The option for an employer without a certificate to complete the Ministry's training and provide the OHS service themselves is only available to less hazardous workplaces with fewer than 50 workers (6331 Art. 6/1-a); in a hazardous-class workshop, a specialist and physician must be appointed whatever the number of workers. The ten steps below are a roadmap for small metal workshops operating on industrial estates in Bursa and the surrounding provinces. For a more general framework, see our article on obligations of hazardous-class workplaces.
| Step | What is done? | Evidence / document | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm the hazard class | NACE code in the SGK registration | When the activity changes |
| 2 | Appoint a specialist and physician | Approved contract on ISG-KATİP | Ongoing |
| 3 | Risk assessment | Signed and initialled document | At least every 4 years and when changes occur |
| 4 | Pre-employment and periodic examination | Annex 2 form, fitness-for-work report | At recruitment, at least every 3 years |
| 5 | OHS training | Training record and basic training certificate | Refresher every 2 years |
| 6 | Vocational training certificates | Copy of the certificate in the personnel file | Before hiring |
| 7 | Machine guards | Machine-by-machine checklist | Daily and when changes occur |
| 8 | Periodic inspections | Inspection reports | At least once a year |
| 9 | Emergency plan and drill | Plan, appointments, drill form | Drill once a year |
| 10 | Records and follow-up | PPE issue records, approved book, OHS file | Ongoing |
The legal basis: steps 1–3
1. Confirm the hazard class. The class is determined by the main activity carried out at the workplace; if there is more than one main activity, the higher one applies. If your main activities include laser cutting of metals (NACE 25.53.03) or nickel plating (25.51.01), your class rises to very hazardous. Use our article on how to find out your hazard class to check.
2. Appoint a specialist and physician. The OHS specialist appointed in the hazardous class must hold at least a class B certificate (Art. 8/5 of Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety). The contract is drawn up on ISG-KATİP (the Ministry's online OHS registration system) and both parties approve it within 5 days at the latest. The minimum monthly time per worker in the hazardous class is 20 minutes for the specialist and 10 minutes for the physician; you can find the required time with our OHS obligation calculator. The Law provides for state support for hazardous and very hazardous workplaces with fewer than 10 workers (Art. 7); confirm the current status of the scheme before applying.
3. Have the workshop risk assessment carried out. A workshop risk assessment should address each machine and each job on a separate line: entanglement in the lathe chuck, swarf injuries, disc breakage in grinding, fumes and UV in welding, the compressor tank, the electrical panel, skin contact with cutting fluid and parts carried by hand. In the hazardous class, the assessment is renewed at least every 4 years; in situations such as a new machine, relocation or a work accident, the period is not waited for. The team includes the employer, the specialist, the physician and the employee representative. For the method, see our article on how to carry out a risk assessment.
The human side: steps 4–6
4. Health surveillance. In hazardous-class work, a worker cannot start work without a medical report showing that they are fit for the work they will do (6331 Art. 15/2); the report is obtained from the workplace physician. The periodic examination is repeated at least every 3 years. The physician decides which tests are needed for exposures such as noise and welding fumes; we plan the tests with authorised healthcare providers.
5. Training. Every worker, including apprentices and interns, is given induction training lasting at least 2 hours, face-to-face and practical, before starting work. Basic training is completed within 3 months at the latest after starting work; in the hazardous class, the minimum duration is 12 hours, at least 3 hours of which are devoted to job-specific risks, and this part is delivered face-to-face. Refresher training is every 2 years and lasts at least 8 hours. For details, see our article on the new OHS training regulation.
6. Vocational training certificates. The Annex 1 list of the vocational training regulation includes "all types of welding work" and "machining and grinding work such as turning and fitting exceeding 10 kg". Workers in these jobs must not be employed without a certificate appropriate to the work (6331 Art. 17/3); clarify which machine falls under which line by looking at the parts being processed. To check, see our article on the list of jobs requiring vocational training.
Machinery and equipment: steps 7–8
7. Machine guards. The most common shortcomings in small workshops are:
- The lathe chuck guard has been removed or its interlock defeated
- The guard and tool rest on grinders are not adjusted
- The rotating spindle on drills and milling machines is exposed
- There is no emergency stop button, or it is in an inaccessible place
- Swarf is cleaned by hand or with compressed air
Swarf is cleaned with a swarf hook or brush and only after the machine has stopped. Loose clothing, jewellery and long hair that is not tied back near a rotating workpiece create a risk of entanglement. For risks specific to CNC machines, see our article on CNC operator safety, and for types of guard, our article on machine guards.
8. Periodic inspections. Under Annex III of the Regulation on Health and Safety Requirements for the Use of Work Equipment, lathes, milling machines, presses, compressor tanks, the internal electrical installation and earthing, and fire extinguishers are inspected at least once a year. The inspection is carried out by authorised persons registered on EKİPNET (the Ministry's register of authorised inspection personnel). Equipment found "non-compliant" in the report is not used until the deficiency has been rectified.
Emergencies and records: steps 9–10
9. Emergency plan. Even in a small workshop, fire, electric shock and injury scenarios must be in writing. In workplaces with fewer than 10 workers, a single support staff member is sufficient for the fire-fighting, rescue and protection teams. In the hazardous class, there must be one first aider for every 15 workers. A drill is carried out at least once a year and a drill form is completed. For the content of the plan, see our article on how to prepare an emergency plan.
10. Records and follow-up. PPE issue forms, training records, periodic inspection reports, the approved book and medical reports should be gathered in a single OHS file. These are the first documents requested in an inspection.
Industrial estate OHS: common areas and neighbouring workshops
When it comes to industrial estate OHS, most employers think only about what is inside their own door. Yet welding sparks from the workshop next door, materials left in the common corridor or a shared electrical panel also affect your workers. Art. 23 of Law No. 6331 regulates this situation: employers sharing the same work area cooperate on OHS measures and inform each other; in places such as business centres, industrial zones or estates, the management provides coordination, warns employers about hazards that will affect other workplaces and reports those who do not comply to the Ministry.
Clarify the following topics in writing with the estate management:
- Common escape routes and the assembly point
- Maintenance of shared electrical panels and keeping them locked
- The effect of hot work in neighbouring workshops on your area
- The location and inspection of fire-fighting equipment
For details on this topic, see our article on more than one employer in the same work area.
The risk of fines: a quick calculation
According to the 2026 base amounts, the administrative fine for not carrying out a risk assessment is 66,725 TL. This fine is increased according to workplace size and hazard class: for a hazardous-class workshop with fewer than 10 workers, the increase is 25% and the amount rises to 83,406.25 TL. If the breach continues, a further fine is applied for each subsequent month. The fine for not providing training is 8,980 TL per worker, and no increase is applied to fines calculated per worker; for a workshop with six untrained workers, the amount is 53,880 TL. You can calculate your own situation with our OHS administrative fines tool.
In our OHS specialist and risk assessment services, we tie these ten steps to a schedule according to the size of the workshop. For risks specific to metalworking, see our metal and machinery sector page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a three-person lathe workshop also have to get services from an OSGB?
It has to appoint a specialist and physician. Machining is in the hazardous class; an employer without a certificate can only provide the service themselves through the Ministry's training in less hazardous workplaces with fewer than 50 workers. You can obtain the service from an OSGB (joint health and safety unit), appoint workers who meet the requirements, or take on the role yourself if you hold the necessary certificate.
What should come first on a lathe workshop checklist?
The legal basis: confirming the hazard class, appointing the specialist and physician on ISG-KATİP and the risk assessment. Machine-specific checks are built on top of these three steps.
How often is a workshop risk assessment renewed?
At least every 4 years in the hazardous class. In situations such as buying a new machine, relocation, a work accident or a near miss, it is renewed without waiting for the period to expire.
Who is responsible for a hazard created by a neighbouring workshop on an industrial estate?
Each employer is responsible for its own workers and must cooperate with neighbouring employers. On estates, the management provides coordination; it warns the employer creating the hazard and, if they do not comply, reports them to the Ministry.
A certified specialist matched to your hazard class: site inspections, approved logbook, training plan, annual plan and report follow-up.
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.