OHS Briefings for Interns and Visitors

Who is a worker and who is a visitor? Make the distinction first

It is not only workers who come through a factory's gates every day: a vocational high school intern arriving in the summer, a MESEM (vocational education centre) student who is in the workshop two days a week, a lorry driver bringing raw materials, a machine service technician, a customer auditor and a school trip group. What needs to be done differs for each of these people, and the most common mistake is to have them all sign the same "visitor form" and leave it at that. This article explains what is sufficient for each group, from intern OHS training to the visitor briefing.

Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety covers all workers, including apprentices and interns (Art. 2/1). So intern OHS training is not a courtesy briefing but the same training given to workers. A visitor, on the other hand, is not a worker; they are given not training but the information and escort needed for their safety.

Person	Legal basis	What is provided?	Record
Apprentice, intern, MESEM student	Law 6331 Art. 2; training regulation Arts. 7, 21	Induction training, basic training (or an accepted school course), health surveillance	Induction record, training certificate
Worker under a temporary employment relationship	Training regulation Art. 23	The employer with whom the temporary relationship is established provides the necessary training	Record and certificate
Another firm's maintenance, installation or cleaning worker	Law 6331 Art. 16/2; training regulation Art. 5/4	Workplace-specific risks and rules; training certificate check in hazardous and very hazardous workplaces	Entry form, copy of certificate, permit to work
Supplier and haulage driver	Law 6331 Art. 16/2; Emergencies Reg. Art. 5/1-g	Driver information card, dock and site rules	Entry log
Visitor, customer, auditor, school group	Emergencies Reg. Arts. 5/1-g, 10/6; Risk Assessment Reg. Art. 8	Visitor briefing and card, escort, PPE where needed	Visitor book

Intern OHS training: induction training on day one

The Regulation on the Procedures and Principles of OHS Training for Workers defines induction training as training that must be given to all workers, including apprentices and interns, before they actually start work (Art. 7). The rules for intern induction training are the same as for workers:

It lasts at least 2 hours and is delivered face-to-face and hands-on.
It covers the work the intern will do, the equipment they will use, the risks of the working environment and workplace-specific measures.
It is given by the workplace's OHS specialist and workplace physician, or by a knowledgeable and experienced worker appointed by the employer.
It is documented with a signed record signed by the trainer, the intern and the employer or their representative.

When adapting the programme for interns, pay attention to three points. First, do not rely on the assumption that the intern will "only observe"; it is very likely they will reach out to a machine in the first week. Second, assign the intern a mentor or responsible worker and have this person deliver the hands-on part of the training. Third, give the intern in writing which machines they may not use and which areas they may not enter. For a minute-by-minute sample programme, see our article on the induction training programme.

Basic training is a separate matter. The employer of the workplace where the practical training takes place is responsible for the training and information of apprentices and interns; however, OHS courses completed by the apprentice or intern at their school replace basic training if the employer accepts them (Art. 21). This exemption does not cover induction training. Put the certificate for the school course you accept in the intern's file.

Apprentice OHS training and young interns

A significant proportion of apprentices and vocational high school students are under 18 and subject to the rules for young workers. When planning apprentice OHS training, the following are also checked alongside the training:

Prohibited work: Those under 18 may not be employed in the heavy and hazardous work prohibited by the legislation. Check the station the intern will be assigned to from this point of view; for details, see our article on child and young workers.
Health surveillance: The periodic examination of child and young workers is carried out at least every 6 months.
Risk assessment: Young workers are among the groups given special consideration in the risk assessment.
Time calculation: Apprentices and interns are not included in the headcount when calculating the time for appointing the specialist and physician (Law 6331 Art. 6/4); but training, PPE and health surveillance obligations apply to them too.

For MESEM students and the school-business relationship, you can read our article on OHS for MESEM students and interns.

Visitor safety rules: what does the legislation require?

There is no separate "visitor training" provision for visitors, but two regulations give the employer clear duties.

The Regulation on Emergencies in Workplaces makes the employer responsible for informing the workers of any subcontractor and of any employer with whom a temporary employment relationship is established, as well as customers, visitors and those attending group events at the workplace such as meetings, seminars, conferences or training, about emergencies, the evacuation plan, escape routes, assembly points and emergency teams (Art. 5/1-g). The same regulation requires customers and visitors likely to be present at the workplace to be taken into account when determining response and evacuation methods (Art. 10/6), and lists searching for and rescuing visitors among the duties of the rescue team (Art. 11/2-b). The Risk Assessment Regulation also requires hazards that may arise from visitors or other persons who are not workers at the workplace to be taken into account when identifying hazards (Art. 8).

The visitor safety rules arising from these provisions come down to four headings: information on entry, escort, PPE where needed and a record that can be counted during evacuation.

The visitor briefing and information card

A visitor briefing is not lengthy training; it is given in a few minutes before the visitor steps onto the site and is backed up by a one-page card. Issue the card at security or reception and collect it on departure.

For group visits such as a school trip, a customer audit or a large meeting, give the briefing while the group is gathered at the entrance and make sure they see the assembly point. Allow for the possibility that a drill or a real alarm may occur during the visit.

The escort rule: who, where and how?

The on-site counterpart of visitor information is the escort. Write the rule according to area:

Area	Example	Rule
Open area	Reception, meeting room, administrative offices	Visitors may be present unescorted with the information card
Escorted area	Production aisles, warehouse walkways, laboratory	Only with an escort, on marked routes and with the specified PPE
Prohibited area	Confined spaces, press and robot cells, chemical store, electrical room, loading dock	Visitors do not enter; contractors entering for work enter with a permit to work

When applying the escort rule:

Define the escort. The person who receives the visit is also responsible for the escort; if they hand over the role to someone else, they report who is replacing them.
Limit group size. Set as an internal rule the number of people one escort can safely manage in the production area; large groups are split.
Make visitors identifiable. A vest or card of a different colour enables workers on site to recognise a visitor.
Record departure. If a visitor's departure time is not written down, the headcount list during evacuation will be wrong.

Supplier drivers and short-term entries

Lorry and truck drivers fall somewhere between visitors and workers. Visitor rules are sufficient for a driver who only waits in the vehicle; but a driver who opens the tarpaulin, shows the load or steps down into the loading area at the dock is directly exposed to the risks at your workplace. Art. 16/2 of Law No. 6331 requires you to ensure that those coming from other workplaces to work at your workplace receive information on the risks and measures, and to give the necessary information to their employers for this purpose.

Prepare a short driver information card for drivers:

Speed limit and vehicle route on site.
Securing the vehicle after backing onto the dock and not moving until loading is finished.
The safe area where the driver will wait while the forklift is working; no entry to the loading area without permission.
A high-visibility vest and, where needed, safety footwear.
The assembly point in an emergency.

For the dock and separating forklifts from pedestrians, see our articles on loading dock safety and the forklift and pedestrian traffic plan in the warehouse.

People coming to your workplace to do work, such as a service technician or a maintenance or installation crew, are not visitors. In workplaces in the hazardous and very hazardous classes, these people may not start work without a certificate showing that they have received training containing sufficient information and instructions on the risks of the work they will do (training regulation Art. 5/4). Check the certificate on entry, explain the rules specific to your workplace and make the work subject to a permit to work where necessary.

Records: what use are they at inspections and in evacuations?

Visitor and intern records serve two purposes: showing that the obligation has been fulfilled and knowing who is inside in an emergency.

Interns and apprentices: Induction training record, basic training certificate or certificate of the accepted school course, health report and PPE issue record. For record keeping, see our article on OHS training certificates and records.
Contractor workers: Entry form, copy of the training certificate, permit to work.
Visitors and drivers: A visitor book showing entry and exit times, the escort and that the card was issued. The book is the basis for the headcount at the assembly point during evacuation; specify in your emergency plan who will carry out the headcount. For the plan, you can read our article on how to prepare an emergency plan.

At businesses in Bursa and the surrounding provinces, as part of our OHS training, we deliver induction training for interns and apprentices on site and prepare visitor and driver information cards based on the workplace's site plan and emergency plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it mandatory to give interns OHS training?

Yes. Apprentices and interns are covered as workers and receive induction training of at least 2 hours before they actually start work. For basic training, an OHS course completed at school can replace basic training if the employer accepts it.

Do visitors need to be trained?

Visitors do not receive training because they are not workers; however, the employer is responsible for informing them about emergencies, the evacuation plan, escape routes, assembly points and emergency teams. A short briefing, an information card and an escort are a practical way to meet this obligation.

How long should a visitor briefing last?

The legislation gives no duration. For individual visits, a few minutes of verbal explanation and the card are enough; for groups who will enter the production area, allow a little more time to show the assembly point and hand out PPE.

Can a lorry driver enter the loading area?

As a rule, the driver waits in a designated safe area while the forklift is working. If they need to take part in loading, your workplace's risks and rules are explained to them, a high-visibility vest and the necessary protective equipment are used, and their movements are coordinated with forklift traffic.