In brief
An OSGB is a unit set up to provide OHS specialist, workplace physician and other health personnel services to workplaces and is authorised by the Ministry. It employs at least one full-time physician, specialist and other health personnel, renews its authorisation certificate every 5 years, serves the province where it is established and the neighbouring provinces, and works with each workplace under a contract approved on ISG-KATİP. Obtaining services from an OSGB does not remove the employer’s responsibility.
What is an OSGB and what does it mean? The legal definition
The answer to the questions what is an OSGB and what does OSGB mean lies in its name: Ortak Sağlık ve Güvenlik Birimi, or joint health and safety unit. The word “joint” indicates that the unit serves not a single workplace but the many workplaces it has contracts with.
Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety defines an OSGB as follows: a unit set up by public institutions and organisations, organised industrial zones (OIZs) and companies operating under the Turkish Commercial Code to provide occupational health and safety services to workplaces, which has the necessary equipment and personnel and is authorised by the Ministry. The detailed rules are set out in the Regulation on Occupational Health and Safety Services.
An OSGB needs to be distinguished from two similar structures:
- Workplace health and safety unit (ISGB): A unit that the employer sets up at its own workplace with a physician and specialist it assigns itself. It is set up in workplaces large enough to require the full-time assignment of a physician and specialist.
- Employee health centre (ÇASMER): A unit attached to the Ministry of Health and authorised to provide OHS services; it was added to the Law in 2025.
Why do employers obtain services from an OSGB?
Art. 6 of the Law obliges the employer to assign an OHS specialist and a workplace physician and, in very hazardous workplaces with 10 or more employees, other health personnel (DSP) as well. There are several ways to meet this obligation:
| Model | Who carries it out? | When is it suitable? |
|---|---|---|
| Own personnel | A certified physician and specialist employed by the employer | Large workplaces requiring full-time assignment |
| OSGB | Physician, specialist and DSP assigned by the OSGB under contract | Most workplaces that do not require full-time personnel |
| ÇASMER | A centre attached to the Ministry of Health | When obtaining the service from these centres is preferred |
| The employer personally | An employer holding the required certificate | If the employer holds a specialist or physician certificate |
| The employer or their representative, with training | An employer who completes the Ministry’s training | Only less hazardous workplaces with fewer than 50 employees; examinations excluded |
An employer can also combine these models; for example, it can provide the specialist from its own staff and the physician from an OSGB. Which model suits you depends on the times calculated from your number of employees and hazard class; you can see this with the OHS obligation calculator tool.
What does an OSGB do? What are OSGB services?
Art. 13 of the Regulation on Occupational Health and Safety Services lists the work for which OSGBs are responsible. From the workplace’s point of view, we can summarise it as follows:
- Surveillance of the working environment: The OHS specialist inspects the site, identifies risks and recommends protective and preventive measures to the employer. They take part in preparing and updating the risk assessment.
- Health surveillance: The workplace physician carries out pre-employment and periodic examinations, assesses fitness for work and keeps personal health files confidential.
- Training and information: Plans employees’ OHS training, submits it for the employer’s approval and delivers it.
- Emergency preparedness: Contributes to identifying emergencies and preparing the emergency plan, and sets up the first aid and emergency response organisation.
- Records and reporting: Prepares the annual work plan and the annual evaluation report; keeps records of work accidents and occupational diseases.
- Approved logbook: The physician and specialist write their findings and recommendations in the approved logbook. Findings written in the logbook are deemed to have been notified to the employer.
If a shortcoming reported in writing presents an urgent and life-threatening danger or creates an environment that could lead to an occupational disease, and the employer does not take the necessary measure, the physician, specialist or OSGB management reports the situation to the competent unit of the Ministry and to the authorised trade union representative if there is one, otherwise to the employee representative. The certificates of a physician and specialist who fail to report, and the authorisation certificate of the OSGB, are suspended (Law Art. 8/2). This is the legal guarantee of the OSGB’s independence.
Some services require separate authorisation. Workplace environment measurements are carried out by laboratories holding a competence certificate from the Ministry, and periodic inspections of work equipment by authorised persons registered on EKİPNET (the Ministry’s register of persons authorised to inspect work equipment). The OSGB plays a role in planning these processes and incorporating their results into the risk assessment. For how a risk assessment is carried out, see our articles on risk assessment and the Fine-Kinney method.
Minimum staff and physical requirements
To be set up and provide services, an OSGB must employ at least one workplace physician, one OHS specialist and one other health personnel under full-time employment contracts (Regulation Art. 12/1). These full-time personnel may not work at another OSGB or workplace. The OSGB also appoints a responsible manager who is accountable to the Ministry and holds a physician or specialist certificate.
The physical requirements are also listed in the regulation: an examination room of at least 10 m², a first aid and emergency response room of 15 m², an OHS specialist’s room of 10 m², a waiting area of 12 m², an archive room of suitable size and at least one toilet and washbasin. OSGBs are, as a rule, set up on the ground floor or in detached buildings.
These are minimum requirements. As the number of workplaces it has contracts with grows, the OSGB must also expand its staff so that it can give each workplace the statutory time, because the OSGB must provide each workplace with no less than the times determined by hazard class and number of employees (Art. 12/4). The calculation of the times is in our article on physician and specialist working times.
Authorisation certificate, renewal and inspection
OSGBs apply for an authorisation certificate via e-Devlet (the government’s online services portal); the Ministry examines the file, carries out an on-site inspection and, if the requirements are met, issues an authorisation certificate specific to the address and trade name in the application. An OSGB cannot operate without an authorisation certificate or if the renewal is not completed in time.
The renewal and inspection arrangements in the regulation are briefly as follows:
- Renewal: The authorisation certificate is renewed every 5 years. The application is made no more than 60 days before the five years expire. The certificate of those who do not apply on time is suspended until the renewal is completed; if the process is not completed within three months of the end of the renewal period, the certificate is cancelled.
- Service area: An OSGB can provide services in the province where it is established and in neighbouring provinces; for services elsewhere it must open a branch in that province. For an OSGB established in Bursa, this means Bursa and Yalova, Kocaeli, Sakarya, Bilecik, Kütahya and Balıkesir.
- Warning points: Warning points are applied for breaches; an OSGB whose points total 300 has its authorisation certificate suspended for six months.
- Direct suspension: Providing services outside the address or provincial boundaries for which it was authorised, or transferring all or part of the service to another party, is grounds for a six-month suspension.
- Cancellation: The certificate of an OSGB that is suspended three times in one renewal period, or that makes contracts during a suspension, is cancelled.
How does an OSGB work? From contract to site
The relationship between a workplace and an OSGB proceeds through these steps:
- Time calculation: The monthly times for the physician, specialist and, if required, DSP are determined according to the workplace’s hazard class and number of employees.
- ISG-KATİP contract: A contract in line with the template on ISG-KATİP (the Ministry’s online OHS registration system) is drawn up between the OSGB and the employer, and both parties approve it in the system within five days at the latest. The physician and specialist cannot start work with an unapproved assignment. For the steps, see our article on ISG-KATİP contract approval.
- On-site service: The physician and specialist come to the workplace at the planned times; they write their findings in the approved logbook and implement the annual work plan.
- Continuous records: The annual evaluation report, training records and copies of the approved logbook are also kept in the OSGB’s archive.
- Changes and termination: The termination or expiry of the contract is reported to ISG-KATİP by the OSGB within five working days. If personnel whose assignment is mandatory leave, a replacement is appointed within 30 days.
- Handover of records: When the contract ends, the OSGB hands over all records and files to the employer even if not requested.
One more important rule: an OSGB may not transfer all or part of the services it is obliged to provide to another person or organisation; a contract via ISG-KATİP is required for each service.
For the scope of our services, see the occupational safety specialist, workplace physician and workplace nursing pages, and for questions to ask when evaluating an OSGB, see our article on 10 criteria to consider when choosing an OSGB.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an OSGB the same as an “OHS company”?
Legally, an OSGB is a unit authorised by the Ministry and provides services under the trade name and address written on its authorisation certificate. A company without an authorisation certificate cannot provide OHS specialist or workplace physician services to a workplace. Always check the authorisation certificate and renewal date of the organisation you obtain services from.
Can an OSGB provide services in every province?
No. An OSGB can provide services in the province where it is established and in neighbouring provinces. To provide services in any other province, it must open a branch there that meets the requirements. The regulation contains a separate exception for work that must be carried out across several provinces, such as the construction of rail systems or transmission lines.
What happens to the records if the OSGB changes?
When the contract ends, the OSGB hands over all records and files to the employer even if not requested. We explain how to make the transition without a service gap in our article on the OSGB change process.
Does responsibility pass to the OSGB when services are obtained from it?
No. The Law states clearly that outsourcing services does not remove the employer’s responsibility. The OSGB and the physician and specialist it assigns are in turn liable to the employer for their negligence in carrying out the service.
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.