In brief
ÇASMER (employee health centre) is a unit attached to the Ministry of Health and authorised by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to provide OHS services to workplaces; it was added to Law No. 6331 in 2025 by Law No. 7538. Employers can obtain specialist and physician services from a ÇASMER as well as from an OSGB; less hazardous workplaces with fewer than 50 workers can also obtain health reports from a ÇASMER. ÇASMERs and OSGBs are institutions; the workplace physician is a certified individual working in these institutions or at the workplace.
What is ÇASMER? The definition in the Law
The answer to the question "what is ÇASMER?" is in Art. 3/1-t of Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 6331. This sub-paragraph was added by Law No. 7538 of 9 January 2025:
Employee health centre (ÇASMER): A unit attached to the Ministry of Health, authorised by the Ministry under this Law to provide occupational health and safety services to workplaces, and having the necessary equipment and personnel.
The two "Ministries" in the definition are different: ÇASMER is attached to the Ministry of Health, but is authorised by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to provide OHS services. The concept actually appeared in a regulation before the Law: in the Regulation on Occupational Health and Safety Services, the ÇASMER definition and related provisions took their current form with the amendment of 4 February 2024. Law No. 7538 raised this structure to the level of law.
What services can a ÇASMER provide?
Under the legislation, the role of ÇASMER falls under three headings:
- As an OHS service provider (Law 6331 Art. 6/1-a): If there are no personnel with the required qualifications among their workers, employers may obtain all or part of the OHS specialist, workplace physician and other health personnel services from OSGBs or ÇASMERs. Law No. 7538 added the words "or from ÇASMERs" to this sub-paragraph.
- Scope of service (OHS Services Regulation Art. 17/7): ÇASMERs may provide workplace physician and other health personnel services if they meet the physical requirements in the third paragraph of Article 12 of the regulation (excluding the OHS specialist's room). If they wish to provide all OHS services, including OHS specialist services, they meet the requirements in Articles 12 and 16 of the regulation.
- Health reports (Law 6331 Art. 15/3): Health reports required under the Law are, as a rule, obtained from the workplace physician. For less hazardous workplaces with fewer than 50 workers, reports may also be obtained from ÇASMERs, family physicians or other public healthcare providers.
The procedures and principles for the authorisation and inspection of ÇASMERs are set by a circular to be prepared jointly by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (Art. 17/7). As with OSGBs, their authorisation certificates must be renewed every five years (Art. 20). Their inspections are also carried out under Article 17/A of the regulation and this circular.
ÇASMER pre-employment report: who can obtain one, and when?
This is the most frequently asked question in the field. The rule is as in the table below:
| Workplace | From whom is the report obtained? |
|---|---|
| Less hazardous, fewer than 50 workers | Workplace physician; or ÇASMER, family physician or other public healthcare provider |
| Less hazardous, 50 or more workers | Workplace physician |
| Hazardous and very hazardous, regardless of headcount | Workplace physician |
If a hazardous or very hazardous workplace obtains workplace physician services from a ÇASMER under contract, the report is still issued by the workplace physician assigned by that ÇASMER. In other words, a ÇASMER can provide reports by two different routes: directly for less hazardous workplaces with fewer than 50 workers, and for other workplaces through the workplace physician assigned under a service contract. Objections to reports are made to referee hospitals designated by the Ministry of Health. For details, see our article on where to obtain the pre-employment health report.
How ÇASMER differs from an OSGB
| Topic | ÇASMER | OSGB |
|---|---|---|
| Founder and parent structure | A unit attached to the Ministry of Health | A unit set up by public institutions, OIZs (organised industrial zones) or companies operating under the Turkish Commercial Code (Law 6331 Art. 3/1-m) |
| Legal basis | Law 6331 Art. 3/1-t, 6/1-a, 15/3; OHS Services Regulation Art. 17/7 | Law 6331 Art. 3, 6, 8; OHS Services Regulation Art. 12 et seq. |
| Authorised by | Ministry of Labour and Social Security | Ministry of Labour and Social Security |
| Scope of service | Workplace physician and DSP; if it meets the requirements, all OHS services including OHS specialist services | Workplace physician, OHS specialist and DSP |
| Physical requirements | For physician and DSP services, the requirements in Art. 12/3 of the regulation (excluding the specialist's room); for all OHS services, Articles 12 and 16 | At least one full-time physician, one specialist and one DSP; examination and first aid room, specialist's room, waiting area |
| Reports for small workplaces | Can issue reports directly to less hazardous workplaces with fewer than 50 workers | The report is issued by the workplace physician it assigns |
| Renewal | Every five years | Every five years |
The rule common to both structures is that service time is determined by the workplace's hazard class and headcount: the minimum monthly minutes per worker for the physician and specialist do not change depending on who provides the service. You can see the times required for your own workplace with our OHS obligation calculator. We explained the structure of an OSGB (joint health and safety unit) in detail in our article on what an OSGB is.
The difference between ÇASMER and a workplace physician
These two concepts are not on the same level:
- A ÇASMER is an institution; it provides its service through the workplace physicians and other health personnel working within it.
- A workplace physician is a person; a physician holding the workplace physician certificate issued by the Ministry. They may be the workplace's own employee, or work in an OSGB or a ÇASMER.
- A family physician is not a workplace physician. They can issue health reports only for less hazardous workplaces with fewer than 50 workers; they do not take on the workplace physician's duties such as taking part in the risk assessment, monitoring the workplace and delivering training.
You can find the workplace physician's duties beyond reporting in our article on the duties of the workplace physician.
What Law No. 7538 changed in OHS
Alongside ÇASMER, Law No. 7538 made other changes to Law 6331:
| Article | Change |
|---|---|
| Art. 3/1-t | ÇASMER definition added |
| Art. 3/1-u | Equipment inspection body definition added |
| Art. 6/1-a | Added that OHS services may also be obtained from ÇASMERs |
| Art. 6/5 | Added that the procedures and principles for implementing the article will be set by the Ministry |
| Art. 8/2 | OSGB management also made responsible for notifying the Ministry of urgent and life-threatening danger; an OSGB that fails to notify has its authorisation certificate suspended for six months, and for one year on repetition |
| Art. 15/3 | The places from which less hazardous workplaces with fewer than 50 workers may obtain reports were rewritten as "ÇASMERs, family physicians or other public healthcare providers" |
| Art. 31 | "Suspension" added to the article heading; the wording relating to authorised or certified persons and organisations was broadened |
The practical result for employers
- If you are a less hazardous workplace with fewer than 50 workers, a ÇASMER is an option for pre-employment and periodic examination reports. You need to find out from the provincial health directorate whether a ÇASMER operates in your province.
- If you are considering obtaining specialist and physician services from a ÇASMER, clarify before signing the contract whether OHS specialist services are also provided, the visit schedule and the registration of the assignment on İSG-KATİP (the Ministry's online OHS registration system).
- Whoever you obtain the service from, under Law 6331 Art. 4/2, obtaining services externally does not remove the employer's responsibility. We listed the criteria you can use when choosing a service provider in our article on what to look for when choosing an OSGB.
As a Ministry-authorised OSGB, we provide workplace physician services, including pre-employment and periodic examinations, to workplaces in Bursa and neighbouring provinces; we plan laboratory and imaging tests with authorised laboratories and healthcare providers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ÇASMER?
It is an employee health centre: a unit attached to the Ministry of Health, authorised by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to provide OHS services to workplaces, and having the necessary equipment and personnel. It was added to the definitions article of Law No. 6331 in 2025 by Law No. 7538.
Can a pre-employment report be obtained from a ÇASMER?
Less hazardous workplaces with fewer than 50 workers can obtain the report directly from a ÇASMER. In other workplaces the report is obtained from the workplace physician; if workplace physician services are obtained from a ÇASMER, the report is issued by the workplace physician assigned by the ÇASMER.
What is the difference between a ÇASMER and an OSGB?
A ÇASMER is a unit attached to the Ministry of Health; an OSGB is a unit set up by public institutions, OIZs or companies. Both are authorised by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and must be renewed every five years. In addition, the Law provides ÇASMERs with the ability to issue health reports directly to less hazardous workplaces with fewer than 50 workers.
Does obtaining services from a ÇASMER remove the employer's responsibility?
No. Under Art. 4/2 of Law No. 6331, obtaining services from external experts and organisations does not remove the employer's responsibilities.
A physician assigned for the time your hazard class requires: pre-employment and periodic examinations, fitness-for-work reports and health surveillance.
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.