Bursa · İznik
İznik OSGB: OHS for tile workshops, olive and tourism businesses
Production in İznik is small-scale but distinctive: dust and kilns in tile workshops, seasonality in olive businesses, and tourism and restoration in the historic town. We build the OHS plan around these three areas.
- Location
- Eastern shore of Lake İznik
- Geographical indication
- İznik Tile (designation of origin, 2009)
- Historic town
- On the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List
- Agriculture
- Olives; within the Gemlik Olive designation area
OHS in İznik, from tile workshop to restoration site
İznik has one of the most distinctive economic profiles in Bursa. There is no organised industrial zone (OSB) in the district on the list of active OSBs of the Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTSO); production mostly takes place in small workshops, agricultural businesses and tourism-related workplaces. We plan our İznik OSGB (joint health and safety unit) service to this scale.
The district’s emblem is its tiles. İznik Tile is a designation of origin registered in 2009 on behalf of İznik Municipality; traditional production continues in workshops today. In tile workshops, OHS focuses on the following:
- Dust: Preparing the quartz-containing body, sanding dried pieces and retouching produce fine dust. For dust exposure, a chest X-ray conforming to the ILO standard is taken; the workplace physician decides how often. Wet cleaning and suitable respiratory protection are the basic measures.
- Glazes and colours: Colouring metal oxides and glaze materials must be stored according to their safety data sheets and kept away from eating and drinking areas.
- Kilns: Because of high-temperature firing, hot surfaces, electrical or gas installations and ventilation are separate headings in the risk assessment.
The second major heading is the historic town. İznik has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List since 2014; restoration work on the city walls, excavation sites and historic buildings involves work at height, scaffolding and excavation risks. Construction scaffolding is subject to periodic inspection every 6 months. For hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and souvenir shops, OHS training and the emergency plan come to the fore.
The third heading is olives and agriculture. The geographical boundary of the Gemlik Olive designation of origin also covers İznik; the harvest is done by hand between late October and late December, followed by brine and dry-salt processing. For agricultural businesses around the lake, we prepare seasonal workers’ training and examination plans before the harvest.
As the district is far from the city centre, we concentrate visits on scheduled days and link them on the same route as workplaces in Orhangazi and Yenişehir.
Areas we serve in İznik
- Tile and ceramics workshopsWorkshops carrying out traditional production from body preparation to glazing and firing.
- Historic town and excavation sitesConservation areas where restoration, excavation and landscaping work is carried out.
- Tourism and service businessesHotels, guesthouses, restaurants and shops.
- Agricultural land around the lakeOlive groves and businesses engaged in agricultural production.
Planning notes for businesses in İznik
Reducing dust at source in the workshop
Wet cleaning and vacuuming instead of dry sweeping, closed containers for body preparation and suitable respiratory protection: we prioritise keeping dust from spreading into the air.
Around the kiln and electrics
We put flammable materials around the kiln, electrical panels and ventilation for gas-fired kilns on a checklist and prepare kiln operating instructions.
Work at height in restoration
At historic buildings, we include scaffold erection, fall protection and material lifting arrangements in the risk assessment at the start of the job.
A model suited to small businesses
For workshops and tourism businesses with few employees, we combine visits and schedule training and medical examinations on the same day.
Key industries in İznik
Food and Beverage Production
Class depends on the code; bread making is less hazardous OHS that manages cold rooms, slippery floors, cutting and filling machines, ammonia and steam risks together with hygiene and carrier screening.Offices, Retail and Services
Typical office codes are less hazardous Ergonomics, display screen equipment, electrical safety, emergencies and psychosocial risk management for less hazardous offices, shops and service businesses.Construction and Building Sites
Site preparation (43.12.00) is very hazardous A site-focused OHS and health plan for construction sites with work at height, scaffolding, excavation, tower cranes and earthmoving machinery.Our services in İznik
Frequently asked questions about OSGB services in İznik
Which hazard class is our tile workshop in?
The class is determined by the NACE Rev.2.1 code of the main activity carried out in the workshop; we use the list renewed in 2025. Since body preparation, shaping, glazing and firing are often done at the same workplace in tile production, we verify the code together before the contract. The class determines OHS specialist and physician time, basic OHS training hours and the examination interval.
Is a fire drill mandatory at our guesthouse and restaurant?
Yes. Art. 11 of Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety requires an emergency plan to be prepared, a sufficient number of trained people to be assigned and drills to be held. A drill is held at least once a year and a drill form is completed; at a workplace with fewer than 10 employees, a single support staff member is sufficient for firefighting, rescue and protection. We prepare the team with hands-on fire training.
We have taken on a restoration job; what should we watch out for on site?
Restoration and excavation work usually involves work at height, scaffolding, carrying heavy materials and dust. Scaffolding is inspected every 6 months, and cranes and lifting equipment at least once a year. The structural condition of the historic building must be entered in the risk assessment; for very hazardous work such as site preparation, other health personnel (DSP) are also assigned if there are 10 or more employees.
How often do you visit our business in İznik?
The visit frequency is determined by the monthly time calculated from your headcount and hazard class, and is stated in writing in the contract. In less hazardous workplaces with fewer than 50 employees, the time can be combined within the contract year, so for small businesses we can plan less frequent but longer visits.
Do you also serve our workplace in Sakarya or Bilecik?
Yes. Sakarya and Bilecik are among the provinces bordering Bursa and are within our OSGB service area. We can include them in the same visit programme as your workplace in İznik. For details, see the Sakarya OSGB page.