Workplace Nursing (Other Health Personnel) in Bursa

A workplace nurse, referred to in the legislation as other health personnel (DSP), is a health professional who works alongside the workplace physician and carries the day-to-day load of occupational health services. The regulation assigns this role to people holding a Ministry-recognised diploma as a nurse, health officer, emergency medical technician or environmental health technician, and to holders of the workplace nursing certificate. The person assigned must hold a valid DSP certificate.

Two criteria determine whether you need a workplace nurse in Bursa: the hazard class and the number of employees. Under Article 6 of Law No. 6331, DSP is mandatory only in very hazardous workplaces with 10 or more employees. There is no legal requirement in less hazardous and hazardous workplaces, or in very hazardous workplaces with fewer than 10 employees. Nor is DSP required in workplaces with a full-time workplace physician. The class is determined by the entry for the main activity carried out at the workplace in the NACE list renewed in 2025.

Unlike physician and specialist time, DSP time is tiered: in a very hazardous workplace, at least 10 minutes per employee per month for 10–49 employees, 15 minutes for 50–249 and 20 minutes for 250 or more. Because the new rate applies to all employees once a tier is crossed, DSP time in a business growing from 49 to 50 employees rises by more than fifty per cent at once. Apprentices and interns are not counted.

DSP do not examine employees or issue reports in place of the physician. Their duties are to record employees’ health and work histories on the examination form, assist the physician during examinations, follow up groups requiring special policies, take part in organising first aid services and in health training, work with the physician on monitoring hygiene, and keep records. They pass their findings and recommendations to the workplace physician.

Bursa Sistemer OSGB assigns the workplace nurses on its staff to very hazardous workplaces in Bursa and neighbouring provinces together with the workplace physician serving the same workplace. Because the nurse and physician work from the same calendar, examination, test and training dates are planned from a single point, and when your headcount approaches a threshold we update the contract in good time.

Who can be assigned as DSP?

The regulation defines other health personnel in two groups: those holding a Ministry-recognised diploma as a nurse, health officer, emergency medical technician or environmental health technician, and those holding the workplace nursing certificate issued by the Ministry. In both cases a valid DSP certificate is required for the assignment. The certificate is issued to those who complete the DSP training programme and pass the Ministry exam, those who complete postgraduate education in occupational health and safety, and those who have actually worked at the Directorate General for 5 years. A diploma alone is not enough. Seeing the DSP certificate of the person to be assigned before signing the contract prevents any authorisation issue later on.

When DSP is not mandatory

• All workplaces in the less hazardous and hazardous classes.
• Very hazardous workplaces with fewer than 10 employees.
• Workplaces with a full-time workplace physician.

The threshold effect: 49, 50, 249 and 250 employees

DSP time does not rise in a straight line but in tiers. Once a tier is crossed, the new rate applies to all employees:

• 49 employees × 10 min = 490 min; 50 employees × 15 min = 750 min.
• 249 employees × 15 min = 3,735 min; 250 employees × 20 min = 5,000 min. A single hire increases monthly time by 1,265 minutes.

Seeing these thresholds in advance when planning recruitment lets you update the contract and shift plan in good time. When your headcount changes, we recalculate the time together.

First aid and infirmary routines

The most visible part of the DSP role is first aid organisation. Very hazardous workplaces need one first aider for every 10 employees; the ratio is 15 employees in hazardous and 20 in less hazardous workplaces. A first aider certificate is valid for 3 years, and refresher training must be taken within the 3 months before it expires. In a very hazardous business with 120 employees, this means at least 12 first aiders and 12 separate certificate dates. In shift work we recommend spreading first aiders evenly across shifts. First aider training is obtained from authorised first aid training centres; we determine the need and track certificate expiry dates.

In workplaces with 50 or more employees, the employer provides two rooms in total, each no smaller than 8 m², for the physician, DSP and specialist, and a suitable vehicle to take an employee to the nearest healthcare unit in an emergency. In the infirmary, every visit is recorded with the date, complaint, treatment given and referral. These records are the quickest way to see whether recurring complaints are work-related: back pain visits from the same department may point to an ergonomic problem, and hand injuries to a missing machine guard.