Within the scope of the grant component of the Improving Occupational Health and Safety Especially in Mining Sector Project (MISGEP) with a budget of EUR 17.6 million, where the Directorate General of Occupational Health and Safety is the Operation Beneficiary and the Directorate of European Union and Financial Assistance is the Contracting Authority, the opening meeting of the “Innovative Approach and Local Collaboration for Improving OHS at Denizli Marble & Travertine Sector Project”, which is a project with a focus on marble and travertine sector, was held; and “Occupational Health and Safety Information Panel” was conducted on 30 June 2021. The Director General of Occupational Health and Safety Mr. Cafer UZUNKAYA and the Vice President of the Board of Directors of Denizli Chamber of Industry Mr. Samet Tunay GÜNDÜZ made the opening speeches of the panel.
Mr. Cafer UZUNKAYA stated that it is very important that this project raises awareness on occupational health and safety in the mining sector, that it contributes to the improvement of working conditions, and that it is a project that includes all relevant stakeholders and contributes to social dialogue; and he congratulated Denizli Chamber of Industry in this respect.
Mr. Cafer UZUNKAYA emphasized that occupational health and safety is not only an issue under the responsibility of the Ministry and stated that this is our common duty as actors of working life.
The Vice President of the Board of Directors of Denizli Chamber of Industry Mr. Samet Tunay GÜNDÜZ emphasized in his opening speech that thanks to the project, which brings an innovative perspective in the field of OHS, Denizli province gained a training center.
Occupational Health and Safety in Marble and Travertine Sector Information Panel was conducted after the opening speeches. The Chief Labour Inspector of the Ministry Mr. Mehmet TEKELİOĞLU, who was a speaker at the panel, drew attention to the consequences of occupational accidents and mentioned the responsibilities of occupational safety experts. A-class occupational safety expert Mr. Bedri TEKİN pointed out that employers’ responsibility for occupational health and safety is important and expressed his wishes for the success of the project. The Mechanical Engineer in the Directorate General Mr. Hakan ERDOĞAN made a presentation on the measures to be taken by referring to the occupational accidents occurring in the marble sector.
The opening meeting was concluded with the wishes of making the maximum effort and disseminating the project outputs to reach the objective of the project, which aims to raise awareness of 158 companies and 7700 sector employees about safe working life for all parties in the marble and travertine sector.