The Occupational Health and Safety Program of Bergama Vocational School started its associate degree education in the 2013-2014 academic year. The language of instruction is Turkish. Our department continues its educational, research, and community contribution activities with an academic staff consisting of 1 Associate Professor and 2 lecturers, totaling 3 members.

Every year, the program admits students with a quota of 57. Students who successfully complete all theoretical and practical courses, including a 40-day practical training, with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 out of 4.00 and no failing grades are entitled to receive an Associate Degree. The education system is based on a course passing system, and a relative grading system is applied.

For the Property Protection and Security Department, classrooms, personal protective equipment laboratory, as well as chemistry and computer training laboratories (available for use by all vocational school students) are located on the campus. The campus also features a cafeteria that operates every weekday. Additionally, there is a library on the campus with a 77 m² reading room that accommodates 24 people and a computer room with 4 PCs connected to the e-library (16 m²).

Students who successfully complete the Occupational Health and Safety associate degree program can transfer to various bachelor’s degree programs through the Vertical Transfer Examination (DGS) at universities. These programs include Emergency and Disaster Management, Business Administration, Health Management, and Social Services. Our graduates also work in the professional field as occupational safety technicians or occupational safety specialists.

To become an occupational safety specialist, graduates must attend courses provided by authorized training institutions and pass the occupational safety specialist exam conducted by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security with at least 70 points. The training programs for occupational safety specialists consist of both theoretical and practical parts, and the content of the program, along with the qualifications of the instructors, are determined by a Commission specified in the Regulations. The total duration of the training cannot be less than 220 hours, with the theoretical part being at least 180 hours and the practical part at least 40 hours. Only one program can be applied at a time for these parts. The theoretical training can be delivered with a maximum of half conducted remotely. Practical training is carried out at workplaces where at least one occupational safety specialist is assigned. Our graduates who complete the occupational safety technician program can work in all OSGBs, public, and private sector institutions alongside a certified occupational safety specialist. Graduates who pass the occupational safety specialist exam can work as Class C occupational safety specialists in public and private sector institutions in the low-risk category.

The objective of the education is to train occupational safety technicians who can protect the employees from work related accidents and occupational diseases by minimizing the risks in the workplace, ensure that time and personal performance are used with maximum efficiency by the production safety, able to control all kinds of tools, equipment and machinery used in the workplace that will pose a risk in the safety of the building, able to ensure that the outside of the workplace environment remains safe areas, as well as the safety of the worker and the workplace, have the knowledge of national/international legislation, professional ethics and awareness of lifelong learning.