European University of Lefke (EUL) Office of Students’ Dean and Electrical and Electronics Engineering Club organized a seminar themed “Occupational Health and Safety in Electrics Work”. KIB-TEK (Turkish Cypriot Electricity Administration) Occupational Health and Safety Expert Gürel Çelebi and Turkish Cypriot Electricity Contractors Association Executive Supervisor Osman Asilzade attended the seminar as speakers.

Çelebi: According to the occupational accident statistics, accidents in the construction sector attract attention

Çelebi pointed out that, construction works are seen as the most dangerous sector and added that according to the occupational accident statistics obtained from Employment Department (November 2016 – March 2017), accidents in the construction sector attract attention. Çelebi listed the personal protective equipment (P.P.E) that construction workers must use as helmet, gloves, shoes, glasses, ear protectors, parachute type safety belts and described these equipment in detail. Çelebi described health and safety signs as; prohibitive signs, warning signs, indicative signs, emergency exit and aid signs and signs of firefighting.

Çelebi presented images of the occupational health and safety to be considered when laying down walls, breaking walls, installing pipes, securing boxes, drawing cables and finishing work in the field of electric wiring. Çelebi stated that legal legislation was accepted unanimously on July 14, 2008 and enacted on March, 1, 2009 as; Law on Occupational Health and Safety Number: 35/2008, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Asilzade stated that, there is a continuous renewal and change process in the sectoral practices in our country as well as global technological innovations and developments in parallel with the developments in the fields of electricity production, energy efficiency, reduction of electricity prices, increase of life and property security that are need oriented. Asilzade said that “In the face of these changes and innovations, we are constantly in the need of new knowledge and workload equipped with this information to keep up with the times, to create a more competitive business life and to improve the quality and standards in electrical applications,” and added that at this point as the Turkish Cypriot Electricity Contractors Association who collects electrical contractors under one roof, works as a field practitioner and makes up a large part of the sectoral work force in the country, they attach great importance to vocational training.

Asilzade said that “Together with our stakeholders Kıb-Tek (Turkish Cypriot Electricity Administration) and the Chamber of Electrical Engineers, we are continuously working on this direction, and on the other hand we make sure that we are in coordination with the Ministry of Education and related vocational high schools and universities in order to develop the sector-school cooperation necessary for the training of personnel for market needs.