Effects of occupational health and safety literacy on work accidents: Construction sector-Malatya province example

The construction sector is one of the fundamental building blocks of the country's economy and, in addition to contributing to the development of industry and trade, it covers a wide range of projects such as infrastructure projects, housing, commercial buildings, transportation networks and energy facilities. This sector not only builds structures, but also creates multifaceted effects such as creating employment, supporting economic growth and contributing to the strengthening of local economies. In addition, as one of the main actors of the urbanization process, it increases the quality of life with public infrastructure projects and develops transportation networks. However, this dynamic structure of the construction sector necessitates that the projects are labor-intensive and that unskilled labor is used to a large extent. The sector is mostly characterized by short-term work processes, intensive labor requirements and long working hours. In addition, the prevalence of unregistered work in the sector makes it difficult to effectively implement OSH standards. For these reasons, creating a safe working environment in the sector is becoming an increasingly greater necessity. Creating a sustainable OSH culture in the sector, raising employees' awareness of safety and increasing the level of OSH literacy will both reduce occupational accidents and increase efficiency in the sector. This research aims to evaluate OSH awareness in the sector by applying a survey to a total of 270 construction workers in 10 different construction sites in VIII Malatya Province. The research aims to present the current situation and offer concrete suggestions to increase OSH awareness.