The effects of distance education on occupational health and safety during the COVID-19 period: A case study of Çankırı province

The concept of distance education became central to our lives with the COVID-19 pandemic. Distance education is an educational model conducted through the internet and digital technologies, which does not require students and teachers to be physically in the same place. The purpose of this research is to identify the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) related situations that teachers might encounter during the time they spend in front of computers and other communication devices in distance education. Additionally, another aim of the research is to determine their level of awareness of these situations and to offer solutions for potential adverse conditions. During the research, the concepts of COVID-19, distance education, and OHS were first defined. It was attempted to understand and explain the effects on teachers' health of various factors such as ergonomic impacts like sitting postures and screen viewing angles, exposure to radiation, and stress-related psychological effects during distance education. While trying to understand these effects, previous studies on these topics were utilized. Additionally, to determine the awareness levels of teachers, an original scale developed within the scope of this study was applied to 200 teachers working in public and private middle schools located in the central district of Çankırı province. The scale is based on qualitative measurement, including open-ended questions and relying on teachers' opinions. As a result of the research, it was concluded that teachers need to receive training on OHS concepts, based on the responses to a question about whether they are aware of the OHS rules they should follow when using distance education tools. The responses were 41.5% positive, 37% negative, and 21.5% partially positive. Key Words: COVID-19, Online education, Occupational Health and Safety, OHS, Ergonomics.