Evaluation of occupational health and safety awareness in natural gas installation works

In this study, the aim was to investigate the sociodemographic characteristics and occupational health and safety (OHS) awareness of employees involved in natural gas installation, as well as to conduct a risk assessment in natural gas installation activities. A five-point Likert-type survey was conducted by preparing questions on four different scales: I) psychosocial impact, II) working conditions, III) job performance, and IV) safety culture level, regarding the OHS awareness of employees involved in natural gas installations. The survey scales and sociodemographic characteristics of employees were statistically analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis H and Mann-Whitney U Tests. The Fine-Kinney risk assessment method was applied for risk analysis. According to the study results, it was found that the OHS awareness of employees participating in the survey increased in proportion to their level of education. It was observed that employees with master's and doctorate degrees had higher awareness levels in OSH safety culture and work performance compared to employees with high school or associate's degrees, and associate's or undergraduate degrees. According to the results of the study, important corrective and preventive measures were suggested to improve the negative aspects related to OSH, work efficiency, and psychological factors among the employees. Keywords: OHS awareness, Kruska-Wallis H test, Mann-Whitney U test, Fine-Kinney, natural gas.