Evaluation of occupational accidents that occurred at Kozlu Hard Coal Enterprise, Turkish Hard Coal Institution between 2015-2019

Aim: This study aims to examine the characteristics of occupational accidents between 2015-2019 in Kozlu Institution of the Turkish Hard Coal Corporation (TTK), which is the largest and most important coal operating institution in Turkey. Furthermore, This study also aims to make recommendations that can improve occupational safety in mines. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, all 3282 occupational accidents that had occurred in Kozlu TTK, Turkey's most important mining city, in the 5 years between 2015 and 2019 were examined. Results: In our study, the workers who had the highest number of occupational accidents each year during the 5 years between 2015-2019 were in the 30-39 age group (60,5%-85,1%). In all years, the highest number of occupational accidents occurred in those with 5-10 years of professional experience (49%-72%). The last event that caused the injury was a fall of rock with a rate of 28,9%. Almost half of the accidents occurred in the 2nd shift. Occupational accident frequency rate for 100 workers was the highest in 2015 (46,5), followed by 2017 (45,8). The year with the highest occupational accident frequency rate for 10,000 tons of coal production was 2017 (27,4). In this study, the highest number of accidents occurred in 2015 (833). The majority of the accidents occurred between 10.00-11.59 hours (16,8%). 63,5% of accidents are repeated accidents. There is a significant difference between the professional experience periods, the shifts they work, and the underground working conditions of those who have had repeated accidents and those who have not. Conclusion: Despite the increase in information about occupational accidents, it has been observed that the characteristics of occupational accidents have been quite similar for years. The findings of our study can be used as a guide in planning and prioritizing possible intervention areas by classifying occupational accidents in subjects such as age group, type of occurrence, and recurrence. Key Words: occupational health and safety, occupational injuries, coal worker, underground coal mining, public health