2023-02-28
Pharmaceutical R&D Laboratories OHS- Preparation for Earthquake and Disasters
Occupational health and safety at workplaces in Turkey is regulated by the Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 6631. Pharmaceutical laboratories are hazardous-class workplaces. As CT Pharma, we receive occupational safety specialist and workplace physician service every month from the OHS unit we have made a contract with. In addition, we also have a procedure that includes OHS practices within the company.
Occupational health and safety is a field where the obligations of employers and personnel who are interested in ensuring the safety of employees in their workplaces, preventing the deterioration of their current health status due to occupational diseases and the deterioration of their quality of life due to their profession are determined. The purpose of the occupational health and safety program is to promote a safe and healthy work environment.
There are 3 main concepts determined for this purpose; risk, risk assessment and prevention.
Risk: The possibility of loss, injury or other harmful result from the hazard.
Risk assessment: Necessary studies to determine the hazards that exist in the workplace or that may come from outside, the factors that cause these hazards to turn into risks, and the analysis and rating of the risks arising from the hazards, and to decide on control measures.
Prevention: All of the measures planned and taken to eliminate or reduce the risks related to occupational health and safety at all stages of the work carried out in the workplace.
After the recent earthquakes, we, as a company, reviewed our Emergency Action Plan within the scope of our Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) procedures, evaluated the potential risks that the earthquake risk would create in our company, and took the necessary precautions.
We conducted our in-house earthquake and natural disasters training to increase the awareness of our personnel about earthquakes. OHS trainings are held annually in line with our emergency action plan, we have revised this training to include information about the earthquake.
Identification of Risks and Measures to be Created by an Earthquake
Evaluating the risks posed by earthquakes and natural disasters in our company, we determined the potential risks and the preventive actions necessary to prevent the risk, in the following order.
Potential Risk 1: Injury or death as a result of earthquake and natural disaster
Preventive Action 1: Staff will be trained on earthquakes and natural disasters. An emergency drill will be held at least once a year and added to the infrastructure maintenance plan.
Potential Risk 2: Destruction of the workplace as a result of earthquake and natural disaster and damage to the environment by hazardous chemicals.
Preventive Action 2: Our building is a single storey and there are emergency exit signs in case of emergency. TÜBİTAK MARTEK Technology Development Zone has an emergency assembly area and all our personnel have been trained to leave the building and go to the emergency assembly area in an emergency. Chemical materials are stored in fixed cabinets.
Potential Risk 3: Fire in the workplace as a result of earthquake and natural disaster.
Preventive Action 3: Our fire extinguishers are checked annually. Practical fire training is provided to all personnel on an annual basis.
Potential Risk 4: Failure to meet requirements for emergency response for earthquake and natural disaster.
Preventive Action 4: The earthquake bag has been prepared and the person who will take the earthquake bag and go to the assembly area in an emergency has been determined.
It is important that a disaster and emergency kit that will contain the emergency needs after the earthquake is ready and accessible. For this purpose, an earthquake bag was prepared and its contents were arranged as follows. Earthquake bag and its contents will be checked annually, and products with expired SKT will be replaced with new ones.
What Should Be in an Earthquake, Disaster and Emergency Bag?
• First-aid kit,
• Canned, water, dried fruit,
• Flashlight, spare battery, scissors,
• Lighter, whistle,
• Socks, plastic raincoat,
• Disinfectant, wet wipes,
• Thermal blanket,
• Mask, plastic gloves
• Tent
Since earthquakes are a fact of the geography of Türkiye, we will try to keep our company and our employees under our responsibility prepared for a possible earthquake by repeating our trainings on earthquakes and disasters within the scope of our OHS procedure every year.
