Turkey MoF OHS Inspection 2026: 12 Docs + 10 Penalties

Construction is one of Turkey's most accident-prone sectors. According to Social Security Institution data, roughly one-third of all fatal occupational accidents occur in construction. This concentration drives the frequency of MoF (AÇSHB) labor inspectorate audits. In 2024, OHS inspections of construction sites rose 22% year-over-year, and total administrative fines exceeded TRY 2.1 billion.

This guide answers: how to prepare from scratch for an MoF OHS inspection, which documents to have ready, how to prevent the top 10 most common fines, and how digital tools accelerate inspection readiness.

1. What Is AÇSHB and Where Does Its OHS Authority Come From

The Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services (AÇSHB), through its Labor Inspection Board (İş Teftiş Kurulu), is the sole authority for OHS inspections in Turkey. Authority stems from Law 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety, in force since 20 June 2012. The law covers all workplaces regardless of employee count; construction is classified as "very dangerous" (highest tier), so obligations are maximal.

Under the law, employers must conduct risk assessment, appoint OHS specialists and occupational physicians, deliver training, provide PPE, and establish emergency response plans. Inspectors verify compliance on-site.

Construction sites are additionally subject to the Building Works OHS Regulation (5 October 2013): health and safety plan, safety coordinator appointment, advance notice, and more. See our pillar article on construction project management for how project management intersects with OHS.

2. Inspection Types: Scheduled, Complaint-Based, Post-Accident

Scheduled Inspection

The Labor Inspection Board selects workplaces based on sector and risk score under its annual program. Construction tops the list every year. The inspector may arrive unannounced or with 1-2 days' notice. Scheduled inspections cover the full OHS system.

Complaint-Based Inspection

Complaints filed via ALO 170 by workers, former workers, subcontractors, or neighboring businesses trigger inspections. Complainant identity is legally protected. The inspector arrives unannounced and usually focuses only on the complaint subject — though other deficiencies spotted will also be reported.

Post-Accident Inspection

Fatal accidents, accidents causing more than three days of incapacity, and confirmed occupational diseases automatically trigger an inspection. This is the most demanding type; alongside the inspector, the Public Prosecutor opens a criminal investigation. Document integrity and consistency between the situation at the time of the accident and pre-inspection state are critical.

3. The First 30 Minutes When the Inspector Arrives

The inspector first presents their identification and inspector seal. This is mandatory; if not shown, do not allow the inspection to proceed. After identification, the first 30 minutes set the tone.

• Minutes 0-5: Site manager or authorized supervisor greets the inspector; offer water/coffee, exchange brief introductions.
• Minutes 5-15: OHS specialist, occupational physician, and health and safety coordinator are summoned. Their absence during the inspection is recorded as a serious deficiency.
• Minutes 15-30: The document binder is placed in front of the inspector. All documents in one place, in chronological order, with an index.

Things not to do: blocking the inspector's movement on site, objecting to photographs, delaying document presentation by saying "wait, our specialist is coming." These behaviors cause adverse minutes.

4. 12 Core Documents and Document Organization

Twelve documents that must always be present on site:

1. Risk assessment report: Specific to the construction work, updated at least every 2 years for very dangerous class.
2. Emergency action plan: Covering fire, earthquake, collapse, fall from height scenarios.
3. OHS specialist contract and assignment letter: Class A specialist mandatory for very dangerous workplaces.
4. Occupational physician contract: Full-time for 50+ workers or OSGB service.
5. Health and safety coordinator appointment: Separate coordinators for design and execution phases in construction.
6. Worker OHS training records: 16 hours basic + annual refresher; signed attendance lists.
7. Pre-employment and periodic health reports: Annual in very dangerous class.
8. PPE delivery and training logs: Signed per worker; type, brand, model, delivery date specified.
9. OHS committee meeting minutes: Monthly for 50+ worker sites.
10. Worker representative election minutes: Anonymous ballot.
11. Advance notice form: Submitted to the Provincial Labor Directorate at least 7 days before work begins.
12. Health and safety plan: Construction-specific; risk map, protective measures, organization chart.

Documents should exist both in physical binders and digital archives. When the inspector asks for a date, every minute spent saying "it should be in the binder, let me find it" erodes trust.

5. 8 Main Topics Checked on Site

After documents, the inspector moves to the field. Typically 8 main topics are checked:

• Fall protection: Guardrails, nets, parachute-type safety harnesses, horizontal lifelines.
• Scaffolding safety: Certified scaffolding, assembly logs, weekly inspection records.
• Excavation and collapse prevention: Slope angle, sheet piling, excavation safety report.
• Electrical safety: Grounding, residual current devices, equipment inspection records.
• Heavy machinery and cranes: Periodic inspection reports, operator licenses, sling-chain checks.
• Fire and explosion prevention: Extinguisher refill dates, flammable storage.
• Hygiene and welfare facilities: Changing rooms, showers, toilets, dining standards.
• PPE usage: Helmet, steel-toe boots, vest, glasses, gloves actively worn on site.

Scaffolding overlaps with Şantiye-M 2026 software compliance requirements; intersection of MoF and Şantiye-M inspections matters in building works.

6. Top 10 Administrative Fines 2024-2025

According to 2024 Labor Inspection Board data, the most frequent fines in construction and their 2025 amounts (after 43.93% revaluation):

Rank	Violation	Law Article	2025 Amount (TRY)
1	No risk assessment	6331/10	14,420 + 21,630/month
2	No OHS specialist (per worker)	6331/6	21,630 / worker
3	No occupational physician	6331/6	21,630 / worker
4	No OHS training (per worker)	6331/17	7,210 / worker
5	PPE not provided/used	6331/30	14,420
6	No emergency plan	6331/11-12	14,420 + 21,630/month
7	No health surveillance	6331/15	7,210 / worker
8	No advance notice	Building Reg. 6	14,420
9	Late accident notification	6331/14	10,815
10	No worker representative elected	6331/20	14,420

Per-worker calculations mean a single violation on a 30-worker site can exceed TRY 200,000.

7. Appealing a Fine

Once the administrative fine is served, an annulment lawsuit can be filed at the Administrative Court within 60 days. If there is a Public Prosecutor's case, criminal proceedings run separately.

1. Record the service date; the 60-day clock starts here.
2. Appeal petition against findings, with evidence of existing documents and measures.
3. File at the Administrative Court (lawyer not mandatory but recommended).
4. Request a stay of execution to suspend collection until the verdict.

2024 statistics show roughly 18% of construction-sector appeals were partially or fully accepted. Early payment with 25% discount within 15 days is an alternative but removes the right to appeal.

8. Corrective Action and Re-Inspection

After a deficiency is fined, the inspector typically grants 15-30 days for correction. The corrective action is reported to the Provincial Directorate and a re-inspection may follow.

The corrective action file must include: description of the deficiency (referencing inspector findings), actions taken (dated, with responsible party), before/after photos, sample of updated documents, and OHS specialist endorsement.

Failure to remedy within the deadline triggers aggravated fines and possible partial or full closure of the workplace.

9. Repeat Offense Aggravation Rule

Article 26(2) of Law 6331 introduces an important aggravation: repeat violations within 5 years are fined 2x on the second offense and 3x on the third. The clock applies per employer, even across different sites.

Practical outcome: on a 50-worker site, a second OHS specialist violation could total 21,630 × 50 × 2 = TRY 2,163,000 at 2025 amounts.

10. Where Şantiye-M and MoF OHS Inspections Intersect

Şantiye-M, operated under the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, is a separate inspection mechanism from MoF OHS but with overlapping document requirements. Read more in our Şantiye-M 2026 compliance guide.

Overlapping areas:

• Health and safety plan: required by both Building Works Regulation and Şantiye-M monthly reporting.
• OHS training records: Şantiye-M monthly reports request them; MoF inspectors check the same.
• Accident notifications: reported separately to SGK (OHS) and Şantiye-M (building inspection).
• Document archives: both inspections request 5 years of historical records.

Important note: AECKraft is not a Ministry-accredited Şantiye-M vendor; official reports are submitted via accredited vendors. AECKraft supports preparation through document archive, photo management, and KVKK-compliant data residency.

11. Accelerating Inspection Readiness with Digital Document Management

The old approach: meet the inspector with binders of paper. The new approach: a digital document system that displays any requested document in 30 seconds.

• Version control: Audit trail proves when the risk assessment was updated.
• Centralized training certificates: One screen shows which worker received which training when.
• PPE delivery logs: Digital signature preserves delivery records.
• Automatic reminders: Health reports, scaffolding checks, extinguisher refills notify before due date.
• Photo archive: Daily site condition stored with geolocation.

12. AECKraft for OHS Inspection Readiness

AECKraft features that support OHS inspection preparation (only what the platform actually offers):

• Document management module: Central archive for risk assessments, emergency plans, training records, PPE logs with date and owner tags.
• Audit trail / version control: Immutable log of who updated which document when — shareable with inspectors.
• Mobile field app (iOS + Android): Photo-based site tours, PPE deficiency reports, instant logging.
• Role-based access: OHS specialist, occupational physician, site manager roles isolated.
• KVKK-compliant Turkey data residency: Worker health and training data stored without cross-border transfer.
• Reminder system: Periodic health reports, training refreshers, scaffolding inspections.

OHS documents stored in AECKraft can always be exported via Excel/PDF; data can be transferred to accredited vendors who file official reports for Şantiye-M or MoF.

For a demo, visit our contact page; for package details, see the pricing page. We also discussed software selection criteria for construction firms in this guide. Digital progress payment tracking complements inspection readiness — see our progress payment article. For OHS clauses in construction contracts, we recommend the contract guide.

Conclusion

MoF OHS inspections are inescapable for Turkish construction firms. Since Law 6331 came into force, inspection frequency and fines have continuously increased. In 2025, per-worker fines can produce multi-million-lira penalties in a single visit.

The essence of effective preparation: (1) the 12 core documents are always up-to-date and accessible, (2) field practice is consistent with documents, (3) a permanent corrective-action system is established after the first inspection to prevent repeat offenses. Digital document management is a powerful tool that supports all three — but software only structures the system; on-site safety remains a human responsibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an MoF inspector enter the site unannounced?

Yes. Under Law 6331, labor inspectors have the right to enter a workplace without prior notice. Scheduled inspections sometimes have appointments, but complaint and post-accident inspections always begin unannounced.

Is an OHS specialist required if there are fewer than 50 workers?

Yes. Regardless of worker count, construction sites classified as "very dangerous" must appoint an OHS specialist. For low headcount, part-time OSGB service is acceptable.

Who is responsible for subcontractor workers' OHS?

In construction, the principal employer and subcontractor are jointly liable. The principal must ensure subcontractor workers are included in risk assessments, trained, and provided PPE.

Is there a 15-day early payment discount?

Yes. Under Article 17(6) of the Misdemeanors Law, a 25% discount applies if paid within 15 days. However, doing so waives the right to appeal.

Who can deliver OHS training?

Only OHS specialists, occupational physicians, or MoF-authorized training organizations. Daily safety talks by the site manager do not count as formal training.

What is the SGK reporting deadline for work accidents?

Within 3 business days of the accident, electronically. Late reports incur separate fines per accident.

Is only the OHS specialist liable in fatal accidents?

No. Liability is distributed among the employer, site manager, OHS specialist, occupational physician, and safety coordinator. The Public Prosecutor determines fault percentages; criminal liability can extend to the employer.

Can AECKraft submit official OHS inspection reports?

No. AECKraft provides document archiving, tracking, and reminders for OHS inspection preparation; it has no authority to submit official reports to AÇSHB or Şantiye-M. Official reporting is done via Ministry-accredited vendors. Documents stored in AECKraft can be exported via Excel/PDF.