This descriptive study involved 5,260 workplace chief representatives of 33 workers’ unions of the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TURK-IS), the largest trade union confederation in Turkey according to the number of members. The study protocol was approved by the Ministry of Health Directorate General of Health Services and the Non-interventional Researches Ethical Board of Hacettepe University (decision number: 2021/06-48). The TURK-IS board gave permission for the study and sent the online survey link to all workplace chief representatives via e-mail on May 21, 2021. Three reminders were sent on the 5th, 10th, and 14th days, and data collection was terminated on June 21, 2021.
Data were collected via a 42-item online survey through Google Forms. Three national guidelines (i.e., The Ministry of Health’s Guideline for the Management of COVID-19 Outbreak and Work, the Ministry of Industry and Technology’s Hygiene, Prevention and Control of Infection Guideline for Industrial Organizations, and the Ministry of Family, Work, and Social Services’ Guideline for Workplace Measures Against COVID-19) were used in preparing survey items.14 ,15 ,16 The survey included five subheadings: workplace features, job practice, social distancing and PPE use, sanitization, and OSH training on COVID-19. Participants were asked to choose among four options: always, partially, no idea, and no. In addition to measures, any diagnosis of COVID-19 among workers and any mortality related to COVID-19 were also questioned. The last open-ended item included any other issues to mention. The survey questions were adjusted after feedback from a pretest conducted in a factory in Ankara, Turkey, that is, the inclusion of 15 workers other than the workplace chief representatives of a union. The pretest results were not included in the study data.
Data were collected via a 42-item online survey through Google Forms. Three national guidelines (i.e., The Ministry of Health’s Guideline for the Management of COVID-19 Outbreak and Work, the Ministry of Industry and Technology’s Hygiene, Prevention and Control of Infection Guideline for Industrial Organizations, and the Ministry of Family, Work, and Social Services’ Guideline for Workplace Measures Against COVID-19) were used in preparing survey items.14 ,15 ,16 The survey included five subheadings: workplace features, job practice, social distancing and PPE use, sanitization, and OSH training on COVID-19. Participants were asked to choose among four options: always, partially, no idea, and no. In addition to measures, any diagnosis of COVID-19 among workers and any mortality related to COVID-19 were also questioned. The last open-ended item included any other issues to mention. The survey questions were adjusted after feedback from a pretest conducted in a factory in Ankara, Turkey, that is, the inclusion of 15 workers other than the workplace chief representatives of a union. The pretest results were not included in the study data.
