Case Studies

In this case study, he shares how the qualification has supported his career, influenced his leadership style and helped drive lasting improvements in workplace safety.

Could you tell us a little about where you work?
I currently work for Eczacıbaşı Group in Istanbul, Türkiye, where I have served as Group OHS Consultant since April 2026. Eczacıbaşı is a diversified industrial group with operations across multiple businesses and production environments.

My work therefore supports occupational health and safety across a broad organisational setting, building on five years of experience leading H&S operations at Sanipak, a business that was subsequently sold and is no longer part of the Group.

Can you tell us a little more about your current role?
As Group OHS Consultant, I support the development, alignment and continuous improvement of occupational health and safety practices across Eczacıbaşı Group. My responsibilities include advising businesses, contributing to Group-level governance and committees, reviewing performance and risks, and helping translate standards into practical action. A typical day may involve consulting with business teams, reviewing H&S performance or improvement plans, participating in committee discussions, and supporting initiatives that strengthen risk management and safety culture.

Could you tell us a little about your career journey and how you came to work in health and safety?
I began my career as a process engineer in the aerospace industry and later moved into industrial services management before specialising in HSSE and HSE leadership.

Since 2006, I have held progressively senior safety roles at Lisi Aerospace, BP, APM Terminals, Teknokon, Anagold Mining, Sanipak and Eczacıbaşı Group. Working in complex, high-risk environments, including aerospace manufacturing, fuel retail, ports, mining and industrial construction and manufacturing.

My experience throughout my twenty-year career has shown me that strong health and safety leadership can protect people while also improving operational performance, which is why I have chosen to build my career in this profession.

You have successfully completed the NEBOSH International General Certificate. What motivated you to take this qualification? How did you find the learning experience? And what impact has it had on your career and approach to health and safety?
I chose the NEBOSH International General Certificate because I wanted an internationally recognised qualification that would complement my practical experience and provide a structured, globally relevant foundation in occupational health and safety.

The learning experience strengthened my understanding of systematic risk management, legal and organisational responsibilities, hazard control and the importance of effective safety leadership.

I found the practical application of risk assessment and control principles particularly valuable. Professionally, the qualification has reinforced my credibility in international, multicultural and senior-level HSE roles and has helped me approach workplace challenges with a broader, more consistent framework.

Since completing the NEBOSH International General Certificate, have you made any changes or improvements in your role or workplace?
I have continued to introduce and strengthen practical H&S systems. These have included Health & Safety Life-Saving Rules, contractor H&S terms and conditions, an upgraded permit-to-work system, improvements to behaviour-based safety, ergonomic risk assessment, lessons-learned bulletins, root-cause assessment, and natural-disaster crisis management.

The qualification reinforced the benefits of adopting a more structured, risk-based and preventive approach, with greater emphasis on identifying underlying causes, selecting effective controls and engaging people at every level.

Can you share an example of a situation where knowledge gained from the NEBOSH International General Certificate helped you solve a problem or improve safety in the workplace?
I have implemented a root cause assessment, which has strengthened our approach to incident investigation. The principles reinforced by the NEBOSH IGC helped me look beyond immediate causes, consider organisational and system factors, and translate findings into practical corrective and preventive actions. This supported better organisational learning and more sustainable risk reduction rather than relying only on short-term fixes.

Has achieving the NEBOSH International General Certificate influenced your future career plans?
Yes. Achieving the NEBOSH IGC strengthened my ambition to contribute at a broader, strategic level rather than focusing only on individual sites or operations.

My goal is to continue helping organisations build mature safety cultures, stronger governance and resilient risk-management systems.
I also intend to continue my professional development through advanced learning, international collaboration and knowledge-sharing, building on my current roles as a Group OHS Consultant and a trustee of the One Percent Safer Foundation.

What do you enjoy most about working in health and safety?
The opportunity it gives me to make a tangible difference to people’s lives while supporting reliable and sustainable operations.

Health and Safety combines technical knowledge, leadership, communication and continuous improvement. I find it especially rewarding when teams take ownership of safety and an improvement becomes part of everyday working culture.

Looking back on your career so far, what achievement are you most proud of?
I am particularly proud of helping Anagold achieve 21 million working hours without a lost-time injury during ongoing oxide-plant operations and the construction, commissioning, ramp-up and operation of a US$744 million sulphide-plant project.

This performance was recognised by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration as world-class in health and safety.
I am also proud to have delivered a 30.3% reduction in Lost Time Incident Rate (LTIR) and a 30.6% reduction in Lost Workday Rate (LWD) within one year at Sanipak.

What advice would you give to someone considering a career in health and safety or taking the NEBOSH International General Certificate?
My advice is to combine formal learning with practical exposure and genuine curiosity about how work is performed.
Spend time in the field, listen to employees and contractors, understand the operation, and focus on preventing harm rather than simply demonstrating compliance.

The NEBOSH International General Certificate is a strong foundation, providing a structured and internationally recognised approach to risk management. Use it as the beginning of continuous development and remember that credibility in health and safety comes from turning knowledge into clear, practical and sustainable improvements.