Teachers’ Perceptions of Self-Efficacy and Awareness Levels in Occupational Health and Safety: A Local Study

Birkan Oktay, Okan Ozbakir

Occupational health and safety, awareness level, self-efficacy, teacher training.

This study was conducted to determine the awareness levels of teachers working at Igdr Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School regarding occupational health and safety OHS and to develop policy recommendations based on the findings The study was designed using a quantitative research method and a descriptive survey model with the population consisting of all teachers working at the school during the 20242025 academic year The findings revealed that teachers OSH awareness levels were generally high but there were significant knowledge gaps in areas such as technical infrastructure legal regulations and disaster preparedness While no significant differences were found in terms of gender educational background and length of service the age variable had a significant effect on awareness levels Additionally the status of receiving firefighting training showed a significant relationship with gender It was determined that the vast majority of participants 875 had previously received OSH training however the low rates of firefighting 45 and searchandrescue 325 training were notable While the use of personal protective equipment and occupational risk awareness was above 80 knowledge levels regarding structural safety elements fire detection systems water tank maintenance lightning rods etc remained irregular and insufficient While teachers have a high level of individual safety awareness it has been determined that this awareness is not integrated with the schools technical infrastructure and administrative processes The study recommends strengthening regulatory training increasing information about technical infrastructure regularizing disaster drills integrating OSH information into the curriculum reinforcing PPE usage habits and improving managementteacher communication

Received: 20 Jul 2025, Received in revised form: 17 Aug 2025, Accepted: 23 Aug 2025, Available online: 28 Aug 2025

10.22161/ijaers.128.3