EXAMINATION OF THE PERCEPTIONS OF COVID-19 IN TERMS OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY OF TEACHERS WORKING IN RELATION TO NATIONAL EDUCATION IN ÇORUM PROVINCE AND DISTRICT DURING THE PANDEMIC PROCESS

Abstract

The Covid-19 virus, which emerged in China at the end of 2019 and caused it to be declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), adversely affected the health of employees in every business line of working life. With its negative psychological impact on employees, it has led to a halt in life in the public and private sectors. With the pandemic process, the importance of occupational health and safety practices increased, and preventive health examinations for employees gained importance. Preventing the epidemic and reducing its effect is possible by following the hygiene rules. Additional measures have been taken according to the 23rd article of the Public Health Law No. 1593.

This work; Covid-19 perception levels were examined in terms of occupational health and safety depending on various variables in 134 teachers working in different types of schools in provinces and districts of Çorum provincial national education. A questionnaire study consisting of two parts was applied to examine the demographic characteristics of teachers and measure the covid-19 perception level. The statistical analysis of the answers given by the teachers to the questionnaire was made with the program "IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0" and the value of "Cronbach Alpha (α)" was found to be 0.887. The value found in the range of 0.8 <α <1 proves that the study is very reliable. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the level of perception of covid-19 changes depending on the age of teachers, years of service, and their position in the institution, and it does not depend on other factors. We have determined that the applications made in terms of occupational health and safety are in place, but they cannot trust the protection of masks and gloves. It has come to the conclusion that they think there should be a health worker in every school and there is an indecision about whether Covid-19 is considered a work accident or an occupational disease. They think that it is necessary to continue distance education and to provide distance education and occupational health and safety training.