Video contents published by social media influencers categorized as "hazardous"

The production and broadcasting of video content by "influencers," individuals with the capacity to sway the masses, have been reclassified as "hazardous" due to inherent occupational health and safety risks.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Security published an amendment to the "Communiqué on Workplace Hazard Classes Regarding Occupational Health and Safety" in the Official Gazette, updating the "Workplace Hazard Classes List" included in the annex.
Consequently, the category "Production and broadcasting activities of video content (by influencers and vloggers)" has been newly categorized as "hazardous."
Abidin Özler, Vice Chairman of the Occupational Safety Experts Association, reflected on this change, emphasizing that the work conducted by influencers, especially those who generate videos for social media dissemination, poses ergonomic hazards such as poor posture with regard to occupational health and safety.
Özler asserted that such risks lead to various occupational diseases, stating, "As a result, prolonged screen-related work has been classified as hazardous due to its association with such ailments."
Furthermore, Özler indicated that the hazard classification of activities performed while initiating a workplace is also defined, clarifying:
"This classification doesn't directly affect solo-working influencers. To apply the hazard class, the influencer must be covered under Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 6331. To be covered, at least one employee registered with the Social Security Institution (SGK) must be employed. Those who work independently are not affected by this hazard class. However, if an influencer hires an employee, they must provide the necessary training according to this hazard class, perform a risk analysis of their work, and formulate emergency action plans."
In terms of emergency action plans, Özler highlighted, "When recording videos outdoors or engaging in similar activities, influencers must adopt comprehensive technical safety measures pertaining to occupational health and safety. Consequently, this regulation primarily applies to influencers working as part of a team."
Özler noted that, with an escalation in the hazard class of a workplace, the frequency and duration of occupational health and safety training for those operating there increases, and the timeframe for renewal of risk assessments and emergency action plans is shortened.
Regarding the amendment introduced to the communiqué, Özler added that activities such as attending conferences, meetings, and conducting research by individuals receiving attendance fees are now categorized as "less hazardous."