ÇALIŞMA HAYATINDA COVID-19 PANDEMİSİNE MARUZ KALANLARIN SOSYAL GÜVENLİK AÇISINDAN DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ.

The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which started in Wuhan, China in December 2019, rapidly became a global epidemic. In terms of social security, the rights of workers who was infected in the work field, depend on whether the disease is identified as a work accident or an occupational disease. It is uncertain whether COVID-19 to be identified as work accident, occupational disease or normal disease. In this study, firstly, the differences between work accidents and occupational diseases are examined. Afterwards, the concepts in Turkey and in the world about identifying COVID-19 as work accident or occupational disease were investigated. It is suggested that, the case for infected employees, whose duties directly related with COVID-19 and who work at high risk of exposure to COVID-19, should be identified as an occupational disease. However, in the case for other employees, COVID-19 should not be identified as a work accident or occupational disease. In the last part of the study, financial supports of SGK (Social Security Institution in Turkey) for COVID-19 infected employees are specified. To the author's knowledge, this is the first study in Turkey to investigate the differences of work accident and occupational disease in order to identify infection of COVID-19 in work environment and the social security rights of employees after COVID-19 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]