DEMET ÇAKIROĞLU

Analysis of Occupational Accidents and Preventive Measures in the Food Retail and Out-of-Home Consumption Products Distribution Sectors

Abstract

Food retailing in Türkiye has expanded significantly in recent years, both in overall market volume and in online commerce. Delivering products to customers on time and in full, while managing the supporting operations efficiently in the background, has become a major factor of competitive advantage for companies. This study examines occupational accidents, one of the key risks to operational excellence, in the food retail and out-of-home consumption product distribution sectors. The analysis focuses on hourly distribution, accident types, and root causes. The data consist of anonymized occupational accident records reported between January 2023 and October 2025 in two companies with different operational structures. A total of 299 accident records were reviewed, and 104 records containing time information were used for time-based analyses. A mixed-method approach was adopted. The distribution of occupational accidents across time groups was examined, and a Chi-square test of independence was applied to evaluate differences between the two companies. In the qualitative part, selected accident types were analyzed using fishbone diagrams under the dimensions of human, equipment, method, material, environment, and management. The findings show that occupational accidents were not evenly distributed throughout the day and tended to cluster in different time periods depending on the operational structure of each company. The Chi-square test indicated a significant association between company and time group. Recurrent root-cause clusters were also identified across different accident types. The
main contributing factors were time pressure, insufficient training, inappropriate equipment, narrow work areas, weak traffic management, inadequate lighting, and lack of supervision. Overall, the study suggests that occupational accidents can be understood more meaningfully when time, operational flow, and systemic causes are considered together rather than treating them as isolated events. Based on the findings, practical recommendations were developed regarding shift planning, break scheduling, equipment standardization, pedestrian-equipment separation, ergonomic improvements, and root-cause-oriented supervision.

Biography

Demet Çakıcıoğlu was born in Istanbul on April 20, 1980. After graduating from Anadolu University’s Department of Business Administration, she developed an interest in the fields of Occupational Health and Safety and Health Management. She completed the associate degree program in Occupational Health and Safety at Istanbul Gedik University as the top-ranked student in her department and has reached the thesis stage in the master’s program in the same field at the same university. Demet Çakıcıoğlu is also continuing her studies in the Department of Human Resources at Istanbul University and in the undergraduate Health Management program at Atatürk University in Erzurum, and she holds a Class C Occupational Health and Safety certificate.