Exploring key determinants shaping occupational safety perceptions among occupational health and safety students

<i>Objectives</i>. This study aimed to evaluate occupational safety perception and its influencing factors among students in the Department of Occupational Health and Safety at Sinop University, with a particular focus on the impact of socio-demographic variables and participation in occupational health and safety (OHS)-related training. <i>Methods</i><b>.</b> A cross-sectional study was conducted with 154 OHS students in the 2022-2023 autumn term. Data from 128 students (83.1%) were collected using an informed consent form, a descriptive questionnaire and the occupational safety scale (OSS). The OSS is a 32-item Likert scale with a reliability of 0.75. Data analysis used SPSS version 25, including descriptive statistics, <i>t</i> tests, analysis of variance and Pearson correlation. <i>Results</i><b>.</b> Participants had a mean age of 21.72 ± 1.33 years, 50.8% were male and 43% were second-year students. Most (73.4%) reported middle-income levels, and 66.4% had not received personal protective equipment (PPE) training. No significant correlation was found between socio-demographic factors and OHS perception scores (<i>p</i> > 0.05). However, students who received PPE training or participated in OHS activities had significantly higher perception scores (<i>p</i> = 0.018 and <i>p</i> = 0.002). <i>Conclusion</i>. OHS-related training, particularly in PPE and OHS activities, significantly improves safety perception. Expanding such training in educational settings can enhance future professionals' safety awareness.