The ICOH Code of Ethics: a set of norms for professional conduct
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ICOH issues third edition of International Code of Ethics
The ICOH Code of Ethics: a set of norms for professional conduct P ete r West er hol m , A n d ré We e l
Although ethical codes for medical practitioners were already existing for many years in many countries, the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) has committed itself in the development of an International Code of Ethics for Occupational Health Professionals. Main reason for this Code are the complex and sometimes competing responsibilities of occupational health (OH) and safety professionals towards the workers, the employers, the public, public health and labour authorities, social security and judicial authorities. The Code applies to OH professionals and OH services regardless of whether they operate in a free market context or within the framework of public sector health services. Editions and revisions The first edition of the Code was approved by the ICOH Board in November1991 and published in English and French in 1992. In 2002 an updated version of the Code was published. This was widely recognized and used for elaboration of national codes of ethics and for educational purposes. It was translated into Chinese, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and Turkish. In 2010, the United Nations Medical Directors Working Group agreed to advise that any UN organizational statements of ethics in OH matters should be guided by the ICOH Code of Ethics. In 2008 the ICOH Board decided to review the 2002 Code. A Code Review Group was formed consisting of P. Westerholm, G. Costa, M. Guillemin, J. Harrison and J. Howard Jr. In 2011, the Code Review Group´s Peter Westerholm is emeritus professor in occupational medicine at the University of Uppsala, Sweden, and chair of the Code Review Group during years 2009 through 2012. He is editor of the book Practical Ethics in Occupational Medicine. Radcliffe Medical
final report was submitted to ICOH President K. Kogi by P. Westerholm, Chair of the Ethics and Transparency Committee, and discussed at a Code review meeting. To finalize the Code revision work, ICOH President Kogi organized a Code Editing Group. This in meeting in 2013 decided to keep the current structure of the Code as much as possible close to the previous one, minimizing the changes while incorporating new items and updating chapters. In this review process, the aim has been to retain the existing structure of the 2002 Code, for the purpose of serving continuity and recognition of its contents by the successive generations of ICOH members and all readers. The review has resulted in working materials and documentation, available via the ICOH website. Eventually the ICOH Board adopted the new Code of Ethics on 10 February 2014. At the opportunity of the 31th ICOH Congress in Seoul, May / June 2015, the new Code was distributed to all congress participants. The 2014 Code is now an ICOH core document. Objectives The Code of Ethics aims to translate the values and ethical principles in OH into terms of professional conduct. It is i
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