Revisiting the ICOH ethical code: Perspectives of the africa working group

Purpose: The International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) is in the process of revising its ethical code to enhance its relevance for occupational health globally.

Methods: A working group of 6 African scientists, drawn from both within the occupational health field and bioethics generally, was convened and used email communication and periodic phone conferences to review, debate and make proposals regarding the ICOH Code amendments. 

Results: The principal issues raised in discussion drew on experiences in Africa and related to the particular vulnerabilities of working populations in developing countries to ethical exploitation and the measures needed to prevent this. Debates also explored some of the cultural implications of ethical principles based on values not typically rooted in traditional African society. In particular, the emphasis on individual autonomy in the context of societies organized in more communitarian ways, as is the case in many African societies, was a source for much debate. 

Conclusions: In general, the Code was viewed as still sound and relevant for occupational health practice in African settings. Recommendations were made to amend the code to include greater protections for vulnerable working populations in developing countries, and to provide greater sensitivity to social contexts where individual autonomy may not be as important a value as is the case in ‘Western’ cultures, where the Code was first developed. The presentation will illustrate these and other issues in relation to a set of case scenarios of real life ethical dilemmas in occupational health prepared for the Congress panel.