ethics david c. roskelley, msph, cih, csp r & r environmental, inc

Rocky Mountain CenterforOccupational andEnvironmental Health

UniversityofUtah

Ethics

David C. Roskelley, MSPH, CIH, CSP

R & R Environmental, Inc.


UniversityofUtah


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Objectives

• Discuss a brief history of IH ethics

• Present the ABIH Code

•Present Guiding Principles

•Scenarios for Consideration

• Conclusions


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Ethics

The embodiment of those values that the person or organization feels are important…, and spell our proper conduct and appropriate action.

- Merriam Webster


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IH Code of Ethics: History

1968

• AAIH Ethics Committee developed a “Code of Ethics for Professional Practice”.

1973-74

• Renewed interest in the Code by both AAIH and ABIH

1975-77

• AIHA becomes involved as does the AIHA Law Committee


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1978

• AAIH Ethics draft “Code of Ethics for Professional Practice” mailed to membership for comment

•743 responses received (67% of all members), 712 (95.8% voted to accept), 31 (4.2% voted to reject)

1981

• AIHA and ACGIH adopts the code

1991-94

• AIHA, ACGIH, ABIH, and the “Academy” (AAIH) develop and adopt a joint code (6 Cannons).


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1991-94: Continued

• This new code is presented at AIHce in 1994

1995

• AIHA, ACGIH, ABIH, and the “Academy “(AAIH) approved the creation of the Joint Industrial Hygiene Ethics Education Committee (JIHEEC)

•Tasked with the education and promotion of the new code of ethics

• Developed interpretive guidelines to supplement the new code of ethics

• See handouts for a copy of this code


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2006-07

• AIHA, ACGIH, ABIH, and AIH create a “Joint Ethics Task Force” to update the current code

• Primarily driven by ABIH to create an enforceable mechanism specifically focused on CIHs


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ABIH Code of Ethics:

New code adopted in May 2007

•After a few years of struggle, individually and collectively, about the best way to enforce code.

•Result of JIHEEC formed in 1995 with AIHA, AAIH, ACGIH & ABIH representation

•Produced a mechanisms by which ABIH could enforce the code for certified professionals

•Complimented by the Member Ethical Principles (Guiding Principles) document which focuses upon education and are not enforceable


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Preamble:

See Handouts

•First and foremost, priority given to health and safety interests related to the protection of people.

• Act in a manner that promotes integrity and reflects positively on the profession Produced a mechanisms by which ABIH could enforce the code for certified professionals

• Maintain high standard of integrity, conduct, accept responsibility for one’s actions; and seek to enhance the profession with fairness and honesty.


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Section I: Responsibilities to ABIH, the Profession and Public

• Comply with laws, regulations, policies, and ethical standards that govern professional practice.

• Provide truthful accurate representations concerning certification and recertification information.

• Maintain the security of the ABIH examination materials

• Cooperate with ABIH concerning collection of information related to ethics matters.

• Report apparent violations.

• Refrain from public behavior that clearly violates professional, ethical, or legal standards.


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Section II: Responsibilities to Clients, Employers, Employees and the Public• Deliver competent

professional services using objective, independent judgment.

• Recognize one’s professional limitations and make professional referrals when appropriate.

• Properly use credentials. Only use one’s stamp after exercising direct oversight.

• Disclose, avoid, and refrain from conflicts of interests.

• Assure that conflict of interest does not compromise legitimate interests of a client.

• Protect the health and safety of the public, clients, employers and employees from reasonably foreseeable injury.


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Goals of the Member Ethical Principles:AIHA, AIH, ACGIH

• Complementary to the enforceable code

• Educate members, the profession and public

• Help all professionals understand their ethical responsibilities

• Sets expectations• Standard for the Profession


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AIHA members have the obligation to:

• Maintain high standards of integrity and professional conduct

• Follow recognized sound scientific principles

• Accept responsibility for their actions• Continually seek to enhance their

professional capabilities• Practice with fairness and honesty• Encourage others to act in a professional

manner


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Some details of the Member Ethical Principles:

• Three pages and twenty three “should” statements found in two main sections and several subheadings.

• Some sections do not appear in the ABIH enforceable code. For example:

– C.2. “Inform appropriate management representative and/or governmental bodies of violations of legal and regulatory requirements when obligated or otherwise clearly appropriate.”

– C.3. “Make reasonable efforts to ensure that the results of industrial hygiene assessments are communicated to exposed populations.”


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Ethical Habits

“A long habit of not thinking a thingwrong gives it the superficial appearance of being right.”

–Thomas Paine


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Scenarios for Consideration


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Scenario #1 You are bound by a contract to

protect the confidentiality of the project for which you are hired. Because of the complexity of the IH issues, you wish to obtain input from a professional peer regarding the technical aspects of the project.


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Do You:A. Ignore your desire to obtain input from a

professional peer because it could be considered an ethical breach of your clients confidentiality.

B. Discuss the project without disclosing confidential details such as the name of

the company, individual names, proprietary or other.

C. Discuss in full disclosure with a professional peer who is unrelated

to the project and lives thousands of miles away.

D. Consider publishing your quandaries in the next edition of the Synergist.


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Scenario #2 You witness what you feel is a clear

violation of the code by one of your professional peers who is a CIH.


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Do You:A. Contact ABIH, NASA, DOT, NRC, OSHA, EPA

and/or AIHA and report the incident.B. Submit a written allegation of a breach of

ethical duty or professional responsibility to the chair of the JIHEEC.

C. Call the AIHA President to personally complain.

D. Explain to the peer that you feel they are acting unethically and give them an opportunity to correct the situation before taking further action. If it remains unresolved then you could submit a written allegation of a breach of ethical duty or professional responsibility to ABIH.


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Scenario #3 You are invited by a vendor who

provides a majority of your industrial hygiene laboratory services to play golf and have dinner at an “exclusive” country club.


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Do You:

A. Accept the offer and ask if he wouldn’t mind throwing in a sleeve of balls and a hat.

B. Investigate your company’s policy on accepting vendor gifts and determine the best course of action with your supervisor.

C. Decide to accept the offer, but only if you can pay for your own green fees and dinner.

D. Accept the invitation but insist that the bill be paid in cash instead of a credit card to avoid leaving a “paper trail”.


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Scenario #4

As an IH at a chemical manufacturing plant, you are faced with having to perform air sampling for an intermediate chemical for which there is no standard sampling method.


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Do You:A. Search for a sampling method that is

statistically significant, peer-reviewed and recognized by the profession.

B. Use a non peer-reviewed sampling method that was developed by the plant lab assistant named Vinnie.

C. Use a standard sampling method developed for another intermediate chemical produced at your plant.

D. Contact an outside industrial hygiene laboratory for advice and direction.

Source: Joint Industrial Hygiene Ethics Education Committee (JIHEEC) Presentation Files


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Scenario #5 As an IH consultant you are asked by a

major insurance carrier to sample for mold in a residential setting. One of the home’s occupants is recovering from cancer and recently had a bone marrow transplant. Moderate to extensive visible mold is present throughout the home and you recommend relocating the family. The insurance carrier disagrees and asks you “to keep your mouth shut” or they will take legal action.


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Do You:

A. Wonder why you chose to be a consultant and run out of the building screaming.

B. Keep your mouth shut and pretend it never happened.

C. Ignore the insurance carriers threats and immediately notify the occupants to vacate the premises.

D. Contact a close friend, attorney and/or mentor and ask for additional advice and direction.


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Scenario #6You are drinking at a professional conference with a close IH colleague. In an inebriated state he feels the need to unburden years of guilt upon you. He mentions that he completely falsified his ABIH CM worksheet back in 1998. It had slipped through the cracks without an audit. In fact, he was working in another field unrelated to IH from 1994-1999. You always wondered how he had managed to maintain his CIH status and now you knew……


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Do You:A. Keep on drinking and pray you can’t

remember the conversation in the morning .B. Contact ABIH, NASA, DOT, NRC, OSHA, EPA

and/or AIHA and report the incident.C. Run screaming from the bar and wonder why

you have friends like this.D. After sobering-up, explain to your friend that

you feel what they have done is wrong and give them an opportunity to correct the situation before taking further action. If it remains unresolved then you could submit a written allegation of a breach of ethical duty or professional responsibility to ABIH.


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Additional Scenarios for Consideration

• Please see attached handouts


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Thank you!

[email protected]

ethics david c. roskelley, msph, cih, csp r & r environmental, inc

Documents

new code of ethics

cihsabih code of ethics

codeih code of ethics

joint code

current code

ethics matters

abih codepresent

joint ethics task force