The International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) is an international non-governmental professional society, founded in Milan during the Expo 1906 as the Permanent Commission on Occupational Health.
ICOH aims at fostering the scientific progress, knowledge and development of occupational health and safety in all its aspects. Today, ICOH is the world's leading international scientific society in the field of occupational health with a membership of 2,000 professionals from over 100 countries and is recognised by the United Nations as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) with close working relationships with ILO, WHO, UNEP and ISSA.
Activities.
The most visible activities of ICOH are the triennial World Congresses on Occupational Health, which are usually attended by some 3,000 participants. The 2000 Congress was held in Singapore, the 2003 Congress in Iguassu Falls (Brazil), the 2006 Centennial Congress in Milan, (Italy), the 2009 Congress in Cape Town (South Africa), ICOH 2012 Congress in Cancun (Mexico), ICOH 2015 Congress in Seoul (Rep. of Korea), while ICOH 2018 was held in Dublin (Ireland). The next ICOH Congress will be held in 2022 in a digital format. ICOH 2024 will be held in Marrakesh (Morocco) and ICOH 2027 in Mumbai (India).
At the ICOH 2006 General Assembly, the President highlighted the overriding importance of permanent training and education of experts in order to face the rapidly changing world of work, the need to develop occupational health services throughout the world (including the development and dissemination of Basic Occupational Health Services – BOHS), the importance of creating BOHS guidelines, tools, training, and pilot projects and the intention of making a global survey on the OHS situation in ICOH member countries. Cooperation with World Health Organization, International Labour Organization and other NGO partners is among the priorities of the current ICOH Strategy (ICOH Centennial Declaration).
Presidents and Secretaries General.
Presidents: M. De Cristoforis 1906 – 1915, L. Devoto 1915 – 1936, D. Glibert 1936 – 1940, T. Stowell 1948 – 1951, P. Mazell 1951 – 1954, S. Forssman 1954 – 1969, L. Noro 1969 – 1975, E. Vigliani 1975 – 1981, R. Murray 1981 – 1987, S. Hernberg 1987 – 1993, J. F. Caillard 1993 – 2000, B. Knave 2000 – 2003, J. Rantanen 2003 – 2009, K. Kogi 2009 – 2015, J. Takala 2015 – 2022, S.K. Kang 2022–present.
Secretaries General: L. Carozzi 1906 – 1957, E. Vigliani 1957 – 1975, R. Murray 1975 – 1981, L. Parmeggiani 1981 – 1988, J. Jeyaratnam 1989 – 2000, K. S. Chia 2000 – 2003, S. Iavicoli 2003 – 2022, D. Gagliardi 2022–present.
Scientific Committees.
ICOH has 38 Scientific Committees. They cover a broad scope of challenges and problems in work life, including traditional risks of occupational injuries and diseases, and the risks of "new work life". The Scientific Committees focus specifically on the areas of competence and promote and carry out research in their respective fields. Most of these committees have regular symposia, scientific monographs and review the abstracts submitted to the International Congresses.
Asbestos ban.
ICOH relations with International Organizations (WHO, ILO) have received critiques, notably on the issue of asbestos: "Part of the explanation for this bland acceptance of the asbestos cancer epidemic is that the WHO and the ILO have allowed organizations such as the International Commission on occupational Health (ICOH) and other asbestos industry consultants and experts to manipulate them and to distort the scientific evidence. The WHO and the ILO were lulled into inaction by conflicting scientific reports of the epidemic."
ICOH has set among its main priorities the Asbestos Ban, taking a position in favour of the global ban of asbestos. Through its official bodies and individual members ICOH took actions at all levels of activity, global, national and workplace levels:
At the national level the expert input of ICOH members to the decisions concerning the ban of asbestos can be found for example in Finland, Sweden, Germany, Japan and Norway.
The ICOH members also were most instrumental in production of the "Asbestos, asbestosis, and cancer: the Helsinki criteria for diagnosis and attribution" – a document that has been taken in use in everyday practices in diagnosing, recognition and compensation of asbestos related diseases and has also been used in courts in some countries in defence of victims of the diseased persons. ICOH members also train the experts in occupational medicine and safety by using the research and criteria documents as a support for education.
References.
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