American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Code of ethical conduct

Adopted Oct. 25, 1993 by the Board of Directors of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

This code establishes standards of professional ethical conduct with which each member of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) is expected to comply. These standards are intended to guide occupational and environmental medicine physicians in their relationships with the individuals they serve, employers and workers' representatives, colleagues in the health professions, the public, and all levels of government including the judiciary. 

Physicians should:

1. Accord the highest priority to the health and safety of individuals in both the workplace and the environment;     
2. Practice on a scientific basis with integrity and strive to acquire and maintain adequate knowledge and expertise upon which to render professional service;    
3. Relate honestly and ethically in all professional relationships;    
4. Strive to expand and disseminate medical knowledge and participate in ethical research efforts as appropriate;    
5. Keep confidential all individual medical information, releasing such information only when required by law or overriding public health considerations, or to other physicians according to accepted medical practice, or to others at the request of the individual;    
6. Recognize that employers may be entitled to counsel about an individual's medical work fitness, but not to diagnoses or specific details, except in compliance with laws and regulations;    
7. Communicate to individuals and/or groups any significant observations and recommendations concerning their health or safety; and    
8. Recognize those medical impairments in oneself and others, including chemical dependency and abusive personal practices, which interfere with one's ability to follow the above principles, and take appropriate measures.