‘OHS professionals have an inbuilt desire to be an ethical professional'
The Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP) and the Australian Institute of Health & Safety (AIHS) have launched a chapter on ethics and professional practice for the OHS Body of Knowledge.
The chapter – published in late 2019 and a first in the profession – focuses on health and safety professionals as “ethical professional.” It presents ethical theory as a basis for identifying ethical issues in OHS practice, with guidance for OHS professionals in making ethical decisions. It also includes some case studies to promote discussion.
“It takes the position that OHS professionals have an inbuilt desire to be an ethical professional but there are individual factors such as biases, ethical blind spots and moral disengagement that can impact the professional practice and decision-making of OHS professionals,” said the BCRSP.
The chapter on ethics and professional practice will be used by the BCRSP as reference material for BCRSP examinations and will be promoted to certificants as a valuable resource to inform their ethical practice.
“Approaching the development of this chapter as a joint, cross-country project brought a richness to the outcome that could not have been achieved working within a single country,” said Pam Pryor, manager of the OHS Body of Knowledge for the AIHS. “We all face similar ethical challenges in our professional practice and for the OHS profession to mature and gain broad recognition, we need to work together to share our experience and resources to present a unified international face.”
All individuals who hold a CRSP designation will also be required to complete at least two hours of ethics training during each CPD cycle, effective Jan. 1, 2021. To assist training providers to develop courses acceptable to the BCRSP, the organization has developed an Ethics Program and Provider Standard.
