1996 - Stockolm
15-20/09/1996
25th International Congress of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH)
The Congress topic is dedicated to improving work conditions and work environment and, beside traditional issues, the Congress deals with a better work organization and gender differences at work. The Congress is opened by the King of Sweden; participants are over 3000 with more than 300 oral communications and 600 poster presentations.
Structure of ICOH
In the triennium between the Nice and the Stockholm Congress a debate starts on the possible enlargement within ICOH of work environment issues also on account of ICOH denomination change into ICOEH. A document dated May 30, 1996 informs on the creation of a task group made up of six ICOH Board members with the aim of studying pros and cons of the change. During the meeting (Paris, February 1995) of Scientific Committees and Working Groups and, in the same year, during the Board meeting (Rouen), the change was discussed and half attendants were in favour but the consensus necessary to submit the issue at the 1996 Congress was not reached.
The pros were: first of all the strong world tendency of other occupational health organizations to join the two fields and the fact that often risk assessment systems integrate the two areas.
The cons were: loss of occupational health centrality, and the risk that occupational health activities in developing countries diminish if customers are split between work and work environment.