1957 - Helsinki
30/06-05/07/1957
12th International Congress of the “Permanent Committee and International Association of Occupational Health”, or “Commission Permanente et Association Internationale pour la Médicine du Travail”
The Helsinki Congress inaugurates a new organization and activity address of the Commission. In the opening, President Forssman highlights the new scientific orientation and remarks that in the last few years “a new field of occupational health” adds to the traditional study sectors concerning “occupational hazards and occupational diseases and injuries”. The point is to enable the Commission to tackle the new problems posed to occupational health by the growing technological and industrial development with automation development and new problems concerning also mental health and psychology. This new address is even more apparent in organization. By developing the proposals set forth at the Milan meeting, the Commission changes its name and brings about some major statutory revisions.
The new name is “Permanent Committee and International Association of Occupational Health”, that is in French “Commission Permanente et Association Internationale pour la Médecine du Travail”
Statutory changes of 1957
During the Congress, a meeting of the Permanent Commission is held on June 30, 1957 and the discussion arises on the proposals set forth at the Milan meeting of 1956. Then a committee of 9 members is appointed in order to go more in depth and study the proposals for a subsequent meeting to be held on July 4, 1957. However, due to time shortness, the committee does not succeed in appropriately investigating the major changes proposed and a double compromise is achieved on name and statutory changes while the new Constitution is going to be adopted in the next Congress. Though the majority is in favour of transforming the commission into an association, some members do not agree on changing the name and thus the two denominations are kept together. Besides, three articles of the Constitution, regarding Membership and social fees have been changed. The Commission remarkably increases, in that the number of the Permanent Committee Members may reach 18 per country. Then a whole category of new members shows up: the “ordinary members” who are “persons actively engaged in the field of occupational health” for whom there is no adhesion limitation.
Finally “special committees” are established on special topics and in particular 4 special committees are in charge with reports at the next Congress.
Stucture of ICOH
Report on Commission members: "in 1906 17 members had joined the Commission, in 1910 they were 29, in 1935 they were 68, in 1955 they were 212, and in 1957 there were 290 members from 43 countries.
Professional categories dealing with industrial health within congresses were: "physicians, industrial nurses, engineers, chemists, industrial hygienists, safety men end representatives of social services and social security".
Relationships with international authorities
Several contributions in Helsinki are in favour of the collaboration with international bodies, along the line already discussed the year before in Milan.
In particular, the following contributions are worth being mentioned:
- Dr. L.A. Bravo Director of Occupational and Social Medical Department of WHO;
- Mr. M. Robert Director of Department of Occupational Health and Safety of the International Labour Organization brings the greetings by ILO;
- Mr. Rowe Director of the Australian Social Security Association also on behalf of the International Social Security Association clearly highlights the collaboration between the Association and the Commission "we hope that this first experiment towards closer collaboration between the International Social Security Association and the Permanent Committee for Occupational Health will be followed by a further intensification in the collaboration between our two organisations";
- Dr. K.E.U. Jäämeri on behalf of World Medical Association: looks forward to a closer collaboration with his Association.
Closing speech by Prof. N. Pesoner, acknowledging international bodies such as ISS, ILO and WHO for their essential support to the 12th Congress.
Appointment of L. Carozzi as "Permanent Honorary President" and new composition of the Commission Board
During the Helsinki Congress, Dr. Luigi Carozzi is appointed Permanent Honorary President of the Commission. Carozzi had been in charge since the beginning, i.e. about half a century. Now Dr. Vigliani takes over.