During the ICOH Congress in London in 1948, nurses participated on the advisory committee for the Congress and during the Congress sessions. At the meeting in Helsinki in 1957, three nurses from Finland, the United Kingdom, and United States were elected as members of the Permanent Commission. 'The Nursing Committee' was formally established at the XV Congress held in Vienne in 1966. In 1987 the name Scientific Committee on Occupational Health Nursing (SCOHN) was adopted.


PURPOSE

SCOHN aims to foster the scientific progress, knowledge and development of occupational health nursing on an international basis. In particular, the committee:

• Establishment of a research working group to identify nursing research being conducted by OHN's throughout the world and facilitate active research among nurses.
• Seminars convened in various countries by the SCOHN in the interim years between Congresses. These relate to selected themes with local ICOH nurse members invited to present papers.
• Conduct sessions on occupational health nursing topics at each ICOH Congress. These include free papers as well as Mini-Symposia. Nurse members and non-nurse members of the ICOH may submit abstracts for presentation at these sessions. Nurses are also free to present papers at other sessions held during the Congress. A group meeting of all nurses attending Congresses. These are convened by the SCOHN for the purpose of discussing relevant global nursing issues and may not be convened at every Congress. Convening of a forum of Nursing Associations at the ICOH Congresses to foster collaboration on OHN issues.
• Meets to share and discuss progress in occupational health nursing practice, education, research and management.
• Publishes documents relating to occupational health nursing.

MEMBERSHIP OF THE SCOHN

• Members of the Committee should be nurse members of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) in good standing, and be actively engaged in occupational health nursing, practice, administration, consultation, research or education. There are about 80 members of SCOHN around the world.

THE EXECUTIVE 2006 - 2008
The Executive consist of the following:

Title	Person
Chairman	Marjatta Peurala Finland
Vice-Chairman	Louwna Pretorius South Africa
Secretary	Megan Kingham Australia
Treasurer	Marjatta Peurala Finland Mieko Nakajima Japan
Nurse member of the board of ICOH (ex-office)	Jenny Serfontein South Africa
Nurse member of the Organising Committee of Trinnieal Congress in 2009	Karin Michell South Africa

Nominations for election of SCOHN executive for the triennium 2006 - 2008 took place in the end of October 2005. Two members were nominated, and thus they were also elected to serve in executive. They are: Megan Kingham from Australia and Louwna Pretorius from South Africa.

All members of the Executive must be from different countries except the ex-office members. The intent is to assure global representation.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

SCOHN established in Milan Congress 2006 a research group for investigating the role of occupational health nurse in the multidisciplinary working group. The main responsibility for planning and organizing the research lies on Prof. Bonnie Rogers from USA. The Finnish members of the group are Maria Rautio and Anne Boström. Other members are Jennifer Radford UK, Maria Helena Marziale Brazil, Katie Slaven USA, Keiko Kono Japan. As a vice-chair of SCOHN executive Louwna Pretorius is co-ordinator of this research. The results of the investigation should be reported in Cape Town 2009.

The 2nd Intel Congress on Occupational Health Nursing was held in Bangkok in August 2007. SCOHN members as well as other nurses
around the world (n 250) took part in the congress. SCOHN executive contributed the
organizing of the congress.
In the future SCOHN will contribute also to the 3rd Intel Congress on OHN which is planned for 2010 in Tokyo. The Sc of Development of OH has invited SCOHN as well as Sc of Research and Evaluation os OHS to contribute to the Mid-Term workshop to be held in India in
Mumbai next year (2008).

SCOHN is also planning the 29 th ICOH International Congress on Occupational Health titled: Occupational Health: a Basic Right at Work - an Asset to Society. This will be held in 2009 at the Cape Town International onvention Centre, South Africa. SCOHNs aim is to have a Pre-Congress workshop for nurses as well as one or two nurses' sessions for oral presentations.

LINKS:

CIS International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/cis/intro/

EU European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
http://fi.osha.eu.int/

ICOH http://www.icohweb.org

ILO http://www.ilo.org/

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
http://www.ttl.fi/Internet/Suomi/Organisaatio/Kansainvalinen+toiminta/

WHO
http://www.who.int/occupational_health/en/

WHO Collaborating Centres
http://www.ttl.fi/Internet/partner/tf13