Understanding Ethical Foundations in Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety

This chapter lays the ethical groundwork for the book by examining classical bioethical principles such as respect for autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and formal justice. It introduces additional professional rules, including veracity, fidelity, confidentiality, and privacy. This chapter also discusses six ethical lenses used throughout the book to assess ethical dilemmas: rights, justice, utilitarian, common good, virtue, and care. The aim is to give OEHS professionals a robust theoretical framework to evaluate ethical challenges in complex environments.