December 2022 • our1al o) E18,ro1me1tal Healt+ 41 sibility, and 4) respect. Section 5 of the CIEH codes provides examples of the behaviors CIEH expects of its members. For example, integrity means that an environmental health professional holds the health and the protection of the public as their prime concern. With regard to integrity, the behaviors include: 1) providing prompt, clear, and accurate information; 2) seeking advice from colleagues when unsure how to act in a particular situation; and 3) always placing the interests of the communities served above self-interest, the interest of colleagues, and the interest of any organization. In my personal opinion, I believe these examples of behaviors described by CIEH are entirely consistent with NEHA’s expectation that I conduct myself in a professional manner. Furthermore, I believe these examples help to give life to the CIEH code, which is not present in the NEHA code. One domain where the CIEH code is particularly useful is the term respect. According to CIEH, respect includes recognizing the dignity of individuals, treating everyone fairly, and cooperating with others. Examples of respectful behaviors include: 1) ensuring an eective procedure exists to raise, investigate, and adjudicate complaints in the workplace; 2) assisting colleagues in complying with requirements for continuing professional development; and 3) recognizing differences among individuals and groups while avoiding stereotyping. I want to focus on this third example of respectful behavior. In the July/August 2020 issue of the Journal of Environmental Health, Brian Collins, past president of NEHA and past chair of AAS, and Wendell Moore, past chair of AAS, described the formation of the AAS Respect, Integrity, Service, and Equality (RISE) Task Force (Collins & Moore, 2020). RISE was envisioned to ask, “Who are we? What do we look like? What do we represent? What are our perceptions and priorities versus our realities?” (Collins & Moore, 2020). In June 2022, the bylaws of AAS were updated to incorporate the early eorts of RISE. In Table 2, I provide a selection from the updated bylaws. For more information, I encourage you to review the AAS website at www.sanitarians.org. The prior bylaws of AAS were adopted in 2006 and included a total of 7 pages of text (AAS, 2006b). The updated bylaws of AAS, adopted in 2022, include a total of 15 pages of text (AAS, 2022). Among the changes adopted in 2022, a statement on diversity, equity, and inclusion was added to the bylaws (a similar statement already exists in the AAS constitution). Furthermore, the updated bylaws call for the formation of an ad hoc committee to develop a policy on diversity, equity, and inclusion. In my personal opinion, a major improvement to the bylaws was the inclusion of a code of conduct. Although the bylaws state that the AAS code of conduct applies to ocers and directors, the list of seven behaviors helps to give life to our eorts to promote “the highest levels of ethical conduct among professional sanitarians in every field of environmental health” (AAS, 2006a). For example, as described in Table 2, using an aliation with Code of Ethics for Professionals Credentialed Through the National Environmental Health Association Code of Conduct and Ethics I shall endeavor to keep myself current and informed and satisfy any continuing education requirements that may be in effect for my credential. I shall conduct myself in a professional manner befitting of my credentialed status. I shall proudly represent my credentialed status to the public I serve. I shall do nothing to undermine, detract from, or otherwise cause to develop any damaging associations with respect to this credential. I accept that any activity on my part that will cause this credential any measure of injury serves as a breach and a failure on my part to uphold this code of ethics. Moreover, I accept that such actions for which I might be responsible could result in the revocation of my credential. I shall do nothing to impair my ability to discharge any administrative or regulatory duty related to my professional credential that may also be required under federal, state, or local law as a part of the position I hold. Source: National Environmental Health Association, 2022. Select Articles From the 2022 Update of the American Academy of Sanitarians Bylaws Article Description 2. Purpose and Objectives, Section 3, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion The Academy accepts [any] qualified member … does not discriminate … and strives to create an inclusive environment. 6. Committees, Section 3, Ad Hoc Committees Ad hoc committees shall assist the Academy in creating, adopting, and implementing a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) policy that guides Academy employment, governance, and membership. 10. Code of Conduct No officer or director shall: … 3) publicly utilize any Academy affiliation in connection with the promotion of partisan politics, religious matters, or positions on any issues not in conformity with the official position or policies of the Academy … 5) knowingly take any action or make any statements (written or oral) intended to influence the conduct of the Academy in such a way as to confer any financial benefit on any person, corporation, or entity in which the individual has an interest of affiliation. Source: American Academy of Sanitarians, 2022. TABLE 1 TABLE 2
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