Abstract
The characteristics of informed consent in occupational health practice is described mainly from the legal point of view. It is indicated that the practice of informed consent for workers is difficult under the present Industrial Safety and Health Act in Japan. Under this act the responsibility of employers for safety and health of workers is regarded as the most important it does not ensure the legal independency of occupational physicians in the company. In particular, there is the possibility that the genetic screening in the workplace will induce serious ethical problems to workers in the near future. In this paper, I discuss the methods to solve these ethical problems in occupational health, and introduce an ethical guideline for occupational physicians.
