Ethical dilemmas around privacy issues are frequent occurrences in occupational health services. Occupational health professionals are often caught between the conflicting interests of employees who wish to maintain their privacy and employers who have a legitimate right to know. Health professionals must carefully balance these interests of both groups of clients, employees and employers.

This survey set out to explore occupational health professionals’ courses of action with respect to privacy in a position of dual loyalty between employees and employers. A postal inquiry was sent to randomly selected respondents. The overall response rate was 64%: 140 nurses and 94 physicians returned the questionnaire.

Eight imaginary cases involving an ethical dilemma of privacy were presented to the respondents. Six different courses of action were constructed within the set alternatives proposed. The results of this study indicated that privacy as an absolute value is in the interest of neither employees nor employers, and that the most valid course of action in dealing with sensitive subjects such as drug and work community problems, sexual harassment and sick leaves in the dual loyalty position, is to rely on tripartite cooperation. It provides the opportunity for confidential discussions where each individual can decide what and how much to divulge about themselves within the hearing of others.

If they maintain their professional independence and impartiality, occupational health professionals are well placed to succeed in this challenging task; if not, there are bound to be severe violations of privacy.