Abstract
M.Cur.
The researcher's occupation as medical services manager at a packaging company regularly brings
her into contact with the occupational health nurses employed at the factories. She has become aware
that the occupational health nurses often become involved in ethical dilemmas with regards to the
handling of HIV -positive people at the workplace in that the interests of the HIV -positive conflict
with the interests of the employer. The occupational health nurse finds him/herself acting as
intermediary and advocate between the two parties, namely the employer and the HIV -positive
person. In spite of the provision of legal norms and ethical standards to regulate the interests of the
HN -positive person in the workplace, no guidelines exist as to how these norms and standards
should be operasionalised during interaction between the HIV -positive person, the occupational
health nurse and the employer. The occupational health nurse is therefore uncertain how to act
professionally within laid-down ethical standards with the HIV -positive person at the workplace.
The purpose of this study is to describe guidelines and criteria for the operasionalisation of ethical
standards for the occupational health nurse regarding the HIV -positive person in the workplace. This
objective is obtained through the following aims:
• Researching and describing literature with specific reference to current legal and ethical
frameworks within the occupational health context regarding interaction with the HNpositive
person in the workplace in order to formulate these ethical standards;
• Researching and describing problems and solutions for the following target groups regarding
the ethical aspects regarding the HN -positive person in the workplace:
Occupational health nurses
The HN -positive person in the workplace.
The design of the research is qualitative, explorative and descriptive. The research was carried out
by studying the occupational health nurses and HN -positive people employed by the packaging
company countrywide. The occupational health nurses who were involved were obtained from a
purposive test sample. The HN -positive people were chosen by making use of a quota test sample.
Data obtained from the occupational health nurses was gathered by means of a workshop, and the
data from the HN -positive people was obtained through personal interviews.
The results of the research identified certain problems and solutions which were experienced by both
target groups. These problems and solutions are divided into four sub-categories to illustrate how
individual, organisational, health and family-systems are influenced. In order to assist the
occupational health nurses to ethically handle the HIV -positive person in the workplace, guidelines
and criteria were drawn up for the operasionalisation of the ethical standards.
Additional research themes were identified through the study, the goal being to further improve the
ethical handling of the HIV-positive person in the workplace, and to give better support to the HIV positive
person.