Wellness programme for workers on national roads

Issued by SANRAL
Johannesburg, Sep 23, 2016

Workers maintaining national roads can now benefit from a free advisory, counselling and support programme which provides life, health, performance and wellness management services to employees and their immediate families.

The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has rolled out a nationwide Wellness Programme on all its routine road maintenance projects in keeping with national health imperatives for employers to implement effective HIV/Aids awareness and wellness programmes.

Sanral has appointed service providers who will be responsible for the management of the Wellness Programme, with the assistance of a Wellness Champion on each routine road maintenance site.

The primary role of the Wellness Champion is to educate peers about HIV/Aids and wellness in the workplace.

This will enable employees to take responsibility for their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Ntando Ngidi, Sanral Eastern Region Human Resource Professional, said peers are able to listen and fully engage through the exchange of ideas, thoughts, views and opinions, "free from external prejudice".

"This makes peer education an extremely powerful and effective channel through which people can act as change agents."

The Sanral Wellness Programme is intended to:

* create a healthier and safer workplace for workers on Sanral routine road maintenance projects; * promote a healthy lifestyle; * give all workers and their immediate families the opportunity to know their status and live responsibly; * pro-actively engage with HIV-positive workers and register them on relevant treatment programmes or refer them to their nearest clinics for the relevant assistance; and * ensure HIV-negative workers and families acquire adequate knowledge to manage their status.

In Sanral's Eastern Region, which includes KwaZulu-Natal and Free State, the Wellness Programme is being implemented on projects in the following areas: Mtubatuba (N2 North), Post Shepstone (N2 South), Camperdown (N3), Newcastle/Ladysmith (N11), Winburg (N5 & N1) and Bloemfontein (N1, N8 & N6).

Ngidi said the immediate beneficiaries of the Wellness Programme are workers on the routine road maintenance projects.

"However Sanral saw an opportunity to ensure that these benefits are not just limited to the workers, but also their immediate families.

"We cannot treat just one piece of a bigger puzzle. The awareness, testing, treatment and education has to reach all pieces of the puzzle.

"For example if an employee is tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection, then the partner should also be included in the treatment, management and education of that infection."

The Wellness Programme also provides for HIV testing bi-annually. Provision is also made for family members to be transported to the Wellness Day venue for education and voluntary testing.

Testing for tuberculosis, blood glucose and cholesterol is also provided.

Ngidi said since the Wellness Programme had been rolled out in the Eastern Region in July 2016, it has been well received.

"Champions have been out and about at their respective sites sharing information, educating and engaging with employees.

"The support from employees shows promise that the programme will yield positive results and will be impactful."

An additional benefit of the Wellness Programme is that Wellness Champions have learnt new skills. It has also created jobs - eight Wellness Champions have been appointed in the Eastern Region.

Wellness Management service providers have also employed staff to run the Wellness programme.

An estimated R9 million has been budgeted for expenditure over the next three years on the Wellness Programme in the Eastern Region.