In the stope
Cas Badenhorst and Charles Mbekeni : moving health to zero harm
The concept of zero harm should apply not only to safety , but health issues as well , Cas Badenhorst and Charles Mbekeni tell Leon Louw .
Anglo American has adopted the concept of ‘ Total Health ’ — what exactly does that mean ? Has there been significant changes over the years in the way Anglo American approaches the issue of health in the workplace ?
Cas Badenhorst ( CB ): Every day , we strive to prevent harm and to influence the health and well-being of our employees positively . Our approach is an integrated one : to manage workplace and personal health risks in a way that is globally consistent , yet locally relevant . Our primary goal is to prevent new cases of occupational diseases due to exposure to health hazards at Anglo American . We ensure that every employee ’ s health is recorded when joining the company and we monitor and detect risk factors throughout the duration of their employment . For us , every single employee matters .
In the past , the focus has primarily been on occupational health . However , health in the workplace cannot be separated from the broader health issues within our communities and non-occupational factors that could also contribute to occupational harm . These factors include smoking , environmental air pollution , high cholesterol levels , HIV status , and TB , just to mention a few . Causes of occupational disease are often multifactorial and these causes will combine multiplicatively . Companies such as Anglo American need to have a holistic approach to health (‘ Total Health ’), which considers not only workers ’ health in the physical workplace environment , but also non-occupational factors .
Our health strategy is based on four pillars : the occupational hygiene pillar
( that looks at workplace exposure and controls ); the occupational medicine pillar ( which is concerned with the maintenance of health in the workplace ); the health and wellness pillar , and the community health pillar ( that looks at how we can contribute to healthy communities ).
Effective management of occupational health risks not only protects our people , but it also enhances productivity and helps maintain our license to operate and our global reputation . Our occupational hygiene pillar has an unrelenting focus on zero harm by reducing employees ’ exposure to inhalable hazards , carcinogens , and noise . Our approach to occupational hygiene is focused on implementing and managing controls to manage risks , specifically keeping dust and noise levels as low as possible , while programmes of personal exposure assessment , real-time workplace environment monitoring , and medical surveillance support the focus on control management .
Anglo American has several wellness programmes to influence non-occupational factors positively . These include exercise programmes to promote physical activity , weight reduction and healthy nutrition programmes , as well as employee assistance programmes to help individuals to cope with social , mental , financial , and legal situations .
Charles Mbekeni ( CM ): In the South African context , the scope of workplace health programmes has to take into cognisance the quadruple burden of disease . The interplay between occupational and non-occupational risk factors necessitates a comprehensive approach to health risk management . By implementing cornerstone health programmes that cover occupational health ( hygiene and medicine ), health promotion , wellness screening , functional assessment , mental health , and trauma and emergency care , the company seeks to integrate fitness assessment , surveillance , and public health interventions . The spectrum of health programmes covers prevention , care , and rehabilitation .
As an example , the reduction or elimination of exposure to airborne pollutants is implemented in conjunction with anti-smoking campaigns ; screening for TB , HIV , diabetes , and other chronic conditions ; roll-out of isoniazid prophylaxis ; and seamless referral to care programmes .
To achieve a step change in health performance , the company has adopted the 90:90:90 targets for HIV , and the first two 90s form part of the key performance indicators at a site , business unit , and group level . For 2017 , we achieved 83 % know your status and 84 % of known HIV-positive employees on antiretroviral therapy . Some of the business units have achieved over 70 % roll-out of isoniazid prophylaxis . We continue to witness a consistent reduction in TB incidence .
Healthy employees working in a safe and enabling environment are generally motivated and productive . For such an environment to occur , requires collaboration with line management , union structures , and other support functions , such as safety , environment , and human resources . The work on predictive safety risk analysis shows that absenteeism , staff turnover , human factors , and other parameters can be used as early indicators or warning
[ 26 ] MINING MIRROR AUGUST 2018