Employee health and well-being has always been important to Exxaro, and with the prevailing ongoing pandemic, it’s even more of a priority. During these challenging times, where the well-being of the country is in everyone’s hands, Exxaro has once again reaffirmed its commitment to the health and wellness of its employees and contractors.
With Global Wellness Day taking place on 12 June, this is the perfect time to recognise Exxaro’s efforts in the build-up to this day. Exxaro’s annual Employee Wellness Week, which took place in April and May this year, seeks to drive well-being awareness and to improve the health of the organisations’ employees by providing health and wellness services and medical screenings to staff. Exxaro’s integrated health and wellness strategy has a renewed focus on preventative measures, stopping illness, and the spread of disease through employee-driven efforts. This aligns with the business’s health and wellness portfolios that seek to achieve a holistic and integrated management programme.
“Diagnose, manage and prevent – those are the three pillars that support our health and wellness strategy so that we can ensure an integrated approach to occupational and lifestyle diseases. The Occupational Health Incident Frequency Rate (OHIFR) fits into our zero-harm vision, which aims to ensure that every employee adheres to strict safety standards and can return home unharmed,” explained Exxaro Resources Group Manager for Safety and Health, Dr. Joseph Matjila.
Celebrating Exxaro’s health and wellness week
Matla, Leeuwpan, and Exxaro Coal Central (ECC) mines used Employee Wellness Week as an opportunity to make a difference. During April, Matla Mine offered detailed medical assessments to employees, including pap smears, TB screenings, HIV and AIDS testing as well as access to dental services and a dietician.
Leeuwpan hosted a flu vaccination drive to help staff prepare for the winter months when colds and flu are a common occurrence. To further ensure the health and well-being of their team, they also provided free health supplements with every vaccination.
ECC used this time to drive HIV testing in addition to glucose and blood pressure monitoring. The ECC medical team managed to do approximately 819 HIV tests at the four testing sites.
The unprecedented time in which we are living has put a spotlight on the importance of health and safety throughout society; Exxaro’s dedication to employee wellness shows that the diversified mining company has always been heavily invested in employee wellbeing long before the pandemic.
“We are facing unprecedented health challenges during the current uncertainties of the pandemic. Every effort made, big or small, will go a long way to helping our country get through this,” said sister Danelle Smit, ECC’s Covid-19 Registered Nurse. “The fight against the Covid-19 pandemic is vital, but there are also other, dangerous underlying diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes that we should not lose sight of,” she reiterated.
People who have existing health conditions are more at risk when it comes to Covid-19, which is why we still need to focus on screening for and treating other diseases.
“We continue to improve medical surveillance by extending clinical tests and ensuring our employees receive screenings like DNA analysis assessments and Covid-19 screenings. This will help us both improve employee wellness and overcome Covid-19 as a country,” Dr. Joseph Matjila added.