Occupational health
Occupational health is a primary function of medical services delivered at all of our operating sites.
Qualified nursing practitioners and doctors provide occupational health services. At least one doctor on
every site is a graduate of the Illovo Occupational Health Development Programme, an initiative by the
company to ensure that every doctor on site has a recognised qualification in Occupational Health.
Employees who work in demarcated risk areas are subjected to base-line medical examinations on
engagement and routinely monitored by the occupational health care staff during their career with Illovo.
Our Group Medical Consultant is engaged in matters of occupational health and safety and takes
particular responsibility for ensuring that the more significant health hazards are appropriately managed
in the workplace.
Occupational diseases
Occupational diseases are reported within the NOSA framework and are captured with the general
safety statistics, as noted further on under
Health and safety management systems
.
Communicable diseases
The group continues to take a proactive stance against life-threatening epidemics such as HIV and
AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and these are being managed, largely on a preventative basis, to negate
their impact on the business and employees themselves.
HIV and AIDS
Our business strategy is aligned with that of UNAIDS, referred to as the “Triple Zero” strategy of zero
new cases of HIV; zero deaths among people living with HIV and AIDS, and zero discrimination. Our
efforts are thus aimed at identifying and maintaining the negative status of the majority of our employees,
determining which employees are HIV-positive and ensuring that they are on suitable medical
management programmes, and work to reduce stigma and discrimination around HIV and AIDS.
Voluntary counselling and testing is routinely offered on all our sites, and we recorded 9 783 HIV tests
during the season.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is a focus of our medical services, particularly in areas of HIV prevalence. Our efforts are
directed at prevention in HIV-positive individuals through prophylaxis and the early diagnosis and
treatment of tuberculosis in employees. We continue to apply the successful Directly Observed
Treatment Short-course – “DOTS” strategy, which lends itself well to workplace health services.
Malaria
Malaria remains a key challenge at our operations in Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania. However,
following our successes in South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia, where we believe we have virtually
eliminated malaria transmission on our estates, we are confident that we will achieve the same outcome
in the other countries in which we operate. We have reviewed our Integrated Malaria Control Strategy at
these operations and are implementing new programmes. In Mozambique, our malaria programme
extends to an average radius of five kilometres to communities in the immediate vicinity of our estate,
which has enabled us to sustain our reduction of incidents of malaria in that area. Group-wide, a 30%
reduction in caseload was achieved, ie, nearly 1 000 less cases of malaria, representing a reduction
from 329 cases per thousand permanent employees to 229 per thousand.
Other public and community health initiatives
Illovo continues to provide clean water and sanitation to employees living on company estates, thereby
reducing the transmission of waterborne diseases. We continue to provide services in respect of
maternal and child health, reproductive health and neglected tropical diseases, eg, bilharzia. We play an
active role in the communities that adjoin our estates, at a local, regional and national level, participating
in health governance structures and as an active donor to public and private health services.
During the recent floods in Malawi we were able to supply potable water, housing and medical services
to affected communities, in partnership with the government and non-governmental organisations.
