DIRECTOR: Mr Andile Tolom
Secretary: Celestine Jooste
Tel: 041 506 3285
Fax: 041 506 3069
email: cjooste@mandelametro.gov.za
atolom@mandelametro.gov.za
health@mandelametro.gov.za
Adress: 172 Heugh Road, Walmer, Port Elizabeth, 6070
Satelite Centre: 6229 Middle Street, Uitenhage, 6229
INTRODUCTION:
The Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness sub-directorate functions under Public Health Directorate, under the leadership of Dr Mamisa Chabula-Nxiweni being the Executive Director. The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has a legal, social and strategic responsibility to protect, preserve, and invest its employee` s health, safety and wellness. Through Occupational Health, Safety & Wellness sub-directorate the municipality provides employee wellness programme aimed at preserving and improving the occupational safety and health of the employees, ongoing hazard identification, risk assessment and risk management programmes.
An ongoing medical surveillance of employees is a risk based set of planned medical examinations which is conducted to ensure safe and hygienic placement of an employee in the job. NMBM recognizes that HIV and AIDS are developmental and business risk which can impact negatively on its workforce and consequently its abilities to render and achieve service delivery targets and developmental agenda. The municipality has a responsibility to ensure that its most precious asset, its workforce, is supported and protected through on-site Employee Wellness Programmes.
OHSW SLOGAN:
“Working together for better Health, Safety & Wellness”.
NMBM VISION:
‘’A globally competitive city that works together with the people’’.
This shared vision provides the foundation for the achievement of the municipality‘ s priorities.
OHSW MISSION:
Constantly strive towards achieving a world class practice for a comprehensive, integrated and sustainable corporate-wide employee occupational health, safety and wellness program by:
· Limiting and managing the risk impact to health of employees and the work environment.
· Becoming a leading role player (local, regional and national) and achieving worldwide acclaim of best occupational health, safety and wellness standards.
· Maintaining optimum health, safety and wellness through sustainable programmes.
· Developing and maintaining a culture of health and safety behaviour among NMBM employees.
OHSW OBJECTIVES
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has a legal, social and strategic responsibility to protect, preserve and invest in employees’ health, safety and wellness. In this regard, the Municipality provides the following:
(a) An integrated, sustainable employee health and wellness management system
(b) A sustainable quality safety management system.
In terms of the Occupational Health Safety and Wellness Management systems, the Municipality focuses on the following:
- Ongoing medical surveillance (statutory and executive) of employees and serving Councillors;
- Sick absenteeism analysis and specialist intervention;
- A financial education and debt management programme
- Providing support mechanisms aimed at reducing substance abuse and promoting responsible alcohol use;
- Provision of Health and Wellness Campaigns
- Development and implementation of Occupational Health and Safety Management System Standard (OHSAS) 18001:2007, for Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Control;
- Emergency preparedness and evacuation in high-rise buildings;
- Construction safety management
WORKPLACE HIV AND AIDS
The Municipality is implementing intervention strategies to respond to the challenges of HIV and AIDS in the workplace. Each intervention is linked to the priority areas, goals and objectives of the current National Strategic Plan (NSP), the four priority areas of which are as follows:
1. Prevention
2. Treatment, care and support
3. Monitoring, research and surveillance
4. Human rights and access to justice
Municipal interventions include:
· Establishing, reviewing and communicating an HIV and AIDS and Wellness Policy and related workplace procedures that express overall direction and demonstrate commitment to implementation.
· Identifying and training behaviour change agents that can influence, teach and support
positive and health-seeking behaviour in other.
· Providing on-site care and support services for employee wellness and encouraging active participation in wellness support groups and other initiatives.
· Mobilising medical schemes to partner with Occupational Health Service in order to improve HCT and wellness screening.
ANTI-RETROVIRAL TREATMENT (ART)
The NMBM Employee Wellness Centre has been accredited by the Eastern Cape Department of Health to provide ART for municipal employees. This treatment programme is meant for all employees who are in need of treatment. The programme excludes employees who are covered by medical aid, unless they have exhausted the benefits allowed by their medical aid for HIV and AIDS treatment.
Where employees who have exhausted their medical benefits, Council will take over treatment only if the standard treatment regime offered through its workplace Treatment Programme would be adequate and would pose no medical risk to the employee.
MAINTENANCE BACKLOG OF MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Following the Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) in some municipal buildings, the need to profile and prioritise the backlog maintenance requirements exists. Building and infrastructural maintenance embraces planned maintenance, repair, refurbishment and renewal, and provision for replacement of infrastructure.
There are significant costs associated with inadequate maintenance and consequent breakdowns, including loss of production, which can cause serious economic loss, in some cases health risks, injury or loss of life, and the cost of alternative emergency measures needed during breakdowns.
The Municipality needs to develop a programme to tackle the most urgent areas of backlog maintenance, which should include a maintenance schedule for the ongoing maintenance of all buildings in order to ensure that all buildings are always in a good state of repair. Funds should be allocated specifically for backlog maintenance, together with annual increases in general maintenance and other capital improvement works. This allocation should be spent on upgrading passenger lifts, roof replacement in some buildings, window-frame replacement in old buildings, building façade repairs (particularly in John Tallant Road Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) building) and other WWTW buildings, upgrades to air conditioning equipment and controls and interior improvements (toilet refurbishment, floor coverings, painting and light improvements). The maintenance backlog of municipal buildings and infrastructure is the collective responsibility of the Corporate Service Directorate through Facilities Management and the respective Directorates.
FIVE-YEAR PERFORMANCE PLAN
|
PUBLIC HEALTH |
|
Key Performance Element: Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness |
|
Strategic Objective |
Supporting Objective |
Five Year Programmes/ projects |
Key Performance Indicator |
2012/13 Target |
|
Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness |
To ensure health and safety compliance and wellness of all NMBM employees |
Implementing sustainable management systems, ensuring identification, assessment, elimination, mitigation and/or management of potential hazards at NMBM construction sites and workplaces |
% of municipal construction sites audited for health and safety compliance |
100% |
|
Implementing sustainable employee health and wellness management programmes |
% employees in designated occupations undergoing annual medical testing in line with the Occupational Health and Safety Act |
100% |
|
% employees (total workforce testing for HIV and AIDS) as part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Employee Wellness Programme |
37% |
ACHIEVEMENTS
Achievement 1
NMBM Employee Wellness Centres being accredited as ARV sites:-
The Employee Wellness Centres have been accredited fully in July 2011. The programmes are running and monitored monthly by District for statistical data and compliance.
Achievement 2
Through an HIV and AIDS Management Diploma completed by one of the OHSW staff members at Stellenbosch University, a Memorundum of Understanding was signed between NMBM and Future` s Group International where Future` s group trained trainers who will cascade the information as to empower employees to address stigma and discrimination and show support for people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS in the workplace.
Achievement 3
NMBM Health and Wellness programme achieved second place in the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber Health and Wellness Awards for 2011.
Achievement 4
NMBM Health and Wellness programme once again achieved 1st place in the Public Sector Category Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber Health and Wellness Awards for 2012.
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