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Engen Driver Wellness 2017 kicks off in Eastern Cape

<b> HEALTHY TRUCK DRIVERS </b> The call for healthy truck drivers to begin with the Engen driver wellness initiative.<i> Image: Engen </i>
<b> HEALTHY TRUCK DRIVERS </b> The call for healthy truck drivers to begin with the Engen driver wellness initiative.<i> Image: Engen </i>

Port Elizabeth - Engen Driver Wellness, a mobile health awareness initiative run by Thubelihle Occupational Health & Wellness kicked off this month at Cape Road Convenience Centre in Port Elizabeth. 

The initiative which impacts positively on the country’s bulk truck driver operators continues to increase driver participation in voluntary screenings and improved health scores. 

Over the next seven months the programme will reach 21 sites in five provinces.

READ: Drunk driving in SA: 'Harsh penalties unlikely to reduce number of incidents' 

Running for its sixth year, Engen Driver Wellness continues to bring health to the front seat for truck drivers by providing them with free health screenings.

Operated nationwide at Engen Truck Stops and retail service stations, drivers are offered free voluntary screenings in mobile clinics. These are conducted by qualified nurses and councillors where blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, tuberculosis, BMI (Body Mass Index) and HIV/AIDS are tested. 

Engen’s corporate social investment manager, Mntu Nduvane says that the main aim of this initiative is to improve health through awareness:

“Education helps to remind drivers and our employees why their health is important and how life choices impact on their well-being. 

“Ultimately this increases their health, safety and productivity.”

"There has been a marked increase in the amount of individuals using the services we provide which is a clear indication that this intervention is making a difference to the wellbeing of drivers and will ultimately lead to a healthier industry.” 

As testing is voluntary, the incremental acceptance of health management as a path to longevity and wellbeing are important indicators that health empowerment is gaining traction. 

Given the long and lonely hours long haul drivers spend on the road and the stresses associated with the job, these interventions form a critical pillar of support.



Nduvane added: “Our most recent statistics show how cholesterol screening jumped by 63% from 2014 to 2015. Glucose testing went up by 18.5% and 16% more drivers tested their Body Mass Index (BMI), while blood pressure screening also realised an increase of 16% for 2015. 

“HIV and STI testing rose by 16% between 2014 and 2015 and TB Screening saw a 15% upsurge.”  

READ: New road rules for SA: What's going on with the speed limit? 

Engen's focus on Health and Safety is aligned to its business. Health and Safety is entrenched in every aspect of the company’s operations. World-class standards and guidelines govern all of Engen’s practices in this regard and are applied vigorously to ensure operational excellence and best practice. 

Nduvane concluded by saying: “Engen’s Driver Wellness campaign continues to have a massive all-round impact. 

“This includes both on the drivers and their families, who benefit from reduced exposure to diseases and greater longevity of a breadwinner, and of course on the company itself, in terms of improved worker productivity, skills retention and disease management.”

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