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Environment,
Occupational Safety and Health and HIV/AIDS: The Least Explored Link
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Click
here to read the Final Report from this project
Introduction
The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate
is high and continues to rise in Swaziland. Although a number of
organizations have introduced HIV/AIDS workplace programmes, more often
than not these programmes have not taken cognizance of the link between
environment, occupational safety health and HIV/AIDS. Efforts towards
addressing the pandemic should seriously consider environmental, occupational
health and safety issues because unhealthy work places may exacerbate the
condition of the HIV positive worker leading to rapid progression to fully
blown AIDS.
Discussions held at different
fora on the above theme revealed that most of the work place HIV/AIDS programmes
do not consider the link between HIV/AIDS, occupational safety and health
and conditions under which workers operate. Ignoring this link somehow
undermines the employers’ efforts to combat the scourge. The link
between working environment and HIV/AIDS cannot be overemphasized since
the environment that supports life also affects the risk of infection.
The link demonstrates how work place hazards expose workers to transmission
or and to those already with the infected contribute to the progression
of HIV to AIDS.
Project Activities
2nd Project Workshop, 7
- 8 April 2004
Discussion Forum and Project
Launch, 10 February 2004
As a preliminary step towards
training the Safety Health Environmental (SHE) representatives, a launch
of the Environment and Health Project was held on the 10 February 2004.
Discussions were focused on the following areas:
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The extent of HIV/Aids within
the working population
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The role of OHSE in curbing loss
of human resources to HIV/Aids
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Practice of OHS and Environmental
Standards in the Textile Sector
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The practice of OHS- Panacea for
human resources and HIV/Aids
Attendance at the launch was overwhelming.
The launch drew participants from many sectors and discussions were vibrant.
A way forward was mapped and it include the following actions:
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Empowering shopstewards in textile
industries in relation to understanding the link between Environment and
Health, OHS and enforcement of OHS standards and regulations.
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Simplifying the Occupational Health
and Safety Act (2001) and disseminating it to workers for use as an advocacy
tool
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Yonge Nawe should champion
advocacy on OHS, environment, HIV/Aids issues which this project seeks
to achieve
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There is need to promote law enforcement
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The education curriculum should
lead to economic independence as opposed to preparing people to be employees
Commemoration of the World
AIDS Day linking HIV/AIDS, Environment and OHS, 1 December 2003
This activity was aimed at informing
the employers on the link between Environment and Health. On December 1
2003 messages were published in the dailies (Swazi Observer, Times and
the Nation Magazine). Messages urged employers to invest in socially and
environmentally responsible production in order not to compromise the health
of the workers and the environment. Through these messages and article,
employers, policy makers and the general public were sensitized on the
link between Environment and Health.
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