Engen and Trucking Wellness, an initiative of the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics industry (NBCRFLI), have once again joined hands to take this year’s Driver Wellness campaign around the country.
Now in its fourth year, the Driver Wellness campaign is an annual initiative by Engen aimed at educating long distance truck drivers about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle while on the road and servicing the economy.
The campaign has already visited some sites, one being the Doorenpoort truck stop on the N4 Bakwena Platinum Highway. It will continue until mid-November 2014 with the aim being to visit 20 Engen Truck Stops and retail sites where drivers are given the opportunity to receive free voluntary screening in mobile clinics, administered by qualified nurses and counsellors.
Checks for high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, tuberculosis, BMI (Body Mass Index) and HIV/AIDS are undertaken. The programme also provides a referral service where required. In 2013, over 870 drivers presented themselves for screening. This year the aim is to increase the number of drivers screened by 30%.
“As Engen, we are pleased to continue to play a pivotal role in educating and raising awareness about the impact of health issues and chronic diseases on road safety for all road users,” says Tasneem Sulaiman-Bray, Engen’s general manager: corporate affairs.
“The Driver Wellness initiative is aimed at raising awareness around health issues that have a direct impact on road safety by helping drivers to make better and well-informed choices. We believe initiatives such as this can make a real difference to road safety in the long run and encourage a healthy lifestyle change in professional drivers,” says Sulaiman-Bray.
All good stuff this!
