Engen Driver Wellness once again brings health to the front seat for truck drivers by providing them with free health screenings.

As part of National Transport month, Engen officially launched the annual programme on 1 October.Running for its seventh year, Engen Driver Wellness will reach 19 sites in four provinces during October.

Truck drivers in the Western Cape were invited to receive free health screenings at the Engen Winelands 1 Stop on October 8th; Engen Swartlands on October 9th and Engen Kempston Truck Stop in Epping Industrial on October 11thMobile clinics are set up at selected Engen Truck Stops and retail service stations and the screenings are conducted by qualified nurses and councillors and include blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, BMI (Body Mass Index) and HIV/AIDS tests. The drivers also receive free meals, caps and water bottles after each assessment.

Engen’s Corporate Social Investment Manager, Adhila Hamdulay says the main aim of this initiative is to improve health through awareness.“Education helps to remind drivers why their health is important and how life choices affect their well-being. Ultimately, this increases their health, safety and productivity.”

A clear indication that this intervention is making a difference is the marked increase in the number of individuals using the services.In 2017, 3 217 drivers took advantage of the voluntary health screenings of which 44% were found to have some form of concern.Abnormalities included being over-weight or obese, which accounted for 20% of drivers; 3.5% tested high for glucose levels and cholesterol.  Five per cent of drivers tested high for blood pressure and 3% screened tested positive for TB. Drivers who tested positive for HIV totalled 6.7% and just over 2% tested positive for STI’s.

Adds Hamdulay: “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.”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.

“The Engen’s Driver Wellness campaign continues to have a massive all-round impact for both drivers and their families, who benefit from reduced exposure to diseases and greater longevity of a breadwinner,” says Hamdulay.