Toyota South Africa Sustainability Report 2008 - Automotiveonline ...

Sustainability Report_14-10-2008:Layout 1 10/14/08 2:45 PM Page 37
A review of all EAP cases since 1995 revealed that over 70% of people that made use of
EAP’s services remain in service. The functioning of EAP has been changed to fully take
into account on-site conditions. Making use of Careways staff, we now employ six full
time social workers, allocated to specific divisions. The social workers therefore become
accustomed to the issues within Toyota, and within each specific division allowing for
more effective interventions where needed. One of the major benefits of being in
partnership with the Careways Group is the fact that employees now also have access
to telephone counselling, making it easier for employees to get help.
EAP maintains its community outreach programme. On a monthly basis, Toyota EAP
staff go into the community, and using arts and music, draw people to attend functions
at which current problems are highlighted. This issue of most concern currently is
personal finances.
HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Substance Abuse
The impact of HIV/ AIDS on employees, their families and the community is of critical
concern to Toyota. In recent years extensive voluntary HIV testing and counselling
services have been offered to employees along with formal hospice and home-based
care facilities. This campaign is proving to be hugely successful, in that the number of
deaths and the number of disability claims relating to HIV/AIDS has declined
dramatically.
The uptake of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) has been phenomenal. In 2003,
only 140 people underwent VCT. In 2005, this had risen to 689. In 2007, a total of 1,578
people availed themselves of this service.
Toyota has successfully maintained the public private partnership with government in
the provision of anti-retroviral (ARV) medication to HIV positive uninsured employees.
There has been a steady uptake in enrolment on the ARV programme, and there are
instances where people who were on disability leave are now back at work and fully
productive.
There is a very strong Tuberculosis (TB) management programme at Toyota. Treatment
has been introduced on site using the Direct Observed Treatment Shortcourse (DOTS)
programme, where medical staff observe people taking their medication for TB.
Intermittent or inconsistent taking of TB medication results in increasing incidence of
extremely drug resistant (EX-DR) TB. The current cure rate in Toyota is very high; the
target is 80% and the site currently records an even higher success rate than targeted.
One key tool in the medical arsenal is to expose the linkage between HIV and TB, so
that TB patients are encouraged to be tested for HIV.
Another hugely successful programme has seen a massive reduction in substance
abuse. With the cooperation of Unions, random gate tests were implemented, and if
workers are found to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Toyota renders a
supportive service to get these staff members onto relevant dependency programmes.
The incidence of positive gate tests for alcohol has reduced dramatically.
General Wellness days are being held in targeted areas, such as Purchasing, Human
Resources and Finance. The uptake has exceeded expectations and stands at
95%-97%. Other than basic health education, these Wellness days are being used to
assess potentially more sensitive issues such as stress management at all levels
within the organisation.
Occupational Safety and Health
Safety is an unquestionable value across Toyota. In the past two years, corporate
structures were established to manage health and safety similar to the
environmental structures (depicted in the Governance section). We have concentrated
on company wide risk reduction activities – Sou-Tenken, aimed at preventing “Stop 6”
type injuries (caught/pinched by machine, contact with heavy object, contact with
vehicle, contact with heated substance, falling from height, electric shock). This
process, depicted in the flowchart below, was started in December 2006. The initial
steps in the process are proactive, where plants are required to identify hazards and
implement effective countermeasures. The effectiveness of this process is evident in
the graphic alongside, in that the more hazards that have been identified, the fewer
the related incidents.
Fatalities
Despite our safety efforts, we report with sincere sorrow the deaths of two people on
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