Managing Workplace Health and Welfare-related Issues in the Shadows of HIV/AIDS: The Way Forward in the Oil and Gas Industries

摘要

HIV/AIDS has become an unprecedented epidemic and publicrnhealth emergency. Globally, about 36 million people arerninfected with HIV, and over 21 million have died ofrnAIDS-related illnesses and the number of new HIVrninfections continues to rise. In some countries in Africa,rnAIDS-related morbidity and mortality are causing majorrnreversals in development, childhood mortality, and survivalrnand life expectancy.rnHIV/AIDS presents a major obstacle to economic growthrnand stability in the workforce and the epidemic has affectedrnmost business with prolonged staff illness, absenteeism andrndeath, thereby impacting on productivity, employee benefits,rnoccupational health and safety, production costs andrnworkplace morale.rnBoth private and public sectors now have strong economic andrnsocial reasons for becoming active in promoting HIV/AIDSrnprevention both in the workplace and in the community if theyrnare to protect the “bottom-line”.rnIn pursuing this obligation, one area of controversy is Pre-rnEmployment and Workplace HIV testing as it affects jobrnplacement, disengagement, employee benefits and co-workersrnfears. The AIDS epidemic has introduced a potentiallyrncomplex conflict between the doctrine of strict confidentiality,rnbeliefs of human right activists, employee’s future and therndictates of business interest, with serious ramification for thernindividual, the family, employers and the community.rnAs the HIV/AIDS epidemic progresses, companiesrncontinue to face increasing numbers of HIV-positivernemployees and will have to deal with a variety of employeerelatedrnhealth and benefit issues.rnOne of the most effective ways of reducing and managingrnthe impact of HIV/AIDS in the workplace is through thernimplementation of an HIV/AIDS Workplace policy andrnPrevention programs. This paper will therefore attempt tornreview HIV/AIDS in the Workplace, the Health and Welfarerelatedrnissues especially as it affects the Oil and Gas Industriesrnand drawing from the experience of the Chevron’s WorkplacernAIDS Prevention program, proffer a way forward.