Following on-site training at pilot factories in November, an open course training on “Tuberculosis Prevention in the Workplace” took place in Guangzhou on the 27th January 2010.
Tuberculosis (TB) Prevention in the Workplace is one of the key components of the philanthropic “MDR-TB Partnership” program sponsored by Eli Lilly over 5 years. The toolkit has been developed jointly by Eli Lilly, the World Economic Forum and the China Center of Disease Control; furthermore it has recently been piloted in 3 factories in the Pearl River Delta area.
The event gathered more than 20 participants from various industries such as sportswear, electronics, food and beverage, and furniture. The strong support from the Institute of TB Prevention and Control under the CDC was crucial to the success of the training session. The chief of the Prevention Division, Mr. Yin, emphasized eight key points of knowledge, including the symptoms of TB, methods of contracting TB, prevention, and treatment amongst others.
Mr. Hu, a doctor from the Center of Disease Control of Zhongshan City explained how TB and workplace conditions are closely related; he also pointed out the link between occupational diseases and TB. The pilot factories shared their experiences on how to design a TB prevention action plan, how to get the top management’s buy-in, how to mobilize employees, and how to use existing disease prevention systems to use the TB prevention toolkit. Participants in the training course asked questions about the project budget and incentives for workers to encourage them to participate in voluntary initiatives.
BSR, with its extensive experience working with factories on responsible business practices, summarized that the company culture is the determining factor to creating a commitment to TB prevention. When it comes to providing incentives for employee engagement, BSR’s experts discouraged using merely a traditional economic system, and instead use a more “human” method. This includes building employees’ self-confidence and creating a sense of personal fulfillment, and recognizing the valuable difference volunteers make. It was emphasized how important the support of both the top management and the production line leaders is to the success of all employee engagement projects.
