• We aim to have an injury-free workplace.
• We perform health and safety risk assessments at our facilities, supported by training.
• We monitor management’s actions through operational, internal and external auditing and reporting processes.
• A healthy workforce contributes to business success. Several of our businesses provide medical aid and wellness programmes for their staff.

The workplace

Implementing a healthy, safe workplace at the group’s administrative and production facilities is a priority to achieve the lowest possible harm rate on duty. Where required, health and safety committees – comprising responsible, trained individuals – ensure regulatory compliance. Appropriate medical emergency and disaster-recovery plans have been devised for operating businesses.

Annual occupational health and safety risk-control audits or reviews are conducted by operational entities across the group and improvements implemented as required. Significant matters are reported to and monitored by the Naspers risk committee.

Media24’s distribution and printing operations make extensive use of contractors and organisers. Most of these are from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and receive training from Media24 on executing their jobs safely and effectively. The nature of the print business, which owns and manages distribution networks and printing facilities, makes it the area in the Naspers group with the greatest inherent risk for injuries on duty.

Monitoring

The Media24 board’s safety, health and environment committee monitors related issues in that group. Media24 and MultiChoice conduct annual health, safety and environmental compliance audits as well as building scans. Injuries on duty are stringently monitored.

Wellness

Several wellness programmes are operated by group subsidiaries in a preventative approach to employee health.

MultiChoice offers a range of wellness and balanced lifestyle services to all employees on site. This includes having a qualified nurse on site during April every year to administer flu vaccines, and quarterly visits from an optometrist who conducts voluntary eye tests. At head office, a wellness centre is accessible to all employees, providing a cost-effective, convenient and confidential service and there is a Montessori nursery school for employees’ children.

The Media24 group adopts a preventative approach to employee health, offering for example, programmes to assist employees to stop smoking and free HIV/Aids tests. A wellness incentive is also paid to employees who successfully complete a basic fitness assessment. Regular medical, eye and hearing tests are performed on drivers and staff exposed to noise. Professional and independent psychosocial support is provided for staff in businesses. Media24 offers Wellness Days, in partnership with Discovery Health, at many of its sites across South Africa. Health services offered include hypertension and diabetes testing, cholesterol testing, HIV/Aids counselling and testing, flu vaccinations and a number of risk-control programmes. Media24 also has wellness centres at certain printing facilities.

HIV/Aids

We are acutely aware of the HIV/Aids pandemic in Africa, and the social and economic implications of this disease. Comprehensive programmes in Media24, MultiChoice South Africa and MultiChoice sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa, comprise:

• information and awareness campaigns
• voluntary free testing
• free counselling, and
• comprehensive medical treatment programmes.

Literacy Book Sale

Media24, through its publishing houses Via Afrika Publishers and NB Publishers, recently donated 500 books to the Literacy Book Sale in Cape Town. Proceeds go towards funding the Cape Town-based Aids charity Wola Nani which supports HIV-infected women and orphans. Wola Nani has four training centres in Langa, Gugulethu, Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha, focused on equipping people with the skills to earn incomes.

 

Breast cancer

M-Net is raising awareness about breast cancer by contributing financially towards maintaining educational and mammogram vehicles. In conjunction with its partner, CMF (Cause Marketing Fundraisers), M-Net created a platform of events to raise awareness and funds for two mobile breast-check units and the mobile mammography truck. These included Breast Cancer luncheons, a series of lunches and golf days hosted nationally for women in support of breast cancer awareness. These events also allow M-Net to educate women about the value of early detection in breast cancer patients.