The CHIETA national HIV/AIDS workplace programme

This report from the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) in South Africa shows that many companies are not confronting the impact of HIV in the workplace in a coherent and systematic way. The report presents the findings of a pilot project that was the first step in a CHIETA initiative to encourage industries towards understanding the impact of HIV on their workforce and making interventions to manage that impact.

The pilot project found a wide variation in HIV prevalence and financial implications between companies. The study found that workers were generally knowledgeable about HIV but it also found high levels of concern about the stigma and discrimination attached to disclosing one’s HIV status. The study also found a high level of prejudice towards people with HIV among company managers, which indicates that the workers’ fears about discrimination were not groundless. The report recommends that HIV education interventions should be directed at managers as well as workers. It also outlines a recommended model for interventions to assess and mitigate the impact of HIV on the workplace. This model begins with research to assess the levels of knowledge about HIV, along with attitudes and practices. Research should also be carried out to assess the cost impact of HIV. The findings of this research should then be fed into the development of a HIV strategy for the company and the development and implementation of a training curriculum.