Health - Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ)
  • Health

Health

 

 

Occupational health and wellness

 

 

The Safety, Health, Environment, Risk and Quality Assurance Policy for Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ) encompasses promotion and maintenance of highest degree of social, mental and physical wellbeing of its employees, travellers, airport stakeholders, business partners and surrounding communities.

At ACZ we believe that poor working conditions can the productivity of our staff members and our other Airport stakeholders.  We therefore strive and continue to ensure that we provide safe and health workplaces to our staff through our various health and wellness programs in collaboration with various health and wellness service providers. To ensure a health workforce and zero occupational related illnesses, ACZ commits to the following;

  • Health and Safety Induction to new staff and business partners.
  • Provision of adequate protective clothing and equipment.
  • Pre-employment and risk based – periodic medical examinations.
  • Adequately maintained airport infrastructure with noise proof to prevent Noise Induced Hearing Loss to exposed personnel.
  • Temperature controlled airport infrastructure to prevent heat exhaustion / hyperthermia to exposed personnel / stakeholders.
  • ACZ also conduct annual wellness programs in collaboration with other expert health service providers to promote employee wellbeing including families of ACZ staff members.
  • Promotion of health and wellbeing of the surrounding communities through Corporate Social Responsibility programs.

 

 

 

Public Health Management

 

Overview

 

 

  • ACZ acknowledges that, growth of international traffic of passengers and goods has increased the risk of spread of infectious diseases, therefore protection of global health becomes even higher priority not only to airlines and airports in terms of the passengers, pilots and other personnel but also government concerning their health, safety and security oversight responsibilities under the Chicago Convention and WHO/IHR 2005.
  • Public Health Events (PHEs) are any events that represents an immediate threat to human health and requires prompt action, i.e., the implementation of control and/or mitigation measures to protect the health of the public. Public health events may be caused by biological, chemical or radiological agents and may vary greatly in terms of severity, requiring different degrees of responses
  • Examples Influenza, Malaria, Cholera, Dengue, Zika coronavirus, SARS epidemic in 2003, the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2008-2009, the emergence of the MERS-coronavirus in 2013, the Ebola crisis in 2014-201 and the most recent Covid-19
  • All these are Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC) with potential to disrupt aviation operations and wide-spread Global population distress.
  • PHM is framework for promoting, facilitating communication, coordination and collaboration between the civil aviation and public health sectors to contain, treat and prevent further international spread of communicable disease

 

 

 Overview of Port Health Services Function

 

 

Port Health Officials performing entry screening on passengers disembarking Ethiopian Airways.

 

 

Port Health is the Public Health Authority in Zimbabwe under the MoHCC responsible for Public Health Events Management at all Ports of Entry throughout the Country. International airports are also Ports of Entry and have designated Port Health officials resident at the airport responsible for Entry and Exit screening and coordinating management of PHEs.

 

 

Overview of our PHE Management Protocol in the event of PHEIC

 

 

  • Routine sanitization is conducted after use of wheelchairs, motorized staircase, wheelchairs and baggage trolleys.
  • All baggage will be fully sanitized and baggage handlers will wear complete Personal Protective Equipment.
  • Ensuring all bags are wrapped as a precaution to minimise contact with infected or affected surfaces.
  • Screening of Passengers on all international flights
  • Regular sanitised of rest rooms (high touch areas) in accordance with the public health procedure as approved our Ministry of Health.
  • Provision of secondary screening and isolation facilities for those with temperatures higher that 38 degrees
  • Ensuring compliance with social distancing signage in our terminal buildings.
  • Enforcement of PHE guidelines by the ACZ PHE Monitors and Port Health Officials.
  • Provision of hand sanitizers on strategic passenger journey touchpoints in our terminals.
  • Provision of sanitizing soap in all restrooms at our terminals.
  • Enforcing wearing of masks by all passengers inside the terminal building (only children under 5 years of age will be exempted).
  • Activation of a PHE Emergency Response plan in the event of a confirmed case

 

SHERQ