The UNDP website cites that at least 400 million people have no basic healthcare, and 40 percent lack social protection.

One of the goals of SDG 3 is to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2020; while another is to strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks. It is in light of this that UFKL’s participation in celebrating the 2021 World Day for Health and Safety at Work involved a sensitization awareness session for Road Safety and COVID-19 by 2 health and safety experts from the Ministry of Health. Staff in our head office were taken through basic road safety training by an engineer from the Ministry of Public Works-Mombasa County, and an officer from the Public Health Department trained them on COVID-19 prevention measures and the importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

Staff were also advised against substance (ab)use while operating the fleet of trucks and/or machinery to avoid road and work-related accidents as this would impair their judgement. In addition to the already company-issued UFKL reflector vests, staff were also issued with new PPE’s namely helmets, overalls, branded reflective vests, and safety boots to ensure that workplace injuries are minimized.

Besides the commemoration of the above event, all UFKL food handlers (i.e., the ones in charge of tea handling) receive the Typbar TCV Vaccine at the point of hiring to protect them against communicable diseases e.g., tuberculosis, salmonella, E. Coli, and many others. They are also subjected to stool and urine tests every 6 months, and to a hand swab annually, so as to test for any other diseases that they may have contracted.

All food handlers are also issued with dust masks and the area in which they operate in on a daily basis fitted with 8 cyclonic ventilators installed for purposes of dust extraction. Additionally, they are issued with the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) gear i.e., production boots, safety shoes, overalls, dust coats, headgear, and safety gloves