Self Employed Taxi Drivers To Benefit From Workplace Health Promotion Initiatives

Singapore, 18 November 2012: The Health Promotion Board (HPB) and National Taxi Association (NTA) have joined forces for the first time to bring innovative workplace health initiatives to more than thirteen thousand taxi drivers across the nation.

2. Considered self-employed, Singapore’s taxi drivers would ordinarily not be able to reap the benefits of HPB’s Workplace Health Promotion programme. However, with the signing of this ground-breaking Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) they will now be able to benefit from workplace health initiatives.

3. Amy Khor, Minister of State for Health and Manpower, said “Only through the concerted and collaborative efforts of the government, unions and employers can we look forward to a nation of healthy workers. I welcome the signing of this MOU as the first step in ensuring that this sector of Singapore’s self-employed workforce who would not normally have access to HPB’s Workplace Health Programmes will now be able to access and benefit from workplace health initiatives such as regular health screening and follow-up with GPs, workshops on tips to improve their health, dedicated health corners and the distribution of stretch bands and user-friendly exercise guides. They will also be provided with specially developed notebooks which will contain simple health tips designed for their use. This should help to improve the health of our taxi drivers who are at risk of suffering from various chronic diseases due to long hours spent at the wheel with little time for exercise and often irregular meals.”

4. To further enhance health literacy, a specially customised workshop on Workplace Health Promotion will be regularly run by HPB to sensitise and build the capability of taxi leaders across all six of Singapore’s taxi operators. In addition, staff of the National Taxi Association will also be trained in a separate series of workshops aimed at equipping managers with the necessary skill set to advise and motivate the taxi drivers to take charge of their health.

5. Said Ang Hak Seng, Chief Executive Officer, HPB, “Taxi drivers typically spend long hours at one stretch behind the wheel. They have little time for health screening or to exercise regularly and their meals are often taken on the go. They are at higher risk of suffering from high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, kidney problems as well as backaches and stiff necks. Their health needs are therefore quite unique and warrant a bespoke approach to Workplace Health Promotion. Joining forces with the National Taxi Association, we have been able to prototype a series of initiatives aimed at taxi drivers while allowing for easy and convenient access. For example, with the establishment of health corners at Taxi Servicing centres, the drivers will be able to improve their health literacy and screen for their Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood pressure while waiting for the vehicles to be serviced. The development of a user-friendly exercise guide and distribution of stretch bands will allow them to stay fit in between fares.”

6. Said Wee Boon Kim, President, NTA, “NTA is delighted to be able to gain support from HPB in better promoting health and wellness to taxi drivers. Taxi drivers are selfemployed and often work long hours on the road. It is thus important that our taxi drivers are educated on the importance of health and wellness, and be able to take responsibility of their well-being. With HPB’s support and grant on health check, health promotion corners and well-being activities, it will make it easier for our members to stay fit and continue to drive safely, and help us move towards our aim of ‘Age Well, Drive Healthily’ for all our members.”

7. With an average of 200 taxis serviced every day at each of the six service locations, HPB expects its Workplace Health Initiatives to reach some 1200 taxi drivers every day.

8. To assess the effectiveness of the initiatives and solicit feedback with a view to improving them, some 2000 taxi drivers will be surveyed on a yearly basis by the HPB.

Issued by Health Promotion Board

Annex 1 Factsheet on HPB-NTA MOU and Initiatives

Media Release

For more information on the article above, refer to Media Release [PDF, 215.0 KB].