Best practice workplace HIV/AIDS programmes in South Africa: A review of case studies and lessons learned

Background: A group of experts attending a tripartite interregional meeting on best practices in HIV/AIDS workplace policies and programmes organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland, identifi ed 34 best practice workplace HIV programmes from across the world. Method: The ten criteria that were used for reviewing best practice workplace HIV/AIDS programmes in South Africa include acceptability, accessibility, ethical soundness, perceived impact, relevance, appropriateness, innovativeness, effi ciency, sustainability and replicability. Results: More than one-third (35.3%) of the 34 best practice workplace interventions identifi ed were found in businesses and industries in South Africa. This constitutes a signifi cant and encouraging effort to deal with HIV/AIDS in the workplace. Approximately 16.7% of the best practice workplace HIV/AIDS interventions focused on policy and legal frameworks, 50% of these interventions focused on prevention, 16.7% provided links beyond the workplace and a further 16.7% were interventions that focused on knowledge and evidence. A third (33.3%) of practices were found in the mining industry, 16.7% in the motor industry, 16.7% from workers’ unions, and the rest (33.3%) were found in a sugar company, an electricity supply company, a pharmaceutical company and the ministry of Public Service and Administration. Conclusion: It is encouraging that over one-third of all best practice workplace HIV interventions identifi ed by the ILO experts were found in South Africa. The majority of these policies and programmes were focused on HIV prevention.