Risk Factors for COVID-19 Among Californians Working Outside the Home, November 2020 – May 2021

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cummings, Kristin J. ; Gibb, Kathryn ; Heinzerling, Amy ; Rodriguez, Andrea ; Vergara, Ximena P. ; Wong, Jessie
• Description:
  Background: Higher incidences of COVID-19 mortality and outbreaks have been found in certain industries and occupations. Workplace factors, including working in close proximity to others and contact with the public can facilitate SARS-CoV-2 transmission, especially without appropriate protective measures. Limited information is available about workers at highest risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: A phone-based, nonprobability study was conducted between November 2020 and May 2021 among California workers who were tested for SARS-CoV-2. Participants were asked about demographics and workplace factors, including industry, occupation, and implementation of COVID-19 mitigation measures. Using the SARS-CoV-2 occupational exposure matrix, three exposure metrics and a combination index were used to categorize occupations. We assessed the association between workplace risks and SARS-CoV-2 test positivity using adjusted logistic regression. Results: We enrolled 451 (13%) of 3475 potentially eligible workers in the study: 212 with positive and 239 with negative SARS-CoV-2 test results. Those working very close to others and with the highest combined exposure index had a positive association with SARS-CoV-2 positivity. Primarily indoor workers had a lower odds of test positivity compared to those with any outdoor work. There was no association between public-facing occupations and test positivity. Participants with employers who implemented mitigation measures in all three control categories-engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment-had lower odds of test positivity than those with fewer mitigation measures. Conclusions: Worker groups with higher risk factors should be prioritized for outreach. Assessment of occupational risk factors collectively can provide insight to inform preventative actions for workers, employers, and public health entities. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Epidemiology Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Virus Diseases
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: California Coronavirus COVID-19 Disease Transmission Indoor Environments Mitigation Measures Occupational Health Occupations Outdoor Workers Risk Factors SARS-CoV-2 Worker Health Workers

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  10 pdf pages
• Volume:
  66
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066866
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2023 Mar; 66(3):233-242
• Contact Point Address:
  Jessie Wong, MPH, California Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Branch, 850 Marina Bay Pkwy, Bldg. P-3, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
• Email:
  jessie.wong@cdph.ca.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2bafd178138fbd23cfc357393e17d1faf074f8ec0abee1b3549e85416135c94ef86bdf6767e2f9e9776ccec23b306d23711d8292f0d721a9959456c96d81b04f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230798/cdc_230798_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.23 MB ]