Excess Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among In-Person Nonhealthcare Workers in Six States, September 2020–June 2021

Details

• Personal Author:
  Argueta G ; Armenti K ; Billock R ; Burrer SL ; Crawford H-L ; Dang G ; Erukunuakpor K ; Free H ; Gaetz K ; Groenewold MR ; Harduar-Morano L ; Karlsson ND ; Lavender A ; Luckhaupt SE ; Modji K ; Sweeney, Marie H. ; Thomas H ; Wong J
• Description:
  Background: While the occupational risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection for healthcare personnel in the United States has been relatively well characterized, less information is available on the occupational risk for workers employed in other settings. Even fewer studies have attempted to compare risks across occupations and industries. Using differential proportionate distribution as an approximation, we evaluated excess risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection by occupation and industry among non-healthcare workers in six states. Methods: We analyzed data on occupation and industry of employment from a six-state callback survey of adult non-healthcare workers with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and population-based reference data on employment patterns, adjusted for the effect of telework, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. We estimated the differential proportionate distribution of SARS-CoV-2 infection by occupation and industry using the proportionate morbidity ratio (PMR). Results: Among a sample of 1111 workers with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, significantly higher-than-expected proportions of workers were employed in service occupations (PMR 1.3, 99% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-1.5) and in the transportation and utilities (PMR 1.4, 99% CI 1.1-1.8) and leisure and hospitality industries (PMR 1.5, 99% CI 1.2-1.9). Conclusions: We found evidence of significant differences in the proportionate distribution of SARS-CoV-2 infection by occupation and industry among respondents in a multistate, population-based survey, highlighting the excess risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection borne by some worker populations, particularly those whose jobs require frequent or prolonged close contact with other people. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Epidemiology Occupational Health Risk Assessment Safety Transportation
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: COVID-19 Coronavirus COVID-19 Infectious Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Occupations Risk Analysis SARS-CoV-2 Service Industries Transportation Workers

  More +
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Colorado ; Georgia ; New Hampshire ; North Carolina ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Pennsylvania ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering ; EPRO - Emergency Preparedness and Response Office ; WSD - Western States Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  66
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067568
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2023 Jul; 66(7):587-600
• Contact Point Address:
  Matthew R. Groenewold, PhD, MSPH, CDC/NIOSH, 1090 Tusculum Ave MS R-17, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
• Email:
  gyr5@cdc.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:a74e1e0ca6f531b1275d55cfabe75f5e667d41527e778c0e3779adf6320f9af527b2b06cb745a7d37d9e4b57e22e3890f4b7c51ea9807d5fab591914350a8482
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231497/cdc_231497_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 861.85 KB ]