Disease and Infection Exposure in the Workplace: COVID-19 Highlights Need for Improved Planning

The current COVID-19 pandemic is a stark illustration of disease exposure among workers.

March 26, 2020

In order to appropriately prepare and respond to COVID-19, and any future pandemic, it is essential to understand the scope of potential workplace disease and infection exposures.

The scope of the problem

Drs. Marissa Baker and Noah Seixas, together with PhD candidate, Trevor Peckham, at the University of Washington (UW) Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety (NWCOHS) aimed to do just that when they analyzed Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data to estimate the burden of infection and disease exposure among U.S. workers. Their research estimated that approximately 10% of U.S. workers are exposed to disease or infection at least once per week on the job, and approximately 18.4% of U.S. are exposed at least once per month.

Dangerous workplace characteristics for frontline workers were particularly evident at the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak at the LifeCare Center in Kirkland, Washington. City of Kirkland firefighters responded to multiple calls from the LifeCare Center before officials identified COVID-19 as the source of the rapid spread of a severe illness among the Center’s patients. At first, these firefighters were unknowingly exposed to COVID-19 during the course of their normal workday. Employees at the LifeCare Center were also exposed while caring for patients.

Higher risk occupations and appropriate planning necessary

Certain occupations have a higher risk of exposure, specifically police, firefighters, educators, community and social service providers, and other professions that interact directly with the general public. Recognizing that the workplace can be a significant contributor to the spread of disease, the researchers emphasize the importance of risk management planning and clearly communicating response plans to workers. With appropriate planning and risk mitigation strategies in place, particularly at high risk workplaces, employers and public health officials can reduce the spread of dangerous diseases and infections.

Dr. Baker highlights that “This work reminds us that the workplace is an important place for public health interventions. Hopefully quantifying the burden of workers that are exposed to disease or infection at work will help to prompt both workplace and regulatory interventions to protect these workers, and also ensure they aren’t transmitting diseases such as COVID-19 back into the community.”