Heluna Health, City of Industry, California, USA.
California Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Branch, Richmond, California, USA.
Am J Ind Med. 2022 Jul;65(7):537-547. doi: 10.1002/ajim.23396. Epub 2022 May 22.
The workplace is a setting for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission via respiratory droplets and aerosols for those working in close proximity to others. Currently, limited methods exist for assessing SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Since occupation serves as a surrogate measure, job exposure matrices (JEMs) can be useful for population-based exposure assessment for a portion of exposure.
We developed a JEM to assess physical proximity at work. Scores for questions related to frequency of face-to-face discussions, working closely with others, and working with a team were extracted from a US-based, comprehensive source of descriptive occupational information (Occupational Information Network [ONET]). We described score distributions using univariate analyses, devised thresholds, and assigned exposure levels for 968 ONET occupations. Three exposure measures were constructed using combinations of O*NET data, with expert judgment, and accounting for telework. National and California employment estimates were used to assess the workforce proportions by proximity level and demographic characteristics.
We categorized 535 US Census occupations (2010) into four-level ordinal exposure levels (not close to very close). Overall, an estimated 56% of the California workforce worked in very close proximity, which decreased to 46% when accounting for telework. The occupational groups working very close across all three measures were: healthcare support, healthcare practitioner, food preparation and serving, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance, and protective service occupations. Latinos and women were overrepresented within occupations working in very close physical proximity.
JEMs can inform SARS-CoV-2 exposure assessment for epidemiologic studies, assist in resource allocation, and inform prevention strategies.
对于那些与他人近距离工作的人来说，工作场所是通过呼吸道飞沫和气溶胶传播严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）的场所。目前，评估 SARS-CoV-2 暴露的方法有限。由于职业是一种替代衡量标准，因此工作场所暴露矩阵（JEM）可用于对部分暴露进行基于人群的暴露评估。
我们开发了一种 JEM 来评估工作场所的身体接近程度。从美国综合性描述性职业信息来源（职业信息网络 [ONET]）中提取了与面对面讨论频率、与他人密切合作以及团队合作相关问题的分数。我们使用单变量分析描述了分数分布，设计了阈值，并为 968 个 ONET 职业分配了暴露水平。使用 O*NET 数据、专家判断和考虑远程办公的方法构建了三种暴露措施，并使用这些数据构建了三种暴露措施。使用全国和加利福尼亚州的就业数据，按接近程度和人口统计学特征评估了劳动力比例。
我们将 535 个美国人口普查职业（2010 年）分为四级有序暴露水平（不接近-非常接近）。总体而言，估计有 56%的加利福尼亚州劳动力处于非常接近的工作环境，当考虑到远程办公时，这一比例下降到 46%。在所有三个措施中都处于非常接近工作的职业群体包括：医疗支持、医疗保健从业者、食品准备和服务、建筑和场地清洁和维护以及保护服务职业。在非常接近的身体接近程度下工作的职业中，拉丁裔和女性的比例过高。
JEM 可用于评估 SARS-CoV-2 暴露，为流行病学研究提供信息，协助资源分配，并为预防策略提供信息。
