COVID-19 risk management at the workplace, fear of infection and fear of transmission of infection among frontline employees
Nabe-Nielsen, Kirsten ; Juul Nilsson, Charlotte ; Juul-Madsen, Maria ; Bredal, Charlotte ; Preisler Hansen, Lars Ole ; Hansen, Åse Marie
Occupational and Environmental Medicine
2021
78
4
248-254
epidemic disease ; risk assessment ; risk awareness ; mental workload ; elder care
Occupational risks
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2020-106831
English
Bibliogr.
"Objectives
We compared COVID-19 risk management, fear of infection and fear of transmission of infection among frontline employees working within eldercare, hospital/rehabilitation, psychiatry, childcare and ambulance service and explored if group differences in fear of infection and transmission could be explained by differences in risk management. We also investigated the association of risk management with fear of infection and fear of transmission of infection among eldercare personnel.
Methods
We used cross-sectional questionnaire data collected by the Danish labour union, FOA . Data were collected 5½ weeks after the first case of COVID-19 was registered in Denmark. Data for the first aim included 2623 participants. Data for the second aim included 1680 participants. All independent variables were mutually adjusted and also adjusted for sex, age, job title and region.
Results
Fear of infection (49%) and fear of transmitting infection from work to the private sphere (68%) was most frequent in ambulance service. Fear of transmitting infection during work was most frequent in the eldercare (55%). Not all differences in fear of infection and transmission between the five areas of work were explained by differences in risk management. Among eldercare personnel, self-reported exposure to infection and lack of access to test was most consistently associated with fear of infection and fear of transmission, whereas lack of access to personal protective equipment was solely associated with fear of transmission.
Conclusion
We have illustrated differences and similarities in COVID-19 risk management within five areas of work and provide new insights into factors associated with eldercare workers' fear of infection and fear of transmission of infection."
Digital
The ETUI is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the ETUI.