COVID-19 mortality among Massachusetts workers and the association with telework ability, 2020.

BACKGROUND: Working outside the home put some workers at risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exposure and might partly explain elevated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality rates in the first months of the pandemic in certain groups of Massachusetts workers. To further investigate this premise, we examined COVID-19 mortality among Massachusetts workers, with a specific focus on telework ability based on occupation. METHODS: COVID-19-associated deaths between January 1 and December 31, 2020 among Massachusetts residents aged 18-64 years were analyzed. Deaths were categorized into occupation-based quadrants (Q) of telework ability. Age-adjusted rates were calculated by key demographics, industry, occupation, and telework quadrant using American Community Survey workforce estimates as denominators. Rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals comparing rates for quadrants with workers unlikely able to telework (Q2, Q3, Q4) to that among those likely able to telework (Q1) were calculated. RESULTS: The overall age-adjusted COVID-19-associated mortality rate was 26.4 deaths per 100,000 workers. Workers who were male, Black non-Hispanic, Hispanic, born outside the US, and with lower than a high school education level experienced the highest rates among their respective demographic groups. The rate varied by industry, occupation and telework quadrant. RRs comparing Q2, Q3, and Q4 to Q1 were 0.99 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.8-1.2), 3.2 (95% CI: 2.6-3.8) and 2.5 (95% CI: 2.0-3.0), respectively. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest a positive association between working on-site and COVID-19-associated mortality. Work-related factors likely contributed to COVID-19 among Massachusetts workers and should be considered in future studies of COVID-19 and similar diseases.

Sharps Injuries Among Medical Trainees and Attending Physicians.

PURPOSE: Sharps injuries are a particularly concerning occupational hazard faced by physicians and are largely preventable. This study compared the proportion and rate of sharps injuries among medical trainees with those among attending physicians by sharps injury characteristics. METHOD: The authors used data reported to the Massachusetts Sharps Injury Surveillance System from 2002-2018. Sharps injury characteristics examined were department where injury occurred, device, purpose or procedure for which device was used or intended, presence of sharps injury prevention feature, who was holding the device, and how and when the injury occurred. Global chi-square was used to assess differences in the percent distribution of sharps injury characteristics between physician groups. Joinpoint regression was used to evaluate trends in injury rates among trainees and attendings. RESULTS: From 2002-2018, 17,565 sharps injuries among physicians were reported to the surveillance system, 10,525 of which occurred among trainees. For attendings and trainees combined, sharps injuries occurred most in operating and procedure rooms and most often involved suture needles. Significant differences in sharps injuries were found between trainees and attendings with respect to department, device, and intended purpose or procedure. Sharps without engineered sharps injury protections accounted for approximately 4.4 times as many injuries (13,355, 76.0%) as those with protections (3,008, 17.1%). Among trainees, sharps injuries were highest in the first quarter of the academic year and decreased over time, while sharps injuries among attendings had a very slight, significant increase. CONCLUSIONS: Sharps injuries are an ongoing occupational hazard faced by physicians, particularly during clinical training. Further research is needed to elucidate the etiology of the observed injury patterns during the academic year. Medical training programs need to implement a multipronged approach to prevent sharps injuries, including increased use of devices with sharps injury prevention features and robust training on safe handling of sharps.

Suicides in Massachusetts by Industry and Occupation, 2016-2019.

OBJECTIVE: To examine suicide deaths among working-age residents in Massachusetts and to determine industries and occupations with high numbers and rates of suicides. METHODS: The Massachusetts Violent Death Reporting System and Massachusetts death certificates were used to analyze suicide deaths from 2016 to 2019. Counts and rates were generated by demographics and industry and occupation groupings. RESULTS: There were 2199 working-age Massachusetts residents who died by suicide. Higher suicide rates were associated with being male, 65 years or older, White, and non-Hispanic or having military background. Suicide rates were higher among the construction industry sector and the construction and extraction occupational group compared with the average rate for all Massachusetts workers. CONCLUSIONS: Suicide rates differed between industries and occupations, suggesting that work-related factors may play a role and should be considered when planning outreach initiatives and interventions.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and total fluorine in fire station dust.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of over 4700 fluorinated compounds used in industry and consumer products. Studies have highlighted the use of aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) as an exposure source for firefighters, but little is known about PFAS occurrence inside fire stations, where firefighters spend most of their shifts. In this study, we aimed to characterize PFAS concentrations and sources inside fire stations. We measured 24 PFAS (using LC-MS/MS) and total fluorine (using particle-induced gamma ray emission) in dust from multiple rooms of 15 Massachusetts stations, many of which (60%) no longer use PFAS-containing AFFF at all and the rest of which only use it very rarely. Compared to station living rooms, turnout gear locker rooms had higher dust levels of total fluorine (p < 0.0001) and three PFAS: perfluorohexanoate (PFHxA), perfluoroheptanoate (PFHpA), and perfluorodecanoate (PFDoDA) (p < 0.05). These PFAS were also found on six wipes of station turnout gear. By contrast, the dominant PFAS in living rooms was N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamidoacetic acid (N-MeFOSAA), a precursor to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) that still persists despite phase-outs almost two decades ago. The Σ24 PFAS accounted for less than 2% of fluorine in dust (n = 39), suggesting the potential presence of unknown PFAS. Turnout gear may be an important PFAS source in stations due to intentional additives and/or contamination from firefighting activities.

Media Reports as a Tool for Timely Monitoring of COVID-19-Related Deaths Among First Responders-United States, April 2020.

We aimed to describe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) deaths among first responders early in the COVID-19 pandemic. We used media reports to gather timely information about COVID-19-related deaths among first responders during March 30-April 30, 2020, and evaluated the sensitivity of media scanning compared with traditional surveillance. We abstracted information about demographic characteristics, occupation, underlying conditions, and exposure source. Twelve of 19 US public health jurisdictions with data on reported deaths provided verification, and 7 jurisdictions reported whether additional deaths had occurred; we calculated the sensitivity of media scanning among these 7 jurisdictions. We identified 97 COVID-19-related first-responder deaths during the study period through media and jurisdiction reports. Participating jurisdictions reported 5 deaths not reported by the media. Sixty-six decedents worked in law enforcement, and 31 decedents worked in fire/emergency medical services. Media reports rarely noted underlying conditions. The media scan sensitivity was 88% (95% CI, 73%-96%) in the subset of 7 jurisdictions. Media reports demonstrated high sensitivity in documenting COVID-19-related deaths among first responders; however, information on risk factors was scarce. Routine collection of data on industry and occupation could improve understanding of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality among all workers.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Employment Among Massachusetts Adults.

Occupational exposure may cause or exacerbate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but employment may also enhance health and well-being for people with the disorder. We used self-reported data from the 2011-2017 Massachusetts Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to examine COPD and employment among adults aged 40 to 70. Thirty-nine percent of adults with COPD were employed. Workers with COPD were more likely than those without COPD to report indicators of poor physical and mental health, and distribution by occupation differed between the 2 groups. Findings suggest workplace interventions may be needed to prevent respiratory exposures and enhance support for employees with COPD.

Associations Between the Breakroom Built Environment, Worker Health Habits, and Worker Health Outcomes: A Pilot Study Among Public Transit Rail Operators.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between the breakroom built environment and worker health outcomes. METHODS: We conducted this study in a mass transit organization (rail). We collected a user-reported breakroom quality score (worker survey), a worksite health promotion score (validated audit tool), and self-reported worker health outcomes (survey). RESULTS: Among the 12 breakrooms audited and 127 rail operators surveyed, the average worksite health promotion score was 9.1 (out of 15) and the average user-reported breakroom quality was 3.1 (out of 7). After multivariable regression, breakrooms with higher worksite health promotion scores and user-reported breakroom quality were associated with lower odds of depression and fewer medical disability days. CONCLUSIONS: This cross-sectional study demonstrates an association between the quality of the breakroom built environment and worker health, specifically depression and medical disability days.

Literature Review of Policy Implications From Findings of the Center for Work, Health, and Well-being.

OBJECTIVE: To review the publications of a Total Worker Health Center of Excellence, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Center for Work, Health, and Well-being, in order to identify research findings relevant to either organizational or public policies. METHODS: Two researchers independently reviewed 57 publications from 2011 to 2019 to identify cross-cutting themes that focus on working conditions or related health outcomes and their organizational and public policy implications. RESULTS: Twelve cross-cutting themes were identified with their respective organizational and public policy implications. Several policy implications cut across work-related themes. CONCLUSIONS: Policy implications of TWH research will aid in setting priorities to translate this from research into practice in future studies and help identify gaps that we and others can use to plan future TWH research.