Estimating the number of Korean workers at high risk of COVID-19 infection

Abstract

We aimed to identify occupational groups at high-risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in Korea, to estimate the number of such workers, and to examine the prevalence of protective resources by employment status. METHODS: Based on the sixth Standard Occupational Classification codes, 2015 census data were linked with data from the fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey, which measured how frequently workers directly come into contact with people other than fellow employees in the workplace. RESULTS: A total of 30 occupational groups, including 7 occupations from the healthcare and welfare sectors and 23 from other sectors, were classified as high-risk occupational groups involving frequent contact with people other than fellow employees in the workplace (more than half of the working hours). Approximately 1.4 million (women, 79.1%) and 10.7 million workers (46.3%) are employed in high-risk occupations. Occupations with a larger proportion of women are more likely to be at a highrisk of infection and are paid less. For wage-earners in high-risk occupations, protective resources to deal with COVID-19 (e.g., trade unions and health and safety committees) are less prevalent among temporary or daily workers than among those with permanent employment. CONCLUSIONS: Given the large number of Koreans employed in high-risk occupations and inequalities within the working population, the workplace needs to be the key locus for governmental actions to control COVID-19, and special consideration for vulnerable workers is warranted.

Self‐Report Assessment of Nurses’ Risk for Infection After Exposure to Patients With Coronavirus Disease (COVID‐19) in the United Arab Emirates

“…In the context of the current COVID‐19 pandemic, our results also support existing evidence of nurses’ increased risk for exposure to infection with this virus globally (Gómez‐Ochoa et al, 2020; Nguyen et al, 2020). A study from Korea conducted among 30 professional groups including nurses ( N = 227,168) found that 44.2% of the sampled nurses reported high‐intensity exposure risk for infection with COVID‐19 (Lee & Kim, 2020). In a recent cross‐sectional study of nurses from Lebanon ( N = 311), 40% were classified at high risk for exposure to infection with the virus because they stated they rarely wore all PPE (especially goggles) when performing aerosol procedures with patients who had COVID‐19 (Saadeh, Sacre, Hallit, Farah, & Salameh, 2020).…”

A rapid scoping review of COVID‐19 and vulnerable workers: Intersecting occupational and public health issues

“…As well, women are more prevalent among precariously employed workers. Precarious work engagement is linked with insecurity, low wages, lack of protection and insurance, and there is a dimension of gender inequity involved 31,32 . Unsurprisingly, one study showed that rates of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection were higher in workplaces with minimal enforcement of existing OHS standards 34 .…”

RT-PCR Mediated Identification of SARS-CoV-2 Patients from Particular Regions of Bangladesh and the Multi-factorial Analysis Considering Their Pre and Post Infection Health Conditions

“…Self-employed males were the main victim of COVID-19 comparing to the other professions of males [12,13]. The patients who recovered from COVID-19 may experience significant health effects in the future.…”