O-309 Risk for hospitalization due to COVID-19 in relation to occupational exposures as estimated by two different job-exposure matrices

• Published in: Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England) Vol. 80; no. Suppl 1; pp. A72 - A73
• Main Authors: Albin, Maria, Alderling, Magnus, Alfredsson, Lars, Bodin, Theo, Gebreslassie, Mihretab, Hergens, Maria-Pia, Selander, Jenny
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 14.03.2023; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Abstracts; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Disease control; Exposure; Hospitalization; Occupational exposure; Occupational health; Occupational safety; Pandemics; Risk assessment; Smoking; Statistical models; Surveys; Vaccination
• ISSN: 1351-0711; 1470-7926
• DOI: 10.1136/OEM-2023-EPICOH.179

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly challenged occupational safety and health. We assessed risk for hospitalization for COVID-19 in relation to potential routes and degree of occupational exposure.Material and MethodsThe study includes 1 105 042 subjects in the county of Stockholm of age 18–64 years, with an occupational code, followed regarding hospitalization from 1 March 2020 until 15 September 2022. We used two different job-exposure matrices (JEMs), based on survey data (Office for National Statistics 2020) and expert assessment (Oude Hengel et al 2022, module for Denmark), respectively. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained with Cox´s proportional hazards models. Fully adjusted models included age, sex, vaccination (time-dependent), household size, living space per person, income quintile, proportion of smokers in the occupation, and country of birth.ResultsWe observed 6523 hospitalizations with COVID-19 as the main diagnosis. HRs increased incrementally with the exposure dimensions in both JEMs and were increased already from the low-exposed categories.The fully adjusted HRs (95% CI) for the highest exposure category were for the survey-based JEM: Closeness to other people (very close, almost touching): 1.51 (1.42–1.59); Exposure to other people´s diseases (daily): 1.41 (1.33–1.50). Similarly, we found for the expert-based JEM: Number of co-workers in close vicinity (>30/day): 1.47 (1.39–1.57); Nature of contact with other people (regular contact with COVID-19 patients): 1.51 (1.40–1.63); Location of work (>4h/day indoors): 1.25 (1.19–1.31); Inability to keep social distancing (can never maintain >1m): 1.42 (1.33–1.51).ConclusionsDimensions of potential occupational exposure in both the survey- and expert-based JEMs were consistently associated with hospitalization for COVID-19 and may thus guide risk assessment. Increased risks observed already in the lower exposure categories indicate a need for enhanced preventive measures also in those settings.