October 30, 2020

Estimated Association of Construction Work With Risks of COVID-19 Infection and Hospitalization in Texas

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Clinical Characteristics and Health Care Setting

Keywords (Tags): risk factors

• A decision analytical model for COVID-19 found that resuming unrestricted construction work during shelter-in-place orders in Texas was associated with a higher risk of community hospitalizations due to SARS-CoV-2 (0.38 to 1.5 per 1000 residents) and increased risk of hospitalization of workers (0.22 to 9.3 per 1000 construction workers). Construction workers in central Texas had a nearly 5-fold higher risk of hospitalization compared with other occupational categories among adults aged 18 to 64 years (RR=4.9). Safety measures such as thorough cleaning of equipment, use of PPE, and limiting numbers of works at a given site were associated with a 50% decrease in transmission.

Pasco et al. (Oct 29, 2020). Estimated Association of Construction Work With Risks of COVID-19 Infection and Hospitalization in Texas. JAMA Network Open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.26373