SARS-CoV-2 infection among employees working from home and on site: An occupational study in Switzerland
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies implemented working from home to mitigate the spread of the disease among their employees. Using data from Corona Immunitas Nestlé, a seroepidemiological study conducted among employees from two Nestlé sites in Switzerland, we aimed to investigate whether...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-09-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.980482/full |
| _version_ | 1811260838136250368 |
|---|---|
| author | Alexia Schmid Daniela Anker Julie Dubois Isabelle Bureau-Franz Nathalie Piccardi Sara Colombo Mottaz Stéphane Cullati Stéphane Cullati Arnaud Chiolero Arnaud Chiolero Arnaud Chiolero Pierre-Yves Rodondi |
| author_facet | Alexia Schmid Daniela Anker Julie Dubois Isabelle Bureau-Franz Nathalie Piccardi Sara Colombo Mottaz Stéphane Cullati Stéphane Cullati Arnaud Chiolero Arnaud Chiolero Arnaud Chiolero Pierre-Yves Rodondi |
| author_sort | Alexia Schmid |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | During the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies implemented working from home to mitigate the spread of the disease among their employees. Using data from Corona Immunitas Nestlé, a seroepidemiological study conducted among employees from two Nestlé sites in Switzerland, we aimed to investigate whether there was a difference in SARS-CoV-2 infection rates between employees working most of the time from home and employees mobilized in a workplace equipped with a specialized occupational safety unit and strict sanitary measures. We also investigated whether this association was modified by household size, living with children, vulnerability, worries about an infection, and worries about adverse health consequences if infected. Data were collected between 8 December 2020, and 11 February 2021. Previous SARS-CoV-2 infections were ascertained by the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in the blood. Of the 425 employees included (53% women; mean age 42 years ranging between 21 and 64 years), 37% worked most of the time from home in 2020 and 16% had been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Participants who worked most of the time from home in 2020 had slightly higher odds of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 compared to participants who never or only sometimes worked from home (adjusted OR 1.29, 95% CI 0.73–2.27). The association was stronger in participants living alone or with one other person (adjusted OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.13–6.25). Among participants living with two or more other persons (adjusted OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.30–1.39) and among vulnerable participants (adjusted OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.13–1.93), working from home tended to be associated with lower odds of infection. In conclusion, in a context of strict sanitary measures implemented in the workplace, employees working from home did not seem to be at lower risk of infection compared to those working on site, especially if living alone or with one other person. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:53:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-19d63c1699414d52b9e31e58836fc8dd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:53:39Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-19d63c1699414d52b9e31e58836fc8dd2022-12-22T03:20:23ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652022-09-011010.3389/fpubh.2022.980482980482SARS-CoV-2 infection among employees working from home and on site: An occupational study in SwitzerlandAlexia Schmid0Daniela Anker1Julie Dubois2Isabelle Bureau-Franz3Nathalie Piccardi4Sara Colombo Mottaz5Stéphane Cullati6Stéphane Cullati7Arnaud Chiolero8Arnaud Chiolero9Arnaud Chiolero10Pierre-Yves Rodondi11Institute of Family Medicine, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, SwitzerlandPopulation Health Laboratory #PopHealthLab, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, SwitzerlandInstitute of Family Medicine, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, SwitzerlandNestlé Research, Lausanne, SwitzerlandNestlé Research, Lausanne, SwitzerlandNestlé Research, Lausanne, SwitzerlandPopulation Health Laboratory #PopHealthLab, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, SwitzerlandDepartment of Readaptation and Geriatrics, University of Geneva, Geneva, SwitzerlandPopulation Health Laboratory #PopHealthLab, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, SwitzerlandInstitute of Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medicine (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, SwitzerlandSchool of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, QC, CanadaInstitute of Family Medicine, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, SwitzerlandDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies implemented working from home to mitigate the spread of the disease among their employees. Using data from Corona Immunitas Nestlé, a seroepidemiological study conducted among employees from two Nestlé sites in Switzerland, we aimed to investigate whether there was a difference in SARS-CoV-2 infection rates between employees working most of the time from home and employees mobilized in a workplace equipped with a specialized occupational safety unit and strict sanitary measures. We also investigated whether this association was modified by household size, living with children, vulnerability, worries about an infection, and worries about adverse health consequences if infected. Data were collected between 8 December 2020, and 11 February 2021. Previous SARS-CoV-2 infections were ascertained by the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in the blood. Of the 425 employees included (53% women; mean age 42 years ranging between 21 and 64 years), 37% worked most of the time from home in 2020 and 16% had been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Participants who worked most of the time from home in 2020 had slightly higher odds of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 compared to participants who never or only sometimes worked from home (adjusted OR 1.29, 95% CI 0.73–2.27). The association was stronger in participants living alone or with one other person (adjusted OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.13–6.25). Among participants living with two or more other persons (adjusted OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.30–1.39) and among vulnerable participants (adjusted OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.13–1.93), working from home tended to be associated with lower odds of infection. In conclusion, in a context of strict sanitary measures implemented in the workplace, employees working from home did not seem to be at lower risk of infection compared to those working on site, especially if living alone or with one other person.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.980482/fulloccupational healthSARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19)COVID-19workplaceemployeeswork from home |
| spellingShingle | Alexia Schmid Daniela Anker Julie Dubois Isabelle Bureau-Franz Nathalie Piccardi Sara Colombo Mottaz Stéphane Cullati Stéphane Cullati Arnaud Chiolero Arnaud Chiolero Arnaud Chiolero Pierre-Yves Rodondi SARS-CoV-2 infection among employees working from home and on site: An occupational study in Switzerland Frontiers in Public Health occupational health SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) COVID-19 workplace employees work from home |
| title | SARS-CoV-2 infection among employees working from home and on site: An occupational study in Switzerland |
| title_full | SARS-CoV-2 infection among employees working from home and on site: An occupational study in Switzerland |
| title_fullStr | SARS-CoV-2 infection among employees working from home and on site: An occupational study in Switzerland |
| title_full_unstemmed | SARS-CoV-2 infection among employees working from home and on site: An occupational study in Switzerland |
| title_short | SARS-CoV-2 infection among employees working from home and on site: An occupational study in Switzerland |
| title_sort | sars cov 2 infection among employees working from home and on site an occupational study in switzerland |
| topic | occupational health SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) COVID-19 workplace employees work from home |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.980482/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alexiaschmid sarscov2infectionamongemployeesworkingfromhomeandonsiteanoccupationalstudyinswitzerland AT danielaanker sarscov2infectionamongemployeesworkingfromhomeandonsiteanoccupationalstudyinswitzerland AT juliedubois sarscov2infectionamongemployeesworkingfromhomeandonsiteanoccupationalstudyinswitzerland AT isabellebureaufranz sarscov2infectionamongemployeesworkingfromhomeandonsiteanoccupationalstudyinswitzerland AT nathaliepiccardi sarscov2infectionamongemployeesworkingfromhomeandonsiteanoccupationalstudyinswitzerland AT saracolombomottaz sarscov2infectionamongemployeesworkingfromhomeandonsiteanoccupationalstudyinswitzerland AT stephanecullati sarscov2infectionamongemployeesworkingfromhomeandonsiteanoccupationalstudyinswitzerland AT stephanecullati sarscov2infectionamongemployeesworkingfromhomeandonsiteanoccupationalstudyinswitzerland AT arnaudchiolero sarscov2infectionamongemployeesworkingfromhomeandonsiteanoccupationalstudyinswitzerland AT arnaudchiolero sarscov2infectionamongemployeesworkingfromhomeandonsiteanoccupationalstudyinswitzerland AT arnaudchiolero sarscov2infectionamongemployeesworkingfromhomeandonsiteanoccupationalstudyinswitzerland AT pierreyvesrodondi sarscov2infectionamongemployeesworkingfromhomeandonsiteanoccupationalstudyinswitzerland |