Preventive Measures Against COVID-19 in Small- and Mid-sized Enterprises from an Early Stage of the Epidemic in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do
Background: In the early stage of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, small- and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) may be an important transmission consideration. The study aimed to identify the pattern of COVID-19 prevention measures during the outbreaks in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do at th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Safety and Health at Work |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2093791122001123 |
| _version_ | 1797759805707780096 |
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| author | Kiook Baek Seong-Hui Kim Chulyong Park Joon Sakong |
| author_facet | Kiook Baek Seong-Hui Kim Chulyong Park Joon Sakong |
| author_sort | Kiook Baek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: In the early stage of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, small- and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) may be an important transmission consideration. The study aimed to identify the pattern of COVID-19 prevention measures during the outbreaks in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do at the early stage of COVID-19. Moreover, we investigated whether SME size and past experiences affected the preventive measures implemented in the region. Methods: A survey detailing the general characteristics and implementation of 12 preventive activities was conducted in 122 SMEs in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do. The survey was analyzed by size and operation period. Results: The study subjects consisted of 53 (43.4%) workplaces with 1–5 employees, 50 (40.9%) workplaces with 6–30 employees, and 19 (15.6%) workplaces with 31–49 employees. The lowest three items among those surveyed were ‘symptomatic workers to stay home for 3–4 days’ (17.2%), ‘work remotely’ (18.9%), and ‘video meetings’ (20.5%). There were significant differences in the rate of several preventive measures implemented. The larger sized SMEs, the higher the number of implementations (p < 0.01). The operation period had no significant relationship with the implementation of preventive measures. The same pattern was observed in multiple generalized linear regression with covariate adjustment. Conclusion: Preventive measures among SMEs with fewer than 50 employees were identified. Even within SMEs, a gap in preventive measures according to size was confirmed. To prevent the spread of infection and protect workers' right to health, different support for different sized SMEs is necessary. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T18:49:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8320de051775430a858e6d80d299aca5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2093-7911 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T18:49:44Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Safety and Health at Work |
| spelling | doaj.art-8320de051775430a858e6d80d299aca52023-08-02T07:20:41ZengElsevierSafety and Health at Work2093-79112022-09-01133294301Preventive Measures Against COVID-19 in Small- and Mid-sized Enterprises from an Early Stage of the Epidemic in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-doKiook Baek0Seong-Hui Kim1Chulyong Park2Joon Sakong3Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Yeungnam University Hospital, Daegu, Republic of KoreaKorean Association of Occupational Health Nurse, Daegu Health and Safety Center, Daegu, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Yeungnam University Hospital, Daegu, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Yeungnam University Hospital, Daegu, Republic of Korea; Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Collage of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Republic of Korea; Corresponding author. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, 170 Hyeonchung-ro, Nam-gu, Daegu 42415, Republic of Korea.Background: In the early stage of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, small- and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) may be an important transmission consideration. The study aimed to identify the pattern of COVID-19 prevention measures during the outbreaks in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do at the early stage of COVID-19. Moreover, we investigated whether SME size and past experiences affected the preventive measures implemented in the region. Methods: A survey detailing the general characteristics and implementation of 12 preventive activities was conducted in 122 SMEs in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do. The survey was analyzed by size and operation period. Results: The study subjects consisted of 53 (43.4%) workplaces with 1–5 employees, 50 (40.9%) workplaces with 6–30 employees, and 19 (15.6%) workplaces with 31–49 employees. The lowest three items among those surveyed were ‘symptomatic workers to stay home for 3–4 days’ (17.2%), ‘work remotely’ (18.9%), and ‘video meetings’ (20.5%). There were significant differences in the rate of several preventive measures implemented. The larger sized SMEs, the higher the number of implementations (p < 0.01). The operation period had no significant relationship with the implementation of preventive measures. The same pattern was observed in multiple generalized linear regression with covariate adjustment. Conclusion: Preventive measures among SMEs with fewer than 50 employees were identified. Even within SMEs, a gap in preventive measures according to size was confirmed. To prevent the spread of infection and protect workers' right to health, different support for different sized SMEs is necessary.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2093791122001123COVID-19EpidemicPreventive measuresSmall- and medium-sized enterprises |
| spellingShingle | Kiook Baek Seong-Hui Kim Chulyong Park Joon Sakong Preventive Measures Against COVID-19 in Small- and Mid-sized Enterprises from an Early Stage of the Epidemic in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do Safety and Health at Work COVID-19 Epidemic Preventive measures Small- and medium-sized enterprises |
| title | Preventive Measures Against COVID-19 in Small- and Mid-sized Enterprises from an Early Stage of the Epidemic in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do |
| title_full | Preventive Measures Against COVID-19 in Small- and Mid-sized Enterprises from an Early Stage of the Epidemic in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do |
| title_fullStr | Preventive Measures Against COVID-19 in Small- and Mid-sized Enterprises from an Early Stage of the Epidemic in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do |
| title_full_unstemmed | Preventive Measures Against COVID-19 in Small- and Mid-sized Enterprises from an Early Stage of the Epidemic in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do |
| title_short | Preventive Measures Against COVID-19 in Small- and Mid-sized Enterprises from an Early Stage of the Epidemic in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do |
| title_sort | preventive measures against covid 19 in small and mid sized enterprises from an early stage of the epidemic in daegu and gyeongsangbuk do |
| topic | COVID-19 Epidemic Preventive measures Small- and medium-sized enterprises |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2093791122001123 |
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