According to a new study, American workers will use personal protective equipment if their employers give them.
Researchers at the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health examined the responses to surveys of 742 non-remote workers who did not attend health care and did not use PPE at work prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Only 29% used PPE if left completely in their hands, the team reported Thursday at U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Morbidity and Mortality Week. Employers demanded more than half of those who used PPE. And usage doubled if PPE was provided, they found.
Approximately 30% of workers who did not have to use PPE received the equipment from employers, according to the NIOSH team, and 45% of these workers used PPE. This compares with 22% of workers who did not use PPE if it was not provided to them.
The team also found that 8% of workers were banned from using PPE by their employers. “In general, lower-income workers were more likely than lower-income workers to be banned from using hazard controls or unable to obtain them,” the team wrote.
The team also pointed out why it is important to wear an PPE.
“Failure to protect COVID-19 workers could exacerbate existing health disparities, including those in lower-income populations,” the team said. “Workers with lower incomes are more likely than those with higher incomes to have pre-existing health conditions that could increase the risk of suffering from serious diseases associated with COVID-19.”
Among those who did not use PPE and other hazard controls in the workplace, 15% were unable to obtain them and 77% said they thought they were not necessary.
Lower-income workers were more likely to be banned from using them or unable to obtain them, compared to lower-income workers.
“Employers can help protect workers from Covid-19 by requiring and encouraging the use of occupational risk control and providing recommended risk controls, along with other precautions in the Covid-19 workplace,” he said. report.