目标:2019年冠状病毒病(COVID-19)工作场所的爆发对工人的健康和业务连续性构成风险。为了将这种风险降到最低,公司已经实施了风险管理措施(RMM),旨在减轻SARS-CoV-2在员工队伍中的传播。这项工作的目的是收集对RMM在非医疗保健工作场所中的应用的见解,并提高对其实施的实际障碍的理解。
方法:使用预先设计的框架,通过与负责现场安全的工作人员讨论以及在现场访问期间观察RMM和工作流程,从12个志愿者工作场所收集数据。为了评估通气效果,在现场访问期间对二氧化碳(CO2)进行了测量,并在选定的占领区进行了长时间的记录。
结果:实施良好的RMM包括在家办公和其他非生产人员,provision,和使用面罩,提供手部卫生,随着方法变得普遍可用,对感染者进行检测。然而,在许多生产区域保持足够的物理距离被证明是困难的,因为建立的工厂布局不容易改变,并且经常需要工人彼此靠近以进行交流。发现的主要缺点是理解和应用改善工作场所通风的措施。在大流行期间快速安装和/或升级机械通风系统可能不切实际,理想情况下应在建筑设计中予以考虑。在占用的工作空间中测量CO2被证明是识别潜在通风不足的区域的有用工具。
结论:通过识别受感染的个体来防止工作场所出勤具有挑战性,使有效的RMM对减轻病毒传播至关重要。单个RMM的有效性可能是不确定的;因此,有必要采用多层RMM。成功的实施依赖于特定于各个工作场所的措施,通过准确的风险评估确定,定期审查有效性,和工人的合规性。建立合适的风险缓解政策和提供员工监督对于确保持续有效地实施RMM至关重要。对于需要技术理解的RMM,如工作场所通风系统,专家支持可能是必要的,以确保有效实施。
OBJECTIVE: A Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) workplace outbreak is a risk to the health of workers and business continuity. To minimise this risk, companies have implemented risk management measures (RMMs) designed to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission within the workforce. The objective of this work was to gather insights into the application of RMMs in non-healthcare workplaces and to improve understanding of the practical barriers to their implementation.
METHODS: Data were collected using a pre-designed framework from 12 volunteer workplaces through discussions with staff responsible for site safety and during site visits to observe the RMMs and work processes. To evaluate
ventilation effectiveness, measurements for carbon dioxide (CO2) were taken during the site visit and logged over an extended period in selected occupied areas.
RESULTS: RMMs that were implemented well included working at home for office and other non-production staff, provision, and use of face coverings, provision for hand hygiene, and as methods became commonly available, carrying out testing for infected people. However, maintaining adequate physical distancing in many production areas proved difficult because established factory layouts cannot be easily changed and there is often a need for workers to be close to each other to communicate. A major shortcoming identified was the understanding and application of measures to improve workplace
ventilation. Rapidly installing and/or upgrading mechanical
ventilation systems during a pandemic may not be practical and ideally should be considered in building design. Measuring CO2 in occupied workspaces proved to be a useful tool for identifying areas with potentially inadequate
ventilation.
CONCLUSIONS: Preventing workplace attendance by identifying infected individuals is challenging, making effective RMMs crucial to mitigating virus transmission. The effectiveness of individual RMMs can be uncertain; therefore, it is necessary to adopt multilayered RMMs. Successful implementation relies on measures that are specific to individual workplaces, identified by accurate risk assessment, regularly reviewed for effectiveness, and worker compliance. Establishing suitable risk mitigation policies and providing staff supervision are vital to ensure the sustained and effective implementation of RMMs. For RMMs that require technical understanding, such as workplace
ventilation systems, specialist support may be necessary to ensure effective implementation.