Every day, hundreds of workers across Washington state are hurt on the job. Some lose their lives. Many of the industries that shaped the state 鈥� forestry, fishing, agriculture 鈥� are riddled with risk.听听

The 91探花 has for years been instrumental in the state鈥檚 efforts to keep workers safe. 91探花experts study workplace hazards like the toxic fumes inhaled by nail salon workers and the worsening heat waves faced by agricultural workers east of the Cascades. The 鲍奥鈥檚 training and education programs, from undergraduate education to continuing education for industry professionals, prepare trainees to oversee health and safety programs for businesses across the state. 91探花experts consult with businesses on how to keep workers safe and productivity high. And a provides specialized care to injured workers.听

鈥淲orker health and safety is a vital component of what the 91探花 does,鈥� said , a 91探花assistant professor of environmental & occupational health sciences.听

But those efforts are now under threat. This year, the federal government has dramatically cut the programs that fund worker safety efforts like those at the UW. In April, the Trump administration of the (NIOSH), the federal agency dedicated to worker safety. The agency has closed nearly all its research and training programs, creating uncertainty over whether funding will continue. 听

NIOSH has long been a significant source of funding for 鲍奥鈥檚 occupational health and safety research and training programs, complementing core funding from the state. Without federal support, much of that work will stop in its tracks. That means less research into the hazards workers face, and fewer people who are trained to mitigate those risks and treat workplace injuries and illnesses.听

Ultimately, Baker fears workers across Washington will feel the impact.听

鈥淚 suspect that if the cuts to NIOSH are maintained and the work that we’re doing here at the 91探花 no longer continues, the number of workers who are injured or lose their lives in Washington is going to go up,鈥� Baker said.听听

Federal funds support the (NWCOHS), which prepares graduate students to work in occupational health and safety and provides continuing education to industry professionals. The NWCOHS addresses the need for specialists in occupational medicine by supporting training programs for physicians.听

Trainees work out of specialty clinics, including the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Clinic at Harborview Medical Center, which treats patients who are injured on the job. Physicians at the clinic learn how to connect workplace exposures to patients鈥� health outcomes and craft treatment plans to help workers recover and safely return to work.听

听鈥淚t’s a unique combination of medicine and public health. We鈥檙e thinking about individual patients who are sitting in front of us, and also how to prevent workplace injuries and illness for populations of workers鈥� said , research associate professor of environmental & occupational health sciences and former director of the occupational & environmental medicine program at the UW. 鈥淭he goal is for workers and patients to be healthy and feel gratification from the work they’re doing, which often contributes to a healthy and productive workplace.鈥�听

The benefits aren鈥檛 theoretical 鈥� the 鲍奥鈥檚 occupational health and safety work has led directly to improved working conditions for some of the state鈥檚 most essential workers.听听

Consider forestry and agricultural workers, who experience higher rates of workplace injury and death on the job. For decades, the 鲍奥鈥檚 (PNASH) has received federal funding through a NIOSH program focused exclusively on agricultural workers鈥� health and safety. PNASH experts have built deep ties across the state, working in collaboration with community members and industry partners to build safer, stronger workplaces.听听

A few years ago, PNASH researchers learned that workers tasked with applying pesticides weren鈥檛 always properly wearing their protective equipment and faced frequent exposure to these hazardous chemicals. Researchers leaned into community and industry connections to better understand the barriers. Then they got to work on solutions.

PNASH developed practical training that allows pesticide applicators to see how the sprays drift through the air by using a fluorescent tracer that lights up on clothes or skin. They studied how workers typically apply pesticides and suggested new methods that ensured the chemicals hit their target and didn鈥檛 drift onto workers. And they built tools to translate the warning labels on pesticide containers, which were written almost entirely in English, into Spanish, the primary language of many farm workers.听

The developed in collaboration with farmers, educators and researchers across the state, is designed to benefit both workers and their employers.听

鈥淎 unique role that we have at the 91探花is being able to listen to those who don鈥檛 have the ability to individually contact their employer or to contact the state, and to really make their voice heard,鈥� said , a 91探花assistant professor of environmental & occupational health sciences whose research focuses on protecting agricultural workers. 鈥淎nd we work with a wide variety of partners to really engage those essential workers that are growing our food and fishing in dangerous waters and understand how we can return information to them that’s actionable, meaningful and practical.鈥�听

NIOSH funds make that work possible. But the White House has proposed eliminating all federal funding for agricultural worker health and safety, putting PNASH鈥檚 funding in jeopardy. Leaders are searching for alternate funding to support the center鈥檚 critical services.听

鈥淲e鈥檙e very concerned about this sudden change in federal focus and lack of resources being allocated to health and safety research,鈥� Austin said. 鈥淲e worry about our region in particular, that our workers are going to suffer and our businesses are going to have to bear the cost.鈥�听

Two years ago, as life regained its rhythm and public transit once again filled with people, train and bus operators spotted a troubling trend. Some operators reported instances of people smoking drugs on their vehicles, and worried that the haze it created could linger, potentially affecting workers鈥� physical and mental health.听

Spurred by operators鈥� concerns, five transit agencies in Washington and Oregon approached researchers at the 91探花 with a yes-or-no question: Were transit operators being exposed to drug smoke or residue in their workplace?听听

The answer is nuanced. A 91探花research team conducted a limited-scope, first-of-its-kind assessment and detected fentanyl and methamphetamine on board numerous transit vehicles, both in the air and on surfaces. But nearly all of the positive samples contained small amounts that are unlikely to cause acute medical conditions. And it remains unclear if consistent, long-term exposure 鈥� such as that potentially faced by operators working a 40-hour week 鈥� poses a risk to worker health.听

鈥淎 work environment that includes drug use and drug smoke can make it harder for transit operators to safely and effectively do their jobs, regardless of the level of exposure that operators may face,鈥� said , a 91探花assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences who co-led the assessment. 鈥淭his research is important, as it draws attention to the stressors and exposures that these essential workers face.鈥� 听

A complete accounting of the project, including research methods and detailed results, is available in the researchers鈥� The findings from this assessment are not yet submitted for publication. 听

The assessment was limited in scope and narrowly tailored. Researchers collaborated with five transit agencies, which also provided funding: , , and in Snohomish County, and in the Portland metro area.听

Air and surface sampling took place on trains and buses from four agencies and over 28 nights earlier this year. Transit lines and times were selected for sampling based on operator reports of observed drug use, with researchers targeting routes and runs when smoking events were most likely to occur. Both air and surface samples were collected near operators and in other areas of the vehicles where smoke was likely to accumulate.听听

The assessment did not explore whether operators had any level of secondhand fentanyl or methamphetamine in their bodies. It also did not attempt to examine all transit routes and times, and researchers said their findings should not be assumed to be typical for all transit vehicles at all times.听

Researchers detected methamphetamine in 98% of surface samples and 100% of air samples, while fentanyl was detected in 46% of surface and 25% of air samples. One air sample exceeded . No similar guidelines exist for airborne methamphetamine.听

No enforceable federal or state regulations exist for either fentanyl or methamphetamine exposures in a workplace.听听

The detection of fentanyl or methamphetamine by the lab does not necessarily mean it poses a health risk to operators or the riding public, Baker said.听听

No previous studies have demonstrated acute medical conditions resulting from passive exposure to fentanyl or methamphetamine at the levels seen in this study, such as from touching contaminated surfaces or inhaling secondhand smoke. But further consideration should be given to daily secondhand exposure experienced by operators and its potential for long-term health effects, which have yet to be established by evidence-based research.听听

鈥淥perators are different from the riding public, because operators are exposed for a much longer time period,鈥� said , a research industrial hygienist in the 91探花Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences and co-leader of this assessment. 鈥淭he potential long-term health effects associated with daily exposure have not been adequately researched, so until these relationships are established, we鈥檙e suggesting protective measures that transit agencies could implement to keep operators safe.鈥� 听

Those mitigation measures include enhanced cleaning of surfaces, upgraded ventilation and filtration where possible, and operator training. Training topics could include how operators should respond to smoking on board, real and perceived risks of secondhand drug exposure and how and when to use naloxone (Narcan) in overdose emergencies.听听

Researchers also emphasized the need to consider operators鈥� mental health, especially for those in recovery or who may have experienced trauma related to drug use. 听

鈥淓ven at a level that is considered 鈥榮afe,鈥� it can still be stressful to see drug use in your workplace,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淭aking steps to protect operators will benefit their physical and mental well-being at work.”听

, a clinical assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences, also co-authored the final report. This assessment was funded through a contract with Sound Transit. King County Metro, Community Transit, Everett Transit, and TriMet, in addition to Sound Transit, contributed funding.听

For more information or to contact the researchers, email Alden Woods at acwoods@uw.edu.听

When you get into the car of the app-based driver you just tapped up on your phone, you expect and hope the driver and the car are safe and capable of getting you where you need to go. Apps rate drivers, which you can see. But what if the driver is sick? What if the car has a mechanical problem? What if the driver has simply had a bad day?

What you may not have realized is that the driver is wondering the same thing about you: Is the passenger ill? Are they properly masked? Will they pull it down once seated? Will they cough, blowing air around? Are they in a bad mood? Did they just get out of a rough meeting or an alcohol-fueled altercation at a bar?

鈥淚t鈥檚 a job that is vital to so many people, for moving people to and from medical appointments, to and from the airport, etc. Obviously, app-based drivers are essential for moving people,鈥� said , an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the 91探花. 鈥淚t鈥檚 vital work, but it鈥檚 largely something the general public seems to forget about.鈥�

Baker is senior author on new published Sept. 14 in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine that is focused on understanding the pressures, risks and dilemmas facing app-based drivers and how they were affected by the pandemic.

Every ride carries potential risks. Each trip includes at least two people 鈥� possible disease vectors, unpredictable humans 鈥� now in a closed and confined space. The passenger may face this risk a few times a week. For the driver, this is a workplace risk possibly undertaken dozens of times a day.

Throw a viral pandemic into the mix, and you have workers in a largely unprotected job facing a range of very difficult choices: keep driving no matter what or lose income; ignore an improperly masked passenger or tell them to mask up and risk a bad review or altercation; drive a coughing passenger to a COVID-19 testing site or face deactivation for turning them away; pay out-of-pocket for cleaning supplies and PPE or run an even greater risk of infection.

To illuminate these pressures, Baker and other 91探花researchers trained four app-based drivers, all affiliated with the Teamsters Local 117 in Seattle, to conduct survey interviews of their fellow drivers. The newly trained interviewers surveyed 100 app-based drivers in Seattle between Aug. 11 and Sept. 7, 2020. The drivers were predominantly male (97%), identified as Black or African (84%) and were under the age of 55 (87%).

The majority of drivers reported high levels of stress and concern about being exposed to the novel coronavirus. Roughly 30% thought they had already had COVID-19. Most, 73 drivers, lost income, while spending their own money on PPE. Those who left the business because of the pandemic (42 drivers) reported having a hard time getting unemployment benefits. Only 31% said they received an appropriate mask and hand sanitizer from the company they drove for, and even then the supplies were not enough.

鈥淔or workers who are in this kind of employment during the pandemic, they receive very little support from the companies that they drive for, and this is a population that had a lot of awareness of the potential exposures they could be facing,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淭hey had a lot of concerns and worries, not only about how those exposures would be affecting their health and their family’s health, but also the viability and their job.鈥�

The drivers spoke of feeling isolated and lonely, since they rarely have a chance to talk with their peers.

In the study, one driver explained, 鈥淸I]n this line of work, you’re very insular. I mean, I’m in my own little universe… so finding a way to bridge that gap has been the biggest challenge.鈥�

Simple issues, like finding restrooms, became bigger problems with libraries, community centers and businesses closed during shutdowns.

鈥淵ou have other people who are doing the same job as you, but you may never interact with them. So you miss out on some of that strength, not only brainstorming of like, 鈥楬ey what masks are you using?鈥� or 鈥榃here are you stopping?鈥� but it also keeps workers from organizing,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淚f you get these workers talking to each other and recognizing that they are all facing the same struggles, that can lead to changes.鈥�

In Seattle, drivers and their union leaders have been able to win a as well as establish a 鈥溾�� where drivers contest being taken off the apps through which they are hired. There have been other improvements as well in Seattle and .

Baker explains that while Seattle has taken steps to try to improve drivers鈥� working conditions, drivers nationwide do not enjoy the same benefits because they are not classified as employees. So, they don’t have access to state or federal health and safety protections, a living wage or sick leave.

鈥淭his is a full-time job for many people, this is not just driving on the weekends to supplement another job. These drivers are raising families, using what they make to pay for their kids to go to college. This is important, vital work, and we should be recognizing that through the benefits that we demand that these drivers receive,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淣ot only for their well-being, but also for the customers they interact with.鈥�

Co-authors include Kerry Beckman, Lily Monsey and Megan Archer, all graduate students and staff in the 91探花School of Public Health; Nicole Errett, an assistant professor in the 91探花Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences; and Ann Bostrom, 听a 91探花professor of public policy and governance. This research was funded by a 91探花Population Health Initiative Economic Recovery Grant.

###

For more information, contact Baker at bakermg@uw.edu

With wildfire smoke 听for next week in Seattle and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Oregon for keeping workers safe during increasingly smoky conditions and heat in that state, we caught up with a 91探花 expert on worker safety for advice.

, an industrial hygiene program director and assistant professor in the 91探花Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, provided these insights to 91探花News:

“We are still living through the COVID-19 pandemic and often the advice that we are giving to keep people safe from COVID is at odds with the advice we give to keep people safe from wildfire smoke. With COVID we want as much outside air as possible inside, and with wildfire smoke we want as much outside air kept outside as possible. But the one thing that is protective against both is an N95 mask. HEPA filters and upgraded filters on ventilation systems are also protective against both,” Baker said.

For more information from Professor Baker, check out the video at left.

For more information on the hazards of wildfire smoke and how individuals can protect themselves, please check out this informational website published by UW’s Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences:

When exploring data on Washington workers during the pandemic 鈥� demographics, working conditions, wages and benefits, and risks of exposure to disease 鈥� the authors of a new found that women hold two-thirds of the jobs in the harshest category of work.

鈥淭he big takeaway from our research,鈥� said David West, a co-author of the report and an analyst at the , 鈥渋s how particularly women are working under precarious conditions 鈥� a large number of women are both facing safety risks at high-hazard jobs and are economically at risk.鈥�

The report, authored by researchers from the labor center at South Seattle College鈥檚 Georgetown campus and the 91探花鈥檚 School of Public Health, initially set out to understand the risks faced by workers in jobs deemed by Gov. Jay Inslee as the pandemic took hold in Washington, asking people to remain in their homes and closing many businesses.

But as the state began its phased reopening, nonessential workers started returning to the workplace, and the researchers found that many of those workers also faced a high risk of exposure to disease and economic stress.

In the end, the researchers identified 55 of the 694 occupations on which they had data as both precarious 鈥� facing economic and health care stress 鈥� and high risk of exposure to the coronavirus. Out of a total Washington workforce of 3.3 million workers, some 900,000 fill positions in these 55 occupations. These workers, 70% in essential jobs, were not only mostly female, but also disproportionately workers of color.

鈥淭here are a lot of workers in Washington who are at increased risk for exposure to COVID-19 and still going to work. And those workers tend to also be workers who have a lack of workplace protections and are either women or workers of color,鈥� said , co-author of the labor report and an assistant professor in the 91探花Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences.

鈥淪o, we really need to ensure that there are targeted policies or regulations to help these workers, especially since we now know who they are and what occupations and industries they fall into,鈥� Baker said.

In order to determine which occupations were at higher risk of exposure to COVID-19 and to make specific recommendations related to workplace safety, the researchers looked at the importance of these 鈥渒ey dimensions鈥� of a job:

• Physical proximity to others
• Dealings with external customers
• Face-to-face discussions
• Contact with others
• Exposure to disease/infections
• Work with a team or group
• Dealings with physically aggressive people
• Assisting/caring for others
• Performing for/working directly with the public
• Use of common or specialized safety equipment (gloves, masks, hazmat suits)

The authors list in their a series of policies designed to address these health risks as well as the economic challenges they recommend policymakers and business leaders adopt.

Here are their key recommendations:

• Airborne transmissible disease (ATD) standard: Washington should follow the lead of states such as that have enacted ATD standards for their workplaces, instead of relying on voluntary guidance.
• Workplace coronavirus disclosure, testing and tracking: Support comprehensive notification of positive workplace COVID tests, workplace testing, and prioritize workplace follow-up tracking.
• Safety committees: Promote and widely enforce the that workplaces with more than 11 employees have safety committees in order to involve workers in identifying and preventing COVID risk factors.
• Economic security: Ensure that all Washington at-risk/precarious workers have affordable access to health insurance, hazard pay, paid leave for quarantine periods, and affordable child care to reduce stress and ensure prompt care.

鈥淓ven though this has been a devastating time for the American workforce,鈥� Baker said, 鈥渨e can harness this moment and make big structural changes that can forever improve the relationship between work and health.鈥�

Mike Mulcahy of Working Title Research was a co-author.

###

For more information, contact West at David.L.West@Seattlecolleges.edu and Baker at bakermg@uw.edu.

About three-quarters of U.S. workers, or 108 million people, are in jobs that cannot be done from home during a pandemic, putting these workers at increased risk of exposure to disease. This majority of workers are also at higher risk for other job disruptions such as layoffs, furloughs or hours reductions, a 91探花 shows.

Such job disruptions can cause stress, anxiety and other mental health outcomes that could persist even as the United States reopens its economic and social life, said author , an assistant professor in the 91探花Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences.

These workers also represent some of the lowest paid workers in the U.S. workforce, Baker emphasized.

The remaining 25% of U.S. workers, or 35.6 million people, are in jobs that can be done at home. These jobs are typically in highly-paid occupational sectors such as finance, administration, computer, engineering and technology. Even as the economy begins to reopen, these workers will continue to be better shielded from exposure to the virus, reduced hours, furloughs or joblessness and have an increased ability to care for a child at home 鈥� further growing the disparity between the top quarter of the workforce and the rest, the study found.

鈥淭his pandemic has really exacerbated existing vulnerabilities in American society, with workers most affected by the pandemic and stay-at-home orders being significantly lower paid and now also at increased risk for mental health outcomes associated with job insecurity and displacement, in addition to increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 if they keep going to work,鈥� said Baker.

鈥淭he most privileged workers will have a job that can be done at home, reducing their risk of exposure, and enabling them to continue to work even as office buildings were closed. Unfortunately, only a quarter of the U.S. workforce falls into this category. The fact that these are some of the highest paid workers in the U.S. is no surprise,鈥� Baker added.

In the study, published June 18 in the American Journal of Public Health, Baker examined 2018 Bureau of Labor Statistics data characterizing the听importance听of and the importance of听 at work to understand which workers could work from home during a pandemic event, and which workers would experience work disruptions due to COVID-19.

Using these two characteristics of work and how important they are in different types of jobs, Baker鈥檚 analysis determined four main groups of occupations:

• Work that relies on the use of computers but not as much on interaction with the public 鈥� jobs in business and finance, software development, architecture, engineering and the sciences, for instance 鈥� made up 25% of the workforce or 35.6 million workers. These workers had a median income of nearly $63,000.
• Work that relies on both interaction with the public and computer use 鈥� such as positions in management, healthcare, policing and education, most classified as essential during the pandemic 鈥� comprised 36.4% of the workforce or 52.7 million workers. These workers had a median income of roughly $57,000.
• Jobs in which interaction with the public and computer use are not important 鈥� construction, maintenance, production, farming or forestry 鈥� are 20.1% of the workforce or 29 million workers who make a median wage of $40,000.
• Lastly, jobs in which computer work is not important but interacting with the public is 鈥� retail, food and beauty services, protective services and delivery of goods 鈥� were 18.9% of the workforce, or 27.4 million workers, with a median income of $32,000.

鈥淭he workers for whom computer use is not important at work but interactions with the public is are some of the lowest paid workers,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淎nd during this pandemic, they face compounding risks of exposure to COVID-19, job loss and adverse mental health outcomes associated with job loss.鈥�

As the economy reopens, some workers who have been unable to work at home but did continue to go to work during the pandemic 鈥� such as some healthcare workers, security guards or bus drivers 鈥� may now face layoffs as organizations adjust to reduced demand and economic pressures force layoffs, Baker explains. On the upside, workers in construction, manufacturing, production or freight transport who may have been laid off or furloughed during the pandemic will likely be some of the first industries to rebound and hire workers back.

However, the 18.9% of workers in occupations such as retail or food services, many of whom were laid off during the pandemic, may not have a job to go back to, further extending their job displacement and increasing adverse health effects associated with job loss. Those who are able to go back to work face a higher risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus still active in populations across the country.

Given the relationship between job insecurity or job displacement and mental health outcomes including stress, depression or anxiety, there could be a large burden of mental health outcomes among these workers.

鈥淭hese results underscore the important role that work plays in public health. Workplace policies and practices enacted during a pandemic event or other public health emergency should aim to establish and maintain secure employment and living wages for all workers and consider both physical and mental health outcomes, even after the emergency subsides,鈥� Baker said.

Baker鈥檚 research was supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health under Federal Training Grant T42OH008433.

###

For more information, contact Baker at bakermg@uw.edu or 听(206) 616-4709.

Learn more about the 鲍奥鈥檚 Population Health Initiative: a 25-year, interdisciplinary effort to bring understanding and solutions to the biggest challenges facing communities.

91探花 School of Public Health assistant professor , an expert听in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences听on worker safety related to infectious diseases, provided these comments on what the industry can do to protect workers.

鈥淚t is possible to keep workers safe in meat processing plants during this pandemic, but some major changes will need to be made to the work environment, and no single change is going to be adequate,鈥� said Baker.

Additional quotes from Baker:

First, slow production:

鈥淢ost efforts to control the virus won’t be effective as long as the pace of work is kept as fast as it is. Workers tend to be crammed into these facilities, working hard to keep up with the quotas. This also means workers are breathing heavily as they try to keep up,听and possibly are less likely to take breaks to practice hand hygiene due to time pressures.

鈥淪lowing the pace of work would allow workers to have more space between them, promoting physical distancing, and allow workers to take frequent breaks to wash hands, change personal protective equipment, and safely move about the facility. Of course, this could result in a smaller workforce being in the facility at any time. This would then require the workplaces to still continue to pay all workers, even if they aren’t working every day, and be accommodating to the need for flexible working during these times.鈥�

Empower workers to take paid sick leave:

鈥淚 think some of the most important controls to implement are policies and practices which are supportive of worker health. We hear a lot about paid sick leave, and just as important as giving workers access to paid sick leave is empowering workers to take it, without fear of retaliation or retribution once the worker returns to work.

鈥淚f a worker is worried they will be laid off for taking sick leave, then they won’t take it 鈥� even if they or a family member are sick and they really should be taking it. This can lead to presenteeism, which is when workers show up to work sick.

鈥淚f workers are showing up to work sick, this isn’t a problem with the worker, this is a problem with the workplace. Either adequate sick leave isn’t available, workers aren’t empowered to take it, or there are perceptions there will be retribution if the worker takes sick leave.鈥�

For businesses:

鈥淚f you have workers showing up to work sick, then regardless of where the illness originated, this is very much a workplace problem and the culture and policies need to be fixed, or illness will continue to be a problem in your workplace.鈥�

Worker rights and power in the workplace:

鈥淚n meat processing plants, as in most workplaces, there is a power imbalance that needs to be acknowledged and fixed. These workers are especially vulnerable for a number of reasons, including having fairly low pay, often being immigrant or refugee workers, and perhaps speaking English as a second language. These vulnerable workers are less likely to assert their rights to a healthy and safe workplace, and are more likely to accept unsafe workplaces in order to maintain employment.鈥�

Cheapened workforce

, a 91探花assistant professor of geography, focuses on the workplace conditions of industrial operations such as meatpacking plants and prisons, and the socioeconomics of the communities that surround them. Her past research is centered on poulty-processing plants in the American South.

“The regional variations in regards to labor laws, worker protection and union density greatly influence the power imbalances within this industry,” Freshour said. “Our country’s meat is cheap because we’ve cheapened the workforce. There is an underlying devaluing of human life in our 99-cent order of chicken nuggets.”

Additional quotes from Freshour:

On meatpacking plants, by the numbers:

“Today, U.S. slaughterhouses and processing plants employ up to 5,000 workers on the high end, with most plants over employing over 1,000 across multiple shifts. This is a key reason processing plants have become major sites of infection: the sheer number of workers in close proximity, working at a very fast pace of work, and over long shifts.”

The importance of “line speed-ups” to industry:

“The industry depends on this constant drive to increase the rate and pace of slaughter, tying technological improvements, including automation, to speed-ups, while pushing workers to their physical limits. These factors are tied to the number of animals slaughtered each day, so unlike other manufacturing industries, work 鈥渕ust go on鈥� or the product, live animals, are an unsalvageable loss to the industry. So while COVID-19 highlights the conditions within the plants, I think these conditions only scratch the surface of broader, bigger problems within our industrial food system. ”

How circumstances vary by region, industry:

“Poultry processing, the lowest-paid of the three meat processing industries, has, since its inception, depended on women workers in Southern states with few labor protections. This is not to say that workers have been acquiescent, but that the industry leaders have a long anti-labor history, which includes the displacement of Black workers with largely undocumented Latinx workers, refugees, and even incarcerated workers.”

“In Washington state, three workers have died of COVID-19 at a plant made up of a majority of Latinx immigrant and Burmese/Karen refugee workers, according to local organizers. In the South, in states with a recent history of anti-immigration legislation, many plants have returned to a majority Black workforce. In addition to these distinctions, there are major gendered differences within and across industries.”

Workers end up choosing between health and paycheck:

“In states across the South, where poultry processing is concentrated, there are no state-level mandates for paid sick leave. Now, several large processing companies have relaxed some of their policies on worker absences. For most of these plants, workers receive points for missing a day, and once they鈥檝e missed more than six or seven, they鈥檙e immediately fired. Under COVID-19, plants are waiving these policies, but workers are then forced to choose between prioritizing their health by staying home from work or their paycheck. Because wages are so low to begin with, many workers are living paycheck to paycheck so that missing one week would be devastating under any circumstances.”

Learn more about the 鲍奥鈥檚 Population Health Initiative: a 25-year, interdisciplinary effort to bring understanding and solutions to the biggest challenges facing communities.

As the push to relax social and economic restrictions for combating the pandemic gain traction, we need to understand personal motives behind what many experts consider a and how to protect workers most at risk when communities do 鈥済o back to work.鈥�

According to cell phone mobility data, . And this 鈥渜uarantine fatigue鈥� or 鈥渃abin fever鈥� is evident in states that are relaxing their restrictions, as well as those still under stay-at-home orders.

What鈥檚 behind the trends? And what鈥檚 the cost to society?

Following are statements on these issues from 91探花 researchers , an associate professor of psychology who specializes in decision-making; , a graduate student in clinical psychology who is also co-leading a regional social distancing study; and , assistant professor in the School of Public Health with expertise in worker exposure to disease.

Joslyn:

Seeing others out and about may give the impression that the likelihood of infection has abated, making a variety of activities seem less risky.

Government officials can try to persuade people to by emphasizing why it鈥檚 important to remain vigilant, and focusing on what is still safe to do. Although the risk may be reduced it is not absent altogether, if it begins to spread we might be back at square one.

Kuczynski:

When the motivation to return to normal is so strong, we might seek out evidence that confirms our beliefs and ignore or downplay evidence that is disconfirming. When we see other states reopening, we may give that undue weight on what it means for our own personal safety and the safety of the public as a whole.

There is an incredible sense of loss right now, ranging from loss of our normal routines all the way to loss of loved ones. We habitually seek social connection and emotional support from others when faced with major stressors such as these, but the ability to seek connection has become extremely limited for so many of us. This has the potential to make us feel incredibly alone in a struggle that we are all facing together.

Most people are interacting with others much less frequently than usual, and loneliness can have its own set of deleterious consequences. Feelings of loneliness function to motivate us to seek connection with others in the same way that feelings of hunger motivate us to find food. In a normal world that is extremely healthy and adaptive behavior, but right now it is extremely dangerous.

Baker:

As we begin to think about reopening, workplaces need to do so deliberately 鈥� with a plan in place 鈥� in order to lessen some concerns for the most vulnerable workers. Moving fast without a plan to protect workers will only lead to increased risk for women, lower income workers and people of color. These workers are more likely to be in jobs that cannot be done from home or were working in jobs that they won’t be able to go back to.

The pandemic has completely changed the landscape听of work, and it is workers who have not been able to work from home during the pandemic that I’m particularly concerned about as we begin to think about听opening up our economy. My previous work has shown that this is about 75% of the U.S. workforce.

For those workers who are furloughed, laid off or otherwise not able to work during the pandemic, it is certainly understandable that they could be antsy to get back to work. However, workplaces need to have in place comprehensive plans to ensure that their workers are safe as operations begin to resume. These plans need to include considerations for proper personal protective equipment or PPE, physical distancing, health screening, hygiene facilities and adequate and appropriate family leave, healthcare and sick leave policies.

Workplaces should also consider having a COVID-19 coordinator who can provide informational resources to workers on how to access different leave options, including how to navigate unemployment. Of course, this coordinator should be acting in the best interest of the worker, not the employer.

Some workers will be especially at risk as more people go back to work. Bus drivers are a key example. As places of work begin to open up, more people may rely on public transportation and could cause bus drivers to be exposed to lots of people throughout the day. Same for workers in retail, who may come in contact with lots of different people and may not have the time or ability between every interaction to wash hands or sanitize their area.

Also, as workplaces begin to open before schools do, I see female workers being particularly vulnerable, given that the majority of child care and domestic duties still tend to fall to women even in dual-income families. This necessary flexibility needs to be a consideration of workplaces opening up so that employees can still care for a child or loved one and ease back into their work expectations without penalty or retribution.

Only about 25% of the U.S. workforce 鈥� some 35.6 million people 鈥� are in jobs that can easily be done at home, a 91探花 researcher has determined, as these are the positions in which using a computer is important but interacting with the public is not. These jobs are typically in highly-paid occupational sectors such finance, administration, management, computers, engineering and technology.

Consequently 颅鈥� with orders to close businesses and demands that employees work from home growing daily to combat the spread of COVID-19 鈥� the 75% of workers who cannot work from home are not only at risk of increased exposure to disease but also other job disruptions such as layoffs, furloughs or hours reductions, said 91探花researcher .

The nearly 20% of U.S. workers, or 28.2 million, in occupations where interacting with the public is important, but using a computer is not 鈥� such as in food service, retail, personal services and transportation operators 鈥� are especially vulnerable to job loss or hours reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Baker, an assistant professor in the 91探花School of Public Health鈥檚 Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences.

鈥淢any of these workers are susceptible to layoffs or cuts in hours as the public is instructed to stay home, social distance, avoid non-essential outings and limit contact with other people as much as possible,鈥� said Baker. 鈥淎ll workplaces are going to face disruptions during a public health emergency such as COVID-19, but the workers that cannot work from home, don鈥檛 perform what are considered essential services, and tend to be lower paid could be hit the hardest.鈥�

While听the federal stimulus package does include protections for these workers, policymakers going forward will need to make sure vulnerable workers are able to return to work and not face lasting negative health or job effects due to COVID-19, Baker said.

鈥淭hese are workers that need to be highlighted in conversations around social safety nets and need to be guaranteed access to things like paid sick leave, paid family leave, unemployment benefits for both lost jobs and reduced hours and guaranteed pay even if hours are reduced,鈥� Baker added.

Baker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data characterizing the of interacting with the public and the importance of at work to understand which workers would experience work disruptions due to COVID-19.

鈥淭he public is being told to stay home and work, but these workers can鈥檛 perform their work duties from home. As a double whammy, the more the public stays home, the more likely many of these workers will face hours reductions or lose their jobs, since they rely on the public to keep working,鈥� said Baker.听鈥淲e need to ensure these workers are protected both at work and also in the event they can no longer go to work. It is important they don鈥檛 fall between the cracks.鈥�

###

For more information, contact Baker at bakermg@uw.edu or 206-616-4709

Learn more about the 鲍奥鈥檚 Population Health Initiative: a 25-year, interdisciplinary effort to bring understanding and solutions to the biggest challenges facing communities.

A 91探花 researcher calculates that 14.4 million workers face exposure to infection once a week and 26.7 million at least once a month in the workplace, pointing to an important population needing protection as the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, continues to break out across the U.S.

, an assistant professor in the 91探花School of Public Health, based her calculations on research she听听in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. In that paper, Baker and co-authors calculated that about 8% of workers in Federal Region X 鈥� comprised of Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho 鈥� work in jobs where exposure to infection or disease occurs at least once a week at work. Those risks include flu-like illnesses,听and other respiratory illnesses, like COVID-19, as well as wound infections.

Using federal employment data, and the same analysis method, Baker and her co-authors听:

• 10% (14,425,070) of U.S. workers are employed in occupations where听exposure to disease or infection happens at least weekly, based on employee and employer self-report.
• 18.4% (26,669,810) of U.S. workers are employed in occupations where exposure to disease or infection happens at least monthly, based on employee and employer self-report.

Full story here.