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American workers will use personal protective equipment if their employers distribute it, according to a new study.
Researchers at the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health examined survey responses from 742 non-health and non-remote workers last June who did not use PPE at work before the pandemic of Covid-19.
Only 29% used PPE if it was entirely theirs, the team reported Thursday to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly. More than half of those who used PPE were required to do so by employers. And usage doubled if PPE was provided, they found.
About 30% of workers who were not required to use PPE received the equipment from employers, the NIOSH team found, and 45% of those workers used PPE. This compared to 22% of workers who did not use PPE if it was not provided.
The team also found that 8% of workers were not allowed to use PPE by their employers. “Overall, low-income workers were more likely than high-income workers to be banned from using or not being able to obtain risk controls,” the team wrote.
The team also noted why wearing PPE is important.
“Failure to protect workers from COVID-19 could worsen existing health disparities, including those among low-income populations,” the team said. “Low-income workers are more likely than higher-income workers to have pre-existing health conditions that could increase the risk of serious illness associated with COVID-19.”
Of those who did not use PPE and other workplace hazard control devices, 15% were unable to obtain them and 77% said they believed they were not needed.
Low-income workers were more likely to be prohibited from using or not able to obtain them, compared to high-income workers.
“Employers can help protect workers from Covid-19 by requiring and encouraging the use of occupational hazard controls and by providing recommended hazard controls, as well as other Covid-19 workplace precautions” , indicates the report.
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