U.S. workers will use personal protective equipment if their employers issue it, a new study finds.
Researchers from the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health examined the responses to the survey of 742 non-medical, non-remote workers who did not use PPE at work before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Only 29% use PPE if left entirely to them, the team reported Thursday in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the weekly illnesses and deaths. More than half of those who use PPE had to do so through employers. And the use doubles if the PBT is provided, they found.
About 30% of the workers who did not have to use PPE provided the equipment through employers, the NIOSH team found, and 45% of the employees used the PPE. This is compared to 22% of workers who did not use PPE when it was not provided.
The team also found that 8% of workers were banned from using PBT by their employers. “In general, lower-income workers were more likely than higher-income workers to be prohibited from using or not receiving hazard control measures,” the team wrote.
The team also noted why wearing PPE is important.
“Failure to protect workers from COVID-19 could exacerbate existing health inequalities, including those among lower-income populations,” the team said. “Lower-income workers are more likely than those with higher incomes to have pre-existing health conditions that could increase the risk of serious COVID-19 disease.”
Among those who did not use PPE and other hazard control measures in the workplace, 15% could not get it, and 77% said they think it is not necessary.
It is more likely that lower-income workers will be banned from using it or unable to obtain it, compared to higher-income workers.
“Employers can help protect workers against Covid-19 by requiring and encouraging the use of hazardous controls and providing recommended hazard controls, along with other Covid-19 workplace precautions,” the report said.