Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Language

English

Publication Date

12-1-2024

Journal

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

DOI

10.1097/JOM.0000000000003227

PMID

39322315

PMCID

PMC13178212

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

5-16-2026

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Abstract

Background: Our objective was to deliver actionable, worksite-specific COVID-19 risk assessments and mitigation strategies tailored to vulnerable workers in one of the highest-risk areas in the US.

Methods: Four trained, bilingual (English/Spanish) community health workers (CHWs) recruited small businesses (ie, ≤20 employees) across various industries and executed novel on-site infectious disease risk assessment surveys of at least one employer and one employee.

Results: Of 102 participating businesses (95% Hispanic-owned), 96% were characterized as "high risk" or "very high risk" for disease transmission. All businesses reported implementing at least one practice to reduce disease transmission; however, almost half of businesses lacked at least 13 of the 17 controls identified to mitigate risk.

Conclusions: Tailored, culturally sensitive outreach led by CHWs identified and educated businesses on critical hazards, and these methods may be transferable to similar communities.

Keywords

Humans, COVID-19, Texas, Small Business, Risk Assessment, Male, SARS-CoV-2, Adult, Female, Middle Aged, Vulnerable Populations, Community Health Workers, Workplace, Occupational Exposure

Published Open-Access

yes

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