Implementation of a monitoring and contact tracing program to manage COVID-19 by a multinational chemical company.

Abstract

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, uninterrupted manufacture of products for domestic or health care purposes presupposed initiatives to control transmission in the work environment. This study analyzed data collected in a multinational chemical company between 2020 and 2022 through its COVID-19 contact tracing system, determining the association between work variables, personal protective equipment use, emotional distress symptoms, and diagnostic confirmation of COVID-19. This correlational, cross-sectional study analyzed a company database of reports of suspected cases between June 2020 and January 2022. Descriptive analysis was performed, and the chi-square test was used to study the associations between the variables, with a significance level of 5%. Of the 4206 total reports, 1190 diagnoses of COVID-19 were confirmed. The following variables were associated with infection: age over 40 years, being symptomatic, being a remote worker, and reporting difficulties with emotional control. The results identified the potential of on-the-job education activities, as well as that control and prevention measures protected worker health, and that worker mental health should be monitored.