(In)equality at the workplace? Differences in occupational safety and health measures during the Covid-19 pandemic and related employee health

Abstract

Based on data from a supplementary survey of the German Socio-Economic Panel on the Covid-19 pandemic (SOEP-CoV), this article examines differences in the implementation of various person-related and organizational occupational safety and health measures during the Covid-19 pandemic and their relationship to individual health. We first provide a brief outline of social inequalities in workplace-related health risks before and during the pandemic and describe the implementation of different occupational health and infection protection measures during the pandemic. We argue that the infection and occupational health measures were not only successful in mitigating the risk of infection, but that their compliance may also contribute to a safety climate in the workplace, which in turn may be associated with better employee health. Accordingly, the analyses show that the mere number of organizational or person-related measures taken is not directly related to health, but perceived compliance with the measures significantly correlates with employee health (satisfaction). The OLS results also reveal social stratification in the occupational safety and health measures taken.