Prevenzione della diffusione dei contagi COVID-19 nei luoghi di lavoro. L’esperienza di un cantiere di grandi opere nel periodo gennaio-novembre 2021

Prevention of COVID-19 spread in the workplace. The experience of a major construction site in the period January-November 2021 Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic determined a remarkable impact also in workplaces. The present study reported data relating to COVID-19 cases that occurred between January and November 2021 in a major construction site. Objectives: The study aims to evaluate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the study population, to describe its demographic characteristics and to evaluate any significant associations between the variables investigated. Material and methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted using demographic, clinical and laboratory data. The study was conducted from 1st January to 3th November 2021 and involved the working population belonging to a large infrastructure site. The study population is represented by workers tested by antigen rapid test during the observation study period, either for asymptomatic screening or clinical suspicion reasons. Different jobs have been divided in three sectors: Construction Site, Services, Office. Regarding age, workers were divided into three groups: Group 1 (18-30 years), Group 2 (31-50 years), Group 3 (51-70 years). Results and conclusions: The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the sample was 4.59% (95% CI 4.33 - 4.84). Among COVID-19 cases, the most represented job was the Construction Site (79.71%), followed by the Office (18.84%) and finally by the Services (1.45%). Regarding age, Group 3 (57.97%) is the most common, followed by Group 2 (31.88%) and Group 1 (10.15%). A correct management of COVID-19 in workplaces is essential to prevent the spread of the infection among workers. In this case adoption of preventive measures guaranteed the maintenance of the operations in safety and avoiding secondary cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The results of this study could be useful in order to plan further prevention and testing/ screening interventions aimed to ensuring the mitigation of the infection in the workplaces during the next phases of the epidemic characterized by a progressive endemization of the virus.