Occupations by Proximity and Indoor/Outdoor Work: Relevance to COVID-19 in All Workers and Black/Hispanic Workers

Introduction This paper describes occupations in the U.S. that involve close contact with others and whether the work is outdoors or indoors (risk factors for coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]), including the distribution of Black and Hispanic workers over these occupations. Methods U.S. data released from 2014 to 2019 on employment, proximity to others at work, outdoor or indoor work, and Black and Hispanic worker percentages for occupations were used. Occupations were assigned to 6 categories defined as low, medium, or high physical closeness (proximity) at work and outdoor or indoor work. Three of the 6 categories represent higher risk for exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): medium proximity indoor, high proximity outdoor, and high proximity indoor exposure. Results A high proportion of U.S. workers may be at higher risk for exposure to SARS-CoV-2 because their occupations involve either high proximity to others indoors and outdoors (25.2%, 36.5 million workers) or medium proximity indoors (48%, 69.6 million workers). There is differential distribution of proximity and outdoor/indoor work by occupation, which disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic workers in some occupations. Conclusions Implementation of COVID-19 preventive measures in work settings should be based on occupation-specific risk factors, including the extent of proximity to others and whether the work is conducted outdoors or indoors. It is important that communication messages are tailored to the languages and preferred media of the workforce.