Efficacia delle misure volte a contenere la diffusione del virus Sars-Cov-2 negli ambienti di lavoro: un’indagine in nove aziende con sede nella regione Veneto

Abstract

Introduction: During the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic, occupational health physicians worked to respond to different needs of workers, employers, and health authorities. In collaboration with the Prevention Department of the Veneto region of Italy, a survey was promoted in nine manufacturing companies in the province of Padua, to investigate the prevalence of asymptomatic SarsCov-2 virus and the immunological status of 1,267 workers. Scope: The study was aimed at verifying the effectiveness of measures to contain the virus spread among workers in the workplace as required by the agreement between the social partners signed on March 14, 2020. Methods: The survey was carried out at workplaces by trained health physicians and almost all company workers enrolled on a voluntary basis. Each worker was tested for viral RNA using nasopharyngeal swab and for IgM and IgG antibodies by drawing venous or capillary blood, according to the availability of tests at that difficult period. Results: Swab-positive workers were 0.3%, and subjects with positive serological tests were 1.6% of the total workers examined. Discussion: The diagnostic test is based on the search for viral RNA through nasopharyngeal swab. To evaluate the immunological status of workers the CLIA or Elisa quantitative serological test should be preferred. Measures to contain the virus spreading at the workplace seem to be effective, as working settings do not entail any additional risk of SarsCov-2 infection.