Purpose of the Study
The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on workers and posed challenges for workplace health and safety. Understanding the types of work settings in which COVID-19 transmission occurred most frequently, and the occupations and industries that were most affected, can help inform prevention policies and practices.
Study Objectives
This study examined occupational differences in COVID-19 testing, diagnosis, hospitalization and emergency department visits.
Study Methods
The Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS) is a system that monitors disease outcomes among more than two million Ontario workers.
Workers in the ODSS were linked to the Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS) to identify COVID-19 testing and cases, the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) to identify COVID-19 hospitalizations, and the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS) to identify COVID-19 emergency department visits between 2020 and 2021. These data sources were used to examine risk of COVID-19 by occupation, industry, and geographic region.
Key Findings
The risk of COVID-19 among workers in the ODSS, compared to all other workers in the ODSS:
 COVID-19 infection among Ontario workers based on PCR test results |
 COVID-19 infection among Ontario workers based on hospital records |
| See the Infographic | See the Infographic |
The risk of COVID-19 among workers in the ODSS, compared to the general population of Ontario:
 COVID-19 related hospitalization and emergency department visits among Ontario workers |
| See the Infographic |