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Factors associated with food workers working while experiencing vomiting or diarrhea
Steven Sumner1, Laura Green Brown, Roberta Frick
1Duke University Hospital, Medical Research, Room 8254DN, 2301 Erwin Road, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
Journal of Food Protection
|February 22, 2011
Summary
Food workers frequently work while sick with vomiting or diarrhea. Policies encouraging illness reporting and reducing work pressure can decrease this risky behavior in food service.
Area of Science:
- Food safety
- Occupational health
- Public health
Background:
- Food workers experiencing vomiting or diarrhea pose a significant risk for pathogen transmission.
- Understanding the prevalence and contributing factors of this behavior is crucial for preventing foodborne illnesses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of food workers working while experiencing vomiting or diarrhea.
- To identify restaurant and worker characteristics associated with this behavior.
Main Methods:
- Interviews were conducted with 491 food workers and 387 managers across nine states in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Environmental Health Specialists Network.
- Multivariable regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with repeatedly working while ill.
Main Results:
- 11.9% of food workers reported working while experiencing vomiting or diarrhea on two or more shifts in the past year.
- Factors associated with working while ill included high meal volume, lack of illness reporting policies, absence of on-call staff, limited manager experience, and male gender.
Conclusions:
- Policies promoting illness reporting and mitigating work pressures are recommended to reduce food workers working while sick.
- Interventions should address both systemic factors within restaurants and individual worker circumstances.
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