Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, outbreaks of cases in workplaces have frequently been reported worldwide. Some industries have seen elevated rates of outbreaks, including healthcare settings, where the risk of exposure to patients with COVID-19 is high, and essential services, where work is unable to be carried out from home.

This study, from Theme 1 researchers on the PROTECT NCS, and published in the BMJ journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, examined variation in workplace COVID-19 outbreak rates by Middle Layer Super Output Area (MSOA—geographical areas with resident populations between 5000 and 15 000 persons) in England, according to workplace characteristics, the characteristics of the local population of the workers, and the neighbourhood characteristics around the workplace. Researchers sought to to identify potential risk factors associated with workplace outbreaks of COVID-19 in different industry settings.

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