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Gastrointestinal illness among contract construction workers at a chicken processing facility—Minnesota, 2016
Author(s) -
Hall Victoria,
Scheftel Joni,
Holzbauer Stacy,
Smith Kirk
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.22927
Subject(s) - medicine , staffing , outbreak , workforce , diarrhea , environmental health , odds ratio , odds , campylobacter , personal protective equipment , infectious disease (medical specialty) , disease , medical emergency , nursing , logistic regression , covid-19 , virology , biology , bacteria , economics , genetics , economic growth
Background After Campylobacter infection was reported in a contract construction worker (contractor) at a chicken processing facility, we described the illness and determined illness associations with workforce exposure. Methods Case finding was conducted by reportable disease surveillance and contractor interviews. A case was defined as either diarrhea and fever, or diarrhea lasting ≥3 days during January‐September, 2016. Results Fourteen cases were identified among 74 contractors interviewed; four were laboratory‐confirmed (two Campylobacter , two Salmonella ). Cases were more likely to perform electrical work (odds ratio [OR] 10.4, P < 0.001), take breaks in unofficial areas (OR 6.4, P = 0.01), bring drinks into work areas (OR 4.2, P = 0.02), and have contact with poultry fluids (OR 6.4, P = 0.03). Only 23 (31%) contractors reported infectious disease prevention training. Conclusions This outbreak emphasizes the importance of training contractors for all potential hazards. Host employers and staffing agencies share responsibility for contractor safety.