abstract: 'Background The evolving pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

  has become a severe threat to public health, and the workplace presents

  high risks in terms of spreading the disease. Few studies have focused

  on the relationship between workplace policy and individual behaviours.

  This study aimed to identify inequalities of workplace policy across

  occupation groups, examine the relationship of workplace guidelines and

  measures with employees'' behaviours regarding COVID-19 prevention.

  Methods A cross-sectional online survey using a structured questionnaire

  was conducted to gather employees'' access to workplace guidelines and

  measures as well as their personal protection behaviours. Statistical

  associations between these two factors in different occupations were

  examined using multiple ordinal logistic regressions. Results A total of

  1048 valid responses across five occupational groups were analysed.

  Manual labourers reported lower availability of workplace guidelines and

  measures (76.9\% vs. 89.9\% for all, P = 0.003). Employees with

  available workplace guidelines and measures had higher compliance of

  hand hygiene, wearing masks, and social distancing, and this association

  was more significant among managers/administrators and manual labourers.

  Conclusions Protection of the quantity and quality of employment is

  important. Awareness about the disease and its prevention among

  employers and administrators should be promoted, and resources should be

  allocated to publish guidelines and implement measures in the workplace

  during the pandemic. Both work-from-home arrangement and other policies

  and responses for those who cannot work from home including guidelines

  encouraging the health behaviours, information transparency, and

  provision of infection control materials by employers should be

  established to reduce inequality. Manual labourers may require specific

  attention regarding accessibility of relevant information and

  availability of medical benefits and compensation for income loss due to

  the sickness, given their poorer experience of workplace policy and the

  nature of their work. Further studies are needed to test the

  effectiveness of specific workplace policies on COVID-19 prevention.'
affiliation: 'Wong, ELY (Corresponding Author), Chinese Univ Hong Kong, Fac Med, JC
  Sch Publ Hlth \& Primary Care, Ctr Hlth Syst \& Policy Res, Hong Kong, Peoples R
  China.

  Wang, Kailu; Wong, Eliza Lai Yi; Cheung, Annie Wai Ling; Yeoh, Eng Kiong, Chinese
  Univ Hong Kong, Fac Med, JC Sch Publ Hlth \& Primary Care, Ctr Hlth Syst \& Policy
  Res, Hong Kong, Peoples R China.

  Ho, Kin Fai; Chan, Emily Ying Yang; Wong, Samuel Yeung Shan, Chinese Univ Hong Kong,
  Fac Med, JC Sch Publ Hlth \& Primary Care, Hong Kong, Peoples R China.'
article-number: '200'
author: Wang, Kailu and Wong, Eliza Lai Yi and Ho, Kin Fai and Cheung, Annie Wai Ling
  and Chan, Emily Ying Yang and Wong, Samuel Yeung Shan and Yeoh, Eng Kiong
author-email: lywong@cuhk.edu.hk
author_list:
- family: Wang
  given: Kailu
- family: Wong
  given: Eliza Lai Yi
- family: Ho
  given: Kin Fai
- family: Cheung
  given: Annie Wai Ling
- family: Chan
  given: Emily Ying Yang
- family: Wong
  given: Samuel Yeung Shan
- family: Yeoh
  given: Eng Kiong
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1186/s12939-021-01527-x
eissn: 1475-9276
files: []
journal: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR EQUITY IN HEALTH
keywords: 'COVID-19; Prevention; Workplace policy; Personal protection behaviour;

  Occupation'
language: English
month: SEP 7
number: '1'
number-of-cited-references: '37'
orcid-numbers: 'Ho, Kin Fai/0000-0001-7464-3437

  Wong, Eliza/0000-0001-9983-6219'
papis_id: 3add2ec0c573bd5133585b161eb474a5
ref: Wang2021unequalavailability
researcherid-numbers: 'Ho, Kin Fai/E-6131-2011

  '
times-cited: '5'
title: 'Unequal availability of workplace policy for prevention of coronavirus disease
  2019 across occupations and its relationship with personal protection behaviours:
  a cross-sectional survey'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000695469100003
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '7'
volume: '20'
web-of-science-categories: Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health
year: '2021'