Safety and comfort of wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic among employees of transport companies

Abstract

Introduction. Wearing a face mask causes adverse reactions in part of the population. These reactions can be associated with the workplace conditions. The study aims to analyze subjective reactions to the wearing of masks by employees of transport companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods. In September 2021 the researchers have conducted a survey of transport companies’ workers in various regions of the Russian Federation. Specialists from Sechenov University have developed a questionnaire. The workers gave the subjective assessment of wearing comfort, frequency and severity of adverse reactions to wearing a mask: skin reactions, facial hyperhidrosis, breathing discomfort, and headache. Results. We have conducted a survey of 4,732 employees (72.3% men) who used non-woven, neoprene and cotton masks during the pandemic. The wearing comfort of workers with an energy consumption of less than 139 watts was significantly higher than that of all others. In workers with an energy consumption of 233-290 watts, almost all reactions were more pronounced compared to workers with the lowest energy consumption. In women, reactions appeared more often and were more pronounced than in men. In persons working in the warmest climatic region (IV), all reactions were the least pronounced, and comfort was maximal. Those working more than 12 hours a day noted a more frequent and pronounced appearance of all reactions compared to those working 8 hours. Wearing a mask was more comfortable for those working mainly indoors. Conclusion. Studies allow us to conclude that the portability of masks depends more on the level of energy consumption during operation. The climatic region, the duration of the work shift and the preferred place of work (indoors / outdoors) are somewhat less important. Limitations. In this study, scientists analyzed the effect of only working conditions on the appearance of adverse reactions to wearing a mask. We have not considered the influence of the mask material and the duration of its wearing, which is the topic of a separate publication. Experts have conducted the study only based on the analysis of subjective assessments of anonymous survey participants. During an objective examination, the dermatologist did not conduct an examination of the appearance of skin reactions. However, a large sample size allows us to draw reliable conclusions. Ethics. The study was approved by the local Ethics committee (Protocol No. 15-21 of 01.09.2021).