At least 59 workers in Massachusetts have died from the coronavirus after potentially being exposed to the virus at work, according to a new report from the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health.
The 59 dead Bay State employees is likely a “massive undercount” of workers lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, MassCOSH said on Thursday. More than 1,300 working-age state residents (ages 18 to 69) died from the virus between March and July.
“We do not know how many Massachusetts workers have lost their lives to COVID-19,” the MassCOSH report states. “We do know of 59 workers who died of COVID-19 after potential workplace exposures. We honor them here, as we think of the many others whose names we may never know.”
Of the 59 workers who died of COVID-19 after potentially being exposed at work, many of them worked in nursing homes and long-term care facilities — which have been hit hard by the virus. More than 5,800 coronavirus deaths have been reported at long-term care facilities in Massachusetts.
Other employees who died included those who worked in grocery stores or were Bay State police officers.
“Sadly, that number, which is already 59 too high, will likely continue to rise as we learn of more workers who were infected on the job and lost their lives,” the MassCOSH report reads.
According to data from the state Department of Public Health, 1,349 working-age Massachusetts residents died of COVID-19 from March 10 through July 31.
“In most of those cases, there is no record of the individual’s occupation, industry, employer, or whether the individual had worked outside the home during the two weeks before becoming sick,” the report states.
Nearly 15,000 people with a known occupation have tested positive for the virus — including 6,857 medical professionals; 1,936 retail food workers; and 1,081 construction workers.
“These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg, as 87,000 Massachusetts working-age residents tested positive for COVID-19 from March 10 to July 31,” according to the report.
MassCOSH is calling for “dramatic action” from the government to prevent workers from getting sick and dying from the virus.
This includes passing legislation to increase the production and supply of personal protective equipment, enact an OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard to protect workers from airborne infectious disease, extend unemployment insurance, and expand mandated paid sick and family leave.
The workers group is also pushing regulations from the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards to “protect all public and private sector workers (including but not limited to those in health care, grocery stores, restaurants and in schools), with requirements for robust ventilation and filtration systems in all indoor environments.”
