Preventing Internal COVID-19 Outbreaks within Businesses and Institutions: A Methodology Based on Social Networks Analysis for Supporting Occupational Health and Safety Services Decision Making

Elena Calvo Gallardo, Juan Carlos Fernandez de Arroyabe and Nieves Arranz
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Elena Calvo Gallardo: CIRCE Foundation-Research Centre for Energy Resources and Consumption-Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
Juan Carlos Fernandez de Arroyabe: Essex Business School, University of Essex, Southend-on-Sea SS1 1LW, UK
Nieves Arranz: Department of Applied Economics, School of Economics and Business, UNED, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: This study aims at developing and demonstrating in a real case study a methodology for supporting Occupational Health and Safety Services in the design and assessment of preventive measures to reduce the risks of COVID-19 outbreaks within their entities. The proposed methodology applies the concepts from Social Network Analysis (SNA) to the current challenge of preventing risks of contagion of viruses like SARS-COV-2 among employees. For this purpose, the authors consider a network of employees whose interaction is caused by triggers, which are defined as common circumstances between two workers that may result in contagion, like sharing an office or participating in the same management board. The network cohesion is then evaluated, and those core nodes, which are the most significant contributors to its integration, are identified to be addressed in the design of the preventive measures. The impact of the designed preventive measures on the networks’ cohesion is assessed for its prioritization and further deployment. The methodology has been demonstrated in a real case, a Spanish Research Center, providing promising results in a quick and easy manner. The objective insights provided by its application were demonstrated as very valuable for the Occupational Health and Safety Services in the design and evaluation of the set of preventing measures to be implemented before the return of the employees to the facilities after the Spanish confinement period. The current COVID-19 outbreak brings the need to develop tools and methods to support businesses and institutions in the use of SNA for preventing outbreaks among their employees. Although some literature does exist in the field of SNA application in epidemiology, its adaptation for extensive use by the Occupational and Health Services is still a challenge.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-COV-2; coronavirus; workers; risk; preventive measures; decision making; infection prevention; protection; job shift; epidemiology; public health; social network analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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