Introduction Occupational health and safety (OHS) practices witnessed profound changes worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic exposed critical vulnerabilities in workplace preparedness, particularly among workers in high-exposure and essential service sectors. Methods A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines using PubMed, Google Scholar, DOAJ, ResearchGate, and gray literature sources. Studies published between January 2020 and December 2024 focusing on occupational exposure, workplace transmission, OHS guidelines, and workforce health during COVID-19 were included. Results Healthcare workers experienced the highest occupational risk due to sustained patient contact and aerosol-generating procedures, accompanied by significant psychological distress and burnout. Essential workers, manufacturing sectors, retail workers, educators, and informal sector workers also faced substantial occupational and socioeconomic challenges. Workplace interventions including engineering controls, administrative controls, PPE use, vaccination strategies, and digital surveillance tools reduced workplace transmission. Remote-enabled sectors demonstrated lower infection risk but increased mental health concerns. Discussion The COVID-19 pandemic transformed traditional OHS frameworks by integrating infectious disease preparedness, vaccination strategies, mental health support, and workplace surveillance into occupational safety systems. The findings emphasize the need for integrated, adaptive, and equitable OHS frameworks aligned with public health preparedness to strengthen workforce resilience against future pandemics.
Birhman et al. (2026) studied this question.