Demography of the Aging Workforce: Implications for Workplace Health and Safety

Population demographics of the baby boom generation and the severe economic contraction of recent years are changing the profile of the US workforce, raising multiple social, economic, cultural, and health issues. The population of workers over 55 will grow because some want to continue working while others are forced to financially. Older workers generally have lower risk of traumatic workplace injury but higher severity when injury occurs. However, specific categories of incidents, like falls, increase with age. The increased prevalence of chronic health conditions with age can also interact with work exposures to increase risk and complicate recovery. Surveys of organizations and managers indicate that awareness of the aging of the workforce far outpaces specific strategies for addressing health and safety, productivity, and work/life concerns. Experience with Washington's “Designing the Age Friendly Workplace” curriculum will be presented to illustrate both the potential and the challenges of aging issues. The aging workforce can provide an opportunity to bridge the historical divide between occupational safety and health and workplace health promotion, if properly approached. An effective approach must focus on aging workers rather than solely on older workers. Interventions to reduce particular exposures and conditions in older workers, e.g. through ergonomic improvements, can clearly benefit workers of all ages. Aging also brings into focus many work-life balance questions, opening opportunities to address work organization policies. Subsequent presentations in this proposed 90-minute session will elaborate on these training and design interventions.