2. MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT THE AGING WORKFORCE
MYTH: You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
FACT: Older employees may take longer to master something new, but
they will become just as skilled as younger workers once they "get it.“
MYTH: It's not cost-effective to spend money training older workers.
FACT: Older workers stay on the job after training as long as younger
ones. Training for workers of all ages is a sound investment.
MYTH: Older workers' drive up workers' compensation costs.
FACT: When injured, older workers recover more slowly than younger
workers. But younger workers have higher injury rates. These balance
out, with neither causing higher overall costs.
MYTH: As they age, workers become less productive.
FACT: Older workers boost their productivity by finding "smarter" ways to
accomplish demanding tasks. Even though younger workers are generally
healthier, they tend to miss more work, which reduces productivity.
MYTH: It's too late for older workers to adopt healthy lifestyles.
FACT: All workers can benefit from healthy choices like quitting tobacco,
managing weight, and participating in wellness programs. NIOSH says
health is a result of choices made over a lifetime, which is why it's
important for people of all ages to take steps to enhance health. It's
never too late—or too soon—to start making better choices.

4. With Americans living longer they are also working longer, making older workers an invaluable
part of any company. They bring wisdom, knowledge and experience to many aspects of business.
They can become mentors for younger and less experienced workers. However, there are certain
changes that occur to both the body and mind of every individual as they age, which can effect
safety in the workplace if an employer is unaware of them and does not take steps to keep aging
workers safe. Some changes that occur as worker age can include: loss of former strength and
muscular flexibility; range of motion becomes limited; loss of sense of balance; deterioration of
vision; and the mind and thinking processes react more slowly. All these changes can have an
impact on safety in the workplace.

7. Muscular
As muscles lose mass they also lose strength, making them respond more slowly and tire more
quickly. To ensure safety on the workplace after the loss of strength and muscular flexibility, older
workers should practice certain safety measures.
• Avoid keeping the muscles in a fixed posture or • Avoid extreme demands on the joints.
performing only one kind of movement. • Exercise at least 30 minutes every day to keep fit
• Avoid twisting the torso while lifting, as it leads and flexible. Start with ten-minute increments.
to back injuries. • Use bright lighting and provide handrails.
• Κeep work activity in the “neutral” zone, the area • Use non-slip surfaces on the stair treads.
from the thighs to the shoulders. • Use color contrast to identify different raised or
• Step up close to the object to be lifted and keep uneven areas.
the object close to the body. • Provide good environmental lighting.
• Avoid prolonged bending, particularly below • Encourage the use of handrails.
knee level. • Encourage slip resistant low-heeled shoes on the
• Choose a clear path to the object’s destination. job.
• Lift objects from waist level. • Minimize background noises to accommodate
• Use a mechanical aid or get help from coworkers hearing problems.
if the object is too heavy. • Use sound-absorbing construction material.
• Avoid repetitive tasks by incorporating job • Avoid creating locations that have echoes.
rotations.
• Avoid prolonged standing and prolonged sitting.
• If prolonged standing is necessary, provide
anti-fatigue mats.

8. Balance
Older workers may find they have a problem with balance. Inner ear problems and a tendency to deafness in
one ear can also lead to problems with balance. This may be the reason why older people experience more falls
and broken bones. Slips and falls account for 14 percent to 40 percent of non-fatal occupational injuries. Injuries
involving falls are more common to older workers. Older workers can take certain safety measures to ensure
safety in the workplace when there may be balance loss.
• Perform strength and balance training to • Match work with abilities. Some older workers
maintain the sense of balance. are at risk if required to use ladders or scaffolds.
• Exercise in a swimming pool to provide a • Practice good housekeeping and keep walkways
reduced weight-bearing environment. clear and free of obstructions.
This can be especially helpful. • Clean up spills immediately and keep floors and
• Avoid marble, polished wood, and tile flooring carpets in good repair.
were possible. • Use absorbent materials to reduce slipping.
• Wear good fitting footwear with non-slippery • Avoid equipment that obstructs vision, especially
soles and preferably lace up shoes. peripheral vision.
Employers can apply safety practices in • Use high contrast colors on risers and treads on
the workplace to prevent falls and other stairs.
significant injuries to older workers and
other employees.
• Maintain exterior walkways in good condition.
Check for uneven surfaces, cracks,
accumulation of debris, and weather
hazards due to rain, snow, or ice.

9. Circulatory
Circulatory problems affect people as they age,
causing them to feel cold and heat more acutely. In
the summer time, employers are aware that outside
workers need more water and rest breaks to cope with
heat stress. These precautions especially apply to the
older worker, since age, weight and medications often
interfere with body functions that naturally cool the
body. In the winter, employers should protect workers
against low temperatures, dampness, cold water,
and wind conditions. Hazard abatement should be an
employer’s first choice in worker protection, followed
by protective equipment for all workers, not simply Respiratory
the older workers. Respiratory functions decline from 15 percent to 25
percent from age 20 to age 65. Oxygen uptake sharply
declines after the age of 50, making intense physical
activity more difficult for older workers. Older workers
should practice safety when performing their duties
and other physical activity in the workplace.
• Avoid strenuous work in hot/humid or cold
environments.
• Reduce exposure to temperature extremes.
• Take precautions to avoid dehydration in hot
environments. Drink plenty of
non-caffeinated/non-alcoholic beverages.
• Avoid physically demanding work if the worker
is not conditioned for such work.
• Take frequent breaks.
• Allow for self-paced work rather than machine paced
work.

10. Vision
Vision begins to deteriorate for many people in
their forties sometimes requiring prescription glasses
to correct various eye problems. Workers may need
prescription safety glasses in their jobs. Employers can
protect older workers with vision problems by making
adjustments in the workplace.
• Improve contrast between objects by increasing
the candlepower of the existing lighting.
• Install brighter lighting in the workplace.
• Install glare screens on computers to prevent eyestrain
and headaches.
• Avoid shades of blue, blue on green or blue on
black in the work environment; older workers
have difficulty in distinguishing between
these colors.
• Make signs clear, easily seen and easy to read and
follow.
• Eliminate the need for older workers to constantly
move between bright areas and shady or dim
areas.
• Reduce glare by using shades, awnings, diffuse
Light sources, adjustable lighting, and indirect
lighting.
• Encourage workers to get their eyes checked
regularly.

11. Mental
Certain mental processes do tend to decline with
aging. Studies have shown that the greatest mental
abilities occur in the 30s and 40s and then start to
minimally decline in the late 50s and early 60s, but
only to a small extent. Not until after the early 80s do
30 percent to 40 percent of people experience a significant
decline in their mental capacity.
Mental processing and reaction time does slow with
age and older people will take longer to process mental
tasks than their younger coworkers. Given enough
time, older workers can perform mental tasks just as
well as their younger counterparts. It is important to
note that changes in physical condition and mental
ability do not happen to everyone as they age. There is
a wide variety in ability among aging individuals and
since functional decline is small it should not interfere
with normal day-to-day tasks. Older workers may take
longer to learn new tasks, but they are still capable of
learning new things.

13. Specific Safety Concerns for Older Workers:
* Shorter memory.
* More easily distracted, e.g., by environmental noise.
* Slower reaction time.
* Declining vision and hearing.
* Poorer sense of balance.
* Denial of decreasing abilities, which can lead to employees trying to work past their new limits.
* These physical limitations lead to the following injury types for older workers:
-Falls caused by poor balance, slowed reaction time, visual problems, or distractions
-Sprains and strains from loss of strength, endurance, and flexibility
-Cardiopulmonary overexertion in heat or cold, at heights, using respirators, or in
confined spaces
-Health- or disease-related illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, coronary
artery disease, or hypertension.
-Accumulation injuries from years of doing the same task, e.g., truck drivers who
experience loss of hearing in left ear from road noise with cab window open.
* Look for these signs that older workers may need accommodations:
-Physical signs, such as fatigue, tripping
-Psychological or emotional signs, such as loss of patience, irritability
-Feedback from supervisors or co-workers on declining performance
-Numbers and patterns of sick days
-History of minor injuries or near misses
* Use these strategies for protecting older workers:
-Find ways to work smarter, not harder.
-Decrease exertional activities, such as in heat or cold or climbing ladders.
-Adjust work areas, such as installing better lighting, reducing noise, removing
obstacles, and decreasing the need to bend or stoop.
-Redefine what constitutes "productive."

14. Most experts agree that despite the aging process and its risks, older workers are not likely to take it easy on the
job. Even though older workers face additional obstacles to performing their job, they bring experience and
knowledge and an excellent work ethic to the job, making them a valuable part of the work force.
Equipment, facilities and work processes can be improved to account for the limitations of the aging workforce and
to take advantage of their experience and capabilities. Knowing that there is no one-size- fits-all solution, the
following are suggestions that can increase workplace safety for an aging workforce; Implementing these changes
would not only help older workers, but would benefit all workers.
• Improve illumination, add color contrast.
• Ergonomic evaluations of workstations and workspaces can identify causes of fatigue and strain for older
workers.
• Safe driving – Death rates for work-related roadway crashes increase steadily beginning at around age 55, and
older drivers (55 and above) are more likely than other drivers to have a crash at an intersection or
when merging or changing lanes on a highway.
• Reduce static standing time.
• Remove clutter from control panels and computer screens and use large video displays.
• Reduce noise levels.
• Install skid resistant material for flooring and especially for stair treads – helps reduce falls.
• Utilize hands free volume adjustable telephone equipment.
• Increase task rotation which will reduce the strain of repetitive motion.
• Lower sound system pitches, such as on alarm systems, as they tend to be easier to hear.
• Lengthen time requirements between steps in a task.
• Increase the time allowed for making decisions.
• Consider necessary reaction time when assigning older workers to tasks.
• Provide opportunities for practice and time to develop task familiarity.
• Eliminate heavy lifts, elevated work from ladders and long reaches.
• Design work floors and platforms with smooth and solid decking while still allowing some cushioning.
• Install chain actuators for valve hand wheels, damper levers or other similar control devices – this brings the
control manipulation to ground level – helps reduce falls.
• Install shallow-angle stairways in place of ladders when space permits and where any daily elevated access is
needed to complete a task – helps reduce falls.

15. http://www.croetweb.com/links.cfm?topicID=91
http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/pubs/videoresource/fsageinwork.pdf
http://www.zurichna.com/internet/zna/SiteCollectionDocuments/en/Products/ahps/MTGMatAgeWFCons.pdf
http://safety.blr.com/workplace-safety-news/safety-administration/safety-general/Managing-Safety-for-the-Aging-Workforce/