Document sans titre
As
the number of employees over the age of 55 continues to rise, businesses are
faced with the challenge of retaining these valuable workers while reducing
health- and injury-related losses. Studies by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
show that aging workers have fewer workplace injuries, but diabetes, hypertension
and other age-related ailments are helping to increase employers' costs associated
with medical insurance and lost work production.
But
businesses can help mitigate their losses by improving policies and workplace
design to allow employees to continue to work in a safe and healthy environment,
said Tina Minter, a Loss Control specialist with the Chubb Group of Insurance
Companies.
"Older
workers are highly valued by employers for their judgment, flexibility, experience
and creativity," Minter said. "Fortunately, many of them will work beyond the
traditional retirement age of 65, due partly to advances in health care. This
presents both opportunities and challenges to businesses, which will need to
adapt to maintain a safe work environment for these workers."
Minter
and her colleague, Russell Dronne, a Chubb Loss Control specialist based in
New York, led a session titled, "The Aging Workforce-It's Not Just Ergonomics,"
last week at the American Society of Safety Engineers' (ASSE) Professional Development
Conference and Exposition, Safety 2008, in Las Vegas.
Although
injury rates among older workers are lower than those of their younger counterparts,
according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, other factors can contribute to
increased health and safety exposures: age-related chronic disorders and diseases;
loss of hearing; impaired vision; and physical and cognitive limitations.
Minter
advises businesses to take action to address each of these risk factors. Some
examples of what businesses can do include:
-
Allow for flexible
work hours so that those with poor night vision can adjust their start and
finish time to coincide with daylight hours;
-
Encourage employees
to use the health care system for preventative well visits;
-
Eliminate heavy lifts,
elevated work from ladders and long reaches;
-
Encourage employees
working at a computer to take small breaks every 30 minutes;
-
Don't rely on sound
as the sole means of emergency communications, as employees with hearing
loss may not hear announcements.
"Employers
should include older workers in the design process and seek outside professionals
for assistance in adapting the workplace, training and human resources policies
to fit the aging workforce," Dronne said.
Minter's
and Dronne's session was one of seven led by Chubb Loss Control specialists
at this year's ASSE conference. Other topics covered by Chubb included nanotechnology,
global supply chain exposures, fire protection, sprinkler design and OSHA inspections.
Chubb's
Loss Control Services unit provides loss prevention and premium audit services
to more than 100,000 customers annually. With more than 400 risk engineers around
the world, the unit offers Chubb customers specialized assistance in disaster
planning; fire prevention, detection and suppression; employee health and safety;
cargo security; preventive-maintenance planning; and asset protection.
The
member insurers of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies form a multi-billion
dollar organization providing property and casualty insurance for personal and
commercial customers worldwide through 8,500 independent agents and brokers.
Chubb's global network includes branches and affiliates in North America, Europe,
Latin America, Asia and Australia.
Home
