Health and Safety Issues of an Aging Workforce

[Excerpt] What do we mean by an “aging workforce”? As we live longer and healthier, older people continue to grow as a proportion of the working population. The number of workers of age 45 and older has doubled since 1950. Workers \u3e55 years of age are the workforce’s fastest growing group. While many enjoy their jobs, satisfied to be useful and productive, for others, there is no choice -- expenses, especially health care costs, necessitate postponing retirement. As baby boomers retire, they are followed by a substantially-smaller younger generation. Many employers want to attract and retain more experienced workers. Older workers are safer workers,but aging can sometimes make an injury more severe. An example would be a fall for a young person producing bruises, whereas a fall from the same height for an older person produces broken bones. Or an older person might see more strains and sprains from a job than a younger person. Certainly, as we age, our rate of healing is slower and we might need more time for recuperation than a younger person