Hastings Insurance Logo
  • Insurance
  • About Us
  • Safety Tips
  • Blog
  • Find an Agent
  • Contact
  • Login
  • magnifying glass icon
 

Secure your
future today!

Get a Quote

Share

Tweet

Share

Email

Aging Workforce Guide

Mar 7, 2025, 3:30 PM

older construction worker

The population of the United States continues to get older. About 29% of the U.S. is age 55 or older, and many are working for more years than earlier generations did. As they age, workers face new health and workplace injury risks, especially strain and soreness, and they are more likely to heal slowly and suffer complications from injuries.

According to the Professional Safety, Occupational Medicine, and the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Journal, “Companies need to be flexible in their job operations to try to accommodate to the aging worker. When people age their physical capabilities diminish and in time, job demand exceeds worker capabilities. Studies of skilled and semi-skilled workers show a peak of work performance in the late 30s and early 40s with a decline in skill in their 50s and 60s. In addition, recovery time and job-related fatalities are higher.”

Frequent injuries for older workers include soreness from repetitive work, shoulder injuries (especially rotator cuff), and knee injuries. Some of the main physical factors contributing to these injuries, and suggestions for managing them at work, are found below:

Risk FactorManagement Options
Vision
  • Encourage vision exams
  • Increase general and task lighting
  • Use more signs if needed
Flexibility
  • Promote stretching during the day
  • Implement a wellness program
Balance and Reaction
  • Pay extra attention to walking surfaces
  • Consider different footwear with better slip resistance
  • Evaluate job assignments that may involve climbing ladders or working at elevations
  • Illuminate stairs and use floor markings to highlight stairs
  • Use handrails
Strength and Posture
  • Provide safe lifting training
  • Change breaks to provide shorter, but more frequent breaks
  • Consider more extended use of lift assists and keep work at comfortable heights and reaches
Cardiovascular
  • Evaluate job assignments
  • Implement a wellness program

 

Other options to help reduce the risk of injuries to an older workforce include:

  • Re-evaluate all workstations for ergonomic risk factors. Modify workstations to accommodate aging workers, especially where awkward postures like bending or reaching are noted. The addition of adjustable workstations is a good engineering control that can reduce some work injury. Adjustable stations can reduce back injuries while increasing both productivity and worker morale.
  • Review lifting requirements to decide if weights need to be reduced.
  • Establish an ergonomic response team and policy. The team will respond to any employee concern about a task or complaint of discomfort. Educate all employees and management about the importance of their participation to address all strain exposures early and quickly.
  • Select appropriate lighting in the workplace. Eyesight deteriorates with age so lighting that seems adequate for a younger worker may not be suitable for an older person.
  • Promote exercise, healthy diet, and the reduction of alcohol and tobacco use among employees.
  • Change job functions to the preference of the aging worker. Aging employees who have declining physical capabilities have an increased risk of work-related injury if work demands remain constant over time. Many job functions can be tailored to fit the needs and capabilities of older workers.
  • Encourage mentoring relationships between older and younger workers. Knowledge can be passed on to the younger worker. This also moves some of the physical demand away from the older workers to the more capable younger workers.
  • Move injured workers back to work through a transitional job duty program and not directly into their job. Advance them to more demanding tasks as they improve.
  • Create and maintain a database for the physical demands of each job.

 

Download This Article

pdf
Aging Workforce Guide (pdf)

Additional Safety Topics

  • Safety Tips
  • Workplace Safety
  • Driving Safety
  • Home Safety
  • Farm Safety

Check Out All Our Products

Commercial Insurance Built for You

We offer a wide range of Commercial insurance products. Find the product that's right for you!

Types of Business Insurance
 

Get Insurance for Your Car and Home

You need to protect more than just your business. Get insurance for your personal property too!

Personal Lines Insurance
 

Insurance for All Types of Farms

Hastings offers a range of products specifically designed for farmers.

Farm Insurance

Secure your
future today!

Get a Quote

Hastings Insurance Company
404 E. Woodlawn Ave.
Hastings, MI 49058

 

Monday-Friday
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (EST)

 

(800) 442-8277


Insurance Journal Super Regional P/C Insurer
A.M. Best's Standing the Test of Time - rated A or higher for 50 years
CIO 100 Winner
Hastings Mutual Insurance Company BBB Business Review

Find An Agent
Report a Claim
Make A Payment

  • Careers
  • Contact
  • In the News

Terms of Use and Privacy Statement©  Hastings Insurance Company. All rights reserved.

  1. Home
  2. Safety Tips
  3. Safety-Post