Business Incubator Insurance Vol 2 (2014, March) | Page 3
Older Workers Need Longer Recovery Time
Workers’ Comp Data
Workers age 65 and older had the lowest incidence rate of nonfatal
occupational injuries and illnesses, with 89 cases per 10,000 full-time workers
in 2012. Workers ages 45-54 had more cases of injuries and illnesses than any
other age group, with more than 290,000 cases.
(Continued from previous page.)
Primary prevention of
workplace injuries
While older workers are less likely to suffer severe work injuries than their
younger counterparts, if they do get ill or injured on the job, the time they’ll
need away from work to recover is much longer.
Early detection of health
outcomes in worker
populations
According to recent data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers
age 65 and older spent an average of 14 days away from work to recover from
an occupational injury or illness, while the median for all other age groups was
nine days.
Identification of effective
medical treatment
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau suggests that by 2016, one-third of the total
U.S. workforce will be age 50 or older. When it comes to managing an aging
workforce, it’s important to understand aspects of the aging process—including
loss of visual acuity, hearing loss, decreased aerobic capacity and
osteoporosis—that might increase their susceptibility to injuries.
Some ways to address the health and safety of older workers include:
Implementing age awareness training for supervisors and managers
so they understand aspects of the aging process
Analyzing job positions and targeting specific activities or job duties
that may be modified to accommodate the physical demands of the
work activity
Providing reasonable accommodations in the worksite and work
process for older workers
If you’d like more information on how to address the health and safety needs of
an aging workforce, contact Marshall & Sterling Upstate, Inc. today. We have
a variety of available resources related to the health and safety of older
workers.
NIOSH, along with other government
agencies and private organizations,
sponsored two workshops—one in
2009 and one in 2012—on how to
use workers’ compensation data to
help reduce the risks of occupational
injuries and illnesses. From these
workshops, NIOSH created
“Workers’ Compensation Insurance:
A Primer for Public Health” to
describe elements of the workers’
compensation programs in the
United States and the potential to
use those records for public health
purposes.
To get a copy of “Workers’
Compensation: A Primer for Public
Health,” contact us at or 800-7240695.
Workplace and safety tips brought to you by the
insurance professionals at:
Marshall & Sterling Insurance
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