Camilla BrasherETIS 6070

Dr. Carol Boraiko

More and more workers are staying past retirement age

Older workers require more assistance at maintaining the pace of younger ones

Worker productivity, longevity and moral are important areas to consider in keeping profitability high

Ergonomics extends benefits to all workers Ergonomics programs decrease turnover,

workers compensation rates, and increase productivity

Ergonomics challenges during the next decade will include fitting the job to the older worker

Between 2000 and 2020 the population of those in their fifties will jump 40%

People above 65 will increase more than 40%Younger age brackets will shrinkEmployees are not retiring at the rate of

other generationsMany are returning to work after retiring

Making the workplace more user-friendly means happier and more productive workers

Removing inefficiencies can improve employee moral and also add to the bottom line

Tools that are hard to use and tasks that are hard on workers are inefficient

Control panels that are confusion make the job harder

Jobs that are harder and inefficient slow productionRework increases and substandard products get

producedWorkers comp rates increase without ergonomics

Musculoskeletal disorders cause

Higher absenteeismLower qualityHigher turnoverLower qualityLower moral

These problems affect the bottom lineLoss of time injuriesTurnover due to uncomfortable

working conditionsHigher workers compensation ratesHigher training costs for

replacementsLower product quality and higher

rework rates

Affect tendons, ligament, and jointsMost common injuries are to the back and

upper extremitiesRisk factors are repetition, force awkward

postures, contact stress, vibration and temperature extremes

Many jobs have several of these factorsHigh force and high repetition increase

injuries by sixteen times jobs with low force and low repetition

Technology has changedComputers, hand-held scanners,

mechanized controlsIncrease in reportingIncrease in awarenessRealization that compensation is

available

Ergonomics becomes increasingly important due to changes in the body as we age

Vision problemsLoss of light transmissivityOculomotor (following moving targets)ImpairmentsCataractsGlaucomaAge-related macular degeneration (loss of near vision)

It is estimated that 30% of drivers over age 45 may have vision acuity problems making them more dangerous in low light conditions

Hearing problemsHearing loss begins around age 30Accelerates as we ageOlder workers in auditory, multi-task

environments scored significantly less than younger workers

Tasks requiring auditory discrimination should be reduced in industrial systems to protect older workers

Mental functioningDecreases with ageOlder workers learn at a slower paceRetain information from new skills at a lower level

Response timeBecomes slowerResearch is conflictedSome say training can decrease older workers

response time, particularly if a task is flexible in the order in which it is preformed

Some say that if task complexity is high, tasks are unfamiliar or time is short, younger workers have the advantage

Decrease in physical strength and flexibilityIndustrial work requires

Physical strengthAgilityEnduranceOlder workers do not stretch for controls as

much as younger onesHold their arms closer to their bodiesDo not lift arms as high as younger workers

These abilities tend to decrease, especially in persons 50 and older

More likely to die from fallsLoss of coordinationBalanceLoss of postural stabilityReduced strength1/3 of workers comp. claims in the

over 65 age range are due to falling

Slower healing from injuries

Experience can offset many of the detriments of aging

Familiarity with a task can increase a workers value

When driving older workers are much better at navigation

Improved driving strategies that come with experience

Do not need to glance at a map for as long as younger drivers

More time is spent watching road conditions

Have longer attention spans Can concentrate on a task better than

younger workers Experience with a task requires less

attention to the taskWith increased ergonomic measures, older

workers can compete with younger counterparts

Good decision making skills

Task lighting can improve visual acuityLifts and other workstation improvements can

improve strength and negate flexibility and endurance

Improved workstation design can improve and eliminate CTDs

Changing auditory warnings or using newer PPE hearing protection can improve hearing abilities

Increased training on newer technologies can help with mental acuity

Research into aging is ongoing and every human faces limits as they age

Ergonomic principals are going to be necessary as the demographics are not changing

Full-time employees spend 1/3 of their lives at work and work should not hurt whether you are 18 or 80

In order to maintain competitiveness ergonomics will have to be implemented

All workers will benefit because ergonomics will improve job performance and satisfaction

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McDermott, Hank, Kimberly Lopez, and Brett Weiss. "Computer Ergonomics Programs." Ergonomics 6 (2004). Wilson Web. <http://www.asse.org>.

Howard, Ann. The New Workplace. Ed. David Holman, Toby D. Wall, Chris W. Clegg, and Paul Sparrow. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002.

Imada, Andrew. Participatory Ergonomics. Ed. Kageyu Noro. London: Taylor & Francis, 1991.

Kumar, Shrawan, and Anil Mital, eds. Electromyography in Ergonomics. London: Taylor & Francis, 1996.

Kumashiro, Masaharu. "Ergonomics strategies and actions for achieving productive use of an ageing work-force." Ergonomics 43 (2000): 1007-018. Wilson Web. 2 Feb. 2009 <http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals>.

MacLeod, Dan. Ergonomics edge improving safety, quality and productivity. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1995.

McDermott, Hank, Kimberly Lopez, and Brett Weiss. "Computer Ergonomics Programs." Ergonomics 6 (2004). Wilson Web. <http://www.asse.org>.