Wednesday, April 9, 2014

NIOSH Follows Workers as They Age & Creates New Topic Page to Promote Healthy Aging

NIOSH has released a new topic page that offers a worker-focused perspective on safety and health and chronic disease issues related to aging. This is one of the first NIOSH topic pages to coalign with the existing Total Worker Health webpage.

Employers increasingly see the value that older workers bring to the job, including greater institutional knowledge and wealth of experience, productive work habits, lower stress and higher likelihood of getting along with their colleagues. Older workers also tend to be more cautious on the job and are more likely to follow safety rules and regulations. As older workers experience chronic conditions, their safety and health on the job are jeopardized.

The new topic page, Healthy Aging at Work, along with its associated subpages, features a compilation of recommendations for healthy aging in the workplace as well as NIOSH research on the subject. Future planned updates include expanding on research needs as well as information specific to health risks such as hearing loss and musculoskeletal disorders. The page also features simple strategies and workplace solutions for an age-friendly workplace.

Click here for more information.