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Ergonomics and the older worker: an overview
1University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 53201.
Experimental Aging Research
|January 1, 1991
Summary
As people age, physical and mental work capacities decline. Ergonomics, the science of fitting tasks to workers, can help older adults remain productive and healthy in the workplace through thoughtful job design.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Human Factors Engineering
- Gerontology
Background:
- Work capacity, both physical and mental, declines with age, with significant changes noted in the twenties, forties, and sixties.
- Age-related declines in various capacities can disadvantage older workers, impacting productivity and health.
- Ergonomics offers a solution by designing jobs to match worker capabilities, mitigating age-related functional decreases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the history and importance of ergonomics in workplace design.
- To examine the effects of age-related declines on physical and mental capacities.
- To present ergonomic recommendations for accommodating age-related changes in workers.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on age-related capacity changes.
- Analysis of ergonomic principles and their application to job design.
- Discussion of longitudinal study designs for understanding older worker capabilities.
Main Results:
- Work capacity declines with age at varying rates and ages.
- Ergonomic job design can compensate for age-related functional decreases.
- Older workers possess valuable skills and knowledge that can be leveraged through appropriate workplace strategies.
Conclusions:
- Ergonomics is crucial for designing workplaces that support older workers.
- Accommodating age-related changes through job design is essential for maintaining productivity and health.
- Longitudinal studies are needed to gather knowledge for safely and productively employing older workers.