Accomodating Older Workers: Health & Safety

Writing in the Occupational Health & Safety publication of the Alberta, Canada, Human Resources & Employment department, Nordahl Flakstad focuses on what smart employers are thinking about how they can actively recruit and retain older workers.

Typically, an employer needs only to introduce minor and inexpensive adjustments to working environments and procedures to better accommodate older employees. employees. For example, there may need to be changes to lighting, the positioning of workstations or tool and equipment design.

In addition to providing some quick guides for work site accomodations with respect to vision and lighting, hearing and sound, and griop and handling, the article also references "Safe and Healthy: A Guide to Managing an Aging Workforce," a 44-page booklet developed by Alberta Human Resources and Employment to help managers and supervisors, some of whom are decades younger than their older employees, to better appreciate and respond to the challenges faced by aging workers.

Source: Alberta (CA) Occupational Health & Safety "Accomodating the Aging Workforce" (September 2006)