An increase in the number of older Americans in the workforce has meant an increase in the number of injuries involving these workers in workplace and industrial accidents in the US. Those statistics come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which states that there has been an increase in the number of older worker-related injuries over the past seven years.
In 2003, older worker-related injuries in the workforce accounted for 12% of all workplace injuries, and that number has increased to 17% in the latest tally. Besides, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also warning that the percentage of injuries involving older workers could actually increase to 19% by the year 2018, unless American employers increase focus on safety for older workers.
Missouri industrial accident lawyers believe that there are a number of reasons that are contributing to this increase in older worker-related injuries. Firstly, there has been an increase in the number of senior citizens returning to the workforce because of the recession. Additionally, many seniors are returning to a workforce that has not been equipped with safety aids for them. Employers have failed to take seriously senior safety considerations like slip and fall accidents, into account while recruiting older workers. This has had a disastrous impact on their safety.
However, there has been some encouraging news. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study does not seem to indicate that older workers are at a much higher overall risk of injuries than younger workers. However, their risk of certain types of accidents seems to be higher. For instance, these workers are much more susceptible to slip and fall accidents, falls from elevations, and other such risks. Besides, these workers are also at a much higher risk of suffering fractures, broken bones and ribs and other such injuries in accidents. These injuries can have a devastating impact on worker safety, because seniors are already at a much higher risk of osteoporosis which can lead to brittle or weak bones. Such injuries take a much longer time to heal in older workers.
Employers could be doing more to reduce the risk of injuries among older workers through increased training, and adoption of better fall prevention techniques.
