With older people remaining in the workforce longer than they may have anticipated years ago, physical health experts say that businessowners have to be extra cautious, as due to age-related decline, employees are more likely to injure themselves.
But a risk management firm has developed a report that it believes can enable entrepreneurs to maintain a safe workplace where staffers are void of injury – no matter how old or young they may be.
The report, titled “A Safety Tsunami: The Baby Boomer Effect on Workers’ Compensation,” was written by risk management and insurance expert Bill Spiers, and provides company managers with tips and suggestions as they relate to workers compensation insurance and the variety of ways they can minimize the number of people who have to leave work due to a physical injury they sustained on the job.
“The aging workforce is a valuable asset for companies, provided they take measures to protect the safety of these employees,” said Bill Spiers, the report’s author. He added that the report offers different training protocols businessowners can learn about and then pass on that information to their workers so they can work in an ergonomically sound manner.
Workplace injuries are quite common in the U.S.. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, there are approximately four injury-related incidents for every 100 workers each year, a considerable decline from 1972, when there were 11 incidents for every 100 employees.
Linda Solis, secretary of the Department of Labor, noted that this is a ratio that’s still far too high.
“Every year in America, nearly 4 million people suffer a workplace injury from which some may never recover,” said Solis. “These are preventable tragedies that disable our workers, devastate our families, and damage our economy.”