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Abstract
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INTRODUCTION:
United States workers aged 55 years and older experience a fatal occupational injury rate that is four times higher than their younger counterparts. Although the rate of nonfatal injuries among older workers is lower than that among younger workers, the subsequent consequences are more severe. Limited research has identified exposures that may be associated with occupational injuries among aging workers.
Objectives:
Using a longitudinal study design, we aimed to identify specific work-related exposures associated with occupational injuries in the aging workforce and thus inform injury-prevention strategies.
Methods:
Data were obtained from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative, biennial survey of adults aged 50 years and older and their spouses (regardless of age) in the United States. Of the 20 129 people who responded to the HRS in 2004, we selected a study cohort of 7212 respondents who were aged 50 years and above and were working for pay in the year 2004. This cohort was followed until 2012. We used generalized estimating equations (GEE) with negative binomial-type 2 distribution and Cox regression models to examine relations between work-related exposures (specifically, work-requirements for physical effort, lifting heavy loads, stooping/kneeling/crouching that were measured on a Likert scale) and occupational injuries, while controlling for potential confounders, which were identified based on directed acyclic graphs.
Results:
Over the study period, 3.6 occupational injury events per 100 full-time-equivalent workers (FTEs) occurred. The rate of injury events per 100 FTEs was highest among those in the age group 50 to 60 years (4.2) and lowest for those 70 years and older (2.9). Additional univariate models identified high rates of injury among Hispanics, those with low education levels and those employed in occupations like farming/forestry/fishing, construction/extraction and protection services. Multivariable GEE and Cox regression models identified that (controlling for age, gender, race, job type, previous history of occupational injury and job tenure) the risk of experiencing occupational injuries increases significantly with requirements for increasing physical effort, lifting heavy loads, and stooping/kneeling/crouching. The risk of occupational injury nearly tripled for workers whose jobs had these workrequirements all/almost all of the time as compared to those who had them none/almost none of the time.
Conclusion:
Priority injury-prevention interventions should target aging workers who are employed in occupations involving these higher work-requirements.
Language: en |