Health and safety and the older worker
Posted: April 19, 2013
Posted in: Workplace Injuries
The Southern District of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) Ireland Branch has held an event to discuss the health and safety risks associated with extending the pension age in Ireland.
The pensionable age currently stands at 66-years-old but there are plans to raise it to 68 by 2028. The IOSH event was designed to highlight any work-related problems this may pose and dispel any misconceptions about older workers.
IOSH believes that employers should adapt their health and safety procedures to fit each group. Southern District chair Fabian Murphy said:
“By taking a bespoke approach, employers will strengthen their business. As a result, they will find they are cutting incidents of injury and ill-health, improving staff morale and wellbeing, reducing lost-time and making savings on costly legal bills in the process”
To ensure they are managing risks for older workers, delegates were advised that employers may need to look at access, slips and trips, lifting, working at height, hours of work and breaks, plus any sight or hearing issues.
The event also debunked misconceptions about the dip in driving standards with increasing age. Younger drivers apparently still have the most road traffic accidents and older drivers are more likely to choose cars that aid safer driving.
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