Safety for a Maturing Workforce

COST SAVINGS & SAFETY FOR THE MATURING WORK FORCE
Article provided by OPTX

Just like a fine bottle of wine, people only get better with age, right?  While it often is true that age brings wisdom, experience and maturity, age also brings many challenges that concern the employers of workers who are creeping toward retirement age.  In 2003, close to a third (32%) of people participating in the labour force were aged 45-64 years, up from 24% in 1983. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, that means the baby boomers — people born between 1946 and 1964 — made up more than one-third of the Australian work force, the highest number of workers in this age group since 1970.  With an average age in the workforce of 45 years, they aren’t planning to retire anytime soon and by 2011, the ABS estimates that the average age of the workforce (50%) will be 39 years old.

Vision problems are one of the first challenges many aging workers face — usually beginning in their early 40’s. Pupils may react more slowly to changes in light, and the eye becomes more sensitive to glare and less adaptable in the dark. Increased nearsightedness might make it more difficult to focus and read smaller print, depth perception may decrease and visual field and peripheral vision may become more limited. Finally, distinguishing between pastel colors, especially blues and greens, may become more difficult.

Issues with visual acuity from a condition known as Presbyopia, can pose safety risks for older workers as well as their colleagues. Further, due to an increasing skill shortage, an increasing number of Employers today are more open to retaining and hiring older workers. Employers realize that older workers, while presenting some physical challenges, offer knowledge and skills that take years for fresh, young employees to learn. Many older workers have valuable experience dealing with hazards unique to workplaces and can mentor new employees on how to handle the materials properly and safely.  So some employers are going the extra mile in making accommodations for older workers so they can continue to work in a safe manner.  Lets face it, older workers can teach our younger ones how to properly handle the stuff so they can keep themselves safe and keep the equipment operating efficiently.”

Understandably, workers who experience symptoms of vision degradation might not always admit it. Older workers sometimes delay getting their eyes tested, knowing that test results may indicate a need for prescription glasses. Employers rarely take the initiative in offering on-site eye testing for all workers other than for a pre-employment medical exam, regardless of age.  Ironically, even when Employers know that an employee needs corrective vision eyewear, the cost issue of paying for prescription safety glasses is more often than not avoided by the employer; especially in the construction industry on major project works where this just isn’t budgeted for.

Employers have a Duty of Care to know if their workers can see or not.  It is highly recommended that during safety training, employers speak about the hazards of not treating poor eyesight, as it can create a hazardous work environment for the workers and their fellow employees.

This is especially true if they are part of a workforce operating mobile plant for instance; noting that a mix of vision degradation and slow reaction time contributes to a high percentage of motor vehicle accidents among older workers. Even if they aren’t driving a truck, or out driving a company car or delivery van while on business, the problem can exist operating a forklift.  Poor vision can even cause, a more catastrophic situation, if part of the older worker’s job is to manage chemicals, and if he or she can’t read the labels correctly, the wrong chemical or mixing proportions may be used.  The danger of mixing of incompatible or incorrect quantities of chemicals could potentially cause a fire or explosion, which could kill a significant number of people.

In small-component assembly work and in other jobs where eyesight is critical, such as manufacturing and quality control inspection processes, reading plans and drawings, employers should be aware if their workers are able to function in such a capacity without the need for corrective vision.  As funny as it may seem, even getting a clear focus on the head of a nail that a worker suffering with vision loss is about to hit with a hammer may be a recipe for disaster.

In most types of industry, safety glasses are almost always are required. If workers have trouble seeing what’s in front of them, it’s recommended that they get there eyesight tested and obtain appropriate corrective vision safety eyewear for the workplace.

Companies don’t have to go bankrupt to accommodate their older work force.   Knowing that most of those individuals in there early 40’s and beyond will require reading glasses in combination with protective safety glasses, that’s where the OPTX 20/20 Stick-on Magnifying Lenses enter the workplace, similar in concept to the inexpensive reading glasses available on a Chemist’s or Department Store display.  These OPTX 20/20 Stick-on Magnifying Lenses are a major cost saver, with an estimated cost of getting Optometrist prescribed bifocal safety glasses ranging from $300 to $600 per worker, whereas purchasing the appropriate strength OPTX 20/20 Stick-on Magnifying Lens and a pair of safety glasses can run into about $60. If 100 workers in 1,000 at a facility or similar on a major construction project are in need of prescription safety glasses, the cost savings could be in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Employers must make the accommodations older workers need, because there may not be enough workers to quickly fill the Baby Boomer generation’s jobs in the future.  It’s important to take care of this older work group.  If we can help them see better what they are doing with the OPTX 20/20 Stick-on Magnifying Lenses, coupled with their years of experience, then productivity levels could potentially be as good as when they had perfect eyesight.