Citation

Walters JK, Olson R, Karr J, Zoller E, Cain D, Douglas JP. Accid. Anal. Prev. 2013; 53: 28-38.

Affiliation

Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division, 800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 640, Portland, OR 97232, United States. Electronic address: jaime.walters@multco.us.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.aap.2013.01.001

PMID

23357034

Abstract

Older workers have an elevated risk of being killed on the job, and transportation incidents involving vehicles or mobile machinery are especially deadly for this group. The present study was designed to address the research gap in understanding contributing factors to these incidents and recommend evidence-based guidelines for interventions. We gathered and analyzed data from several sources, including the Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program, the Oregon Workers' Compensation system, the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and peer reviewed research literatures. Rates and rate ratios (RR) were used to evaluate excess risk among groups. The results of this study show that older workers in Oregon have an elevated risk of fatality both in all events (RR=3.0, 95% CI 2.2-4.0) and transportation events (RR=3.6, 95% CI 2.4-5.4). Additional analyses and extant literature supports our hypotheses that multiple risk factors contribute to the phenomenon, including (a) hazard exposure, (b) organization of work, (c) physical fragility, and (d) normative cognitive, sensory, and psychomotor changes that occur with age. The evidence-based framework proposed may provide valuable guidance for developing safety interventions that protect older workers.

Language: en