High Physical Work Demands + Aging Workers = Longer Disability Absences

Sarasota, FL (WorkersCompensation.com) – Employers who reduce the physical work demands for their older workers may see fewer injuries and lower costs. New research found a direct correlation between the physical capacity of employees and the likelihood of long-term disability.

“High physical work demands is a known risk factor for developing poor health and sickness absence. Ageing is associated with a higher prevalence of sickness absence,” wrote the authors of a new study. “Our study shows that age interacts with physical work demands, that is, the health consequences of high physical work demands increase with age.”

The study included more than 69,000 Danish workers during the period 2012 – 2018. Their findings were published in the BMJ Journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.  

The study

Like the U.S., most European countries have gradually increased the age at which workers can receive government retirement monies. However, few have policies that adapt physical work demands to meet the capacities of older workers despite the evidence.

“From adulthood to retirement and beyond, there is gradual loss of muscle strength, muscle mass, pulmonary function, and physical function with increasing age, starting already around the age of 30–40 years and becoming more pronounced beyond the age of 50–60 years,” the authors wrote. “As physical work ability depends both on physical work demands and physical capacity of the worker, the inherent age-related change of individual physical capacity can make physical work more demanding for older workers. On top of this, chronic diseases tend to emerge with age, which can accelerate the age-related loss of physical capacity. An imbalance between physical work demands and physical capacity of the worker can — from a theoretical point of view — push workers into sickness absence and ultimately premature exit from the labour market.”

The authors set out to see what, if any, specific connection there is between work demands and aging workers. They analyzed self-reported work demands based on a combined ergonomic index including seven different types of exposure during the workday, starting with the question, ‘How much of your working time do you’:

1. Walk or stand?
2. Work with twisted or bent back without support from the hands and arms?
3. Have the arms lifted to or above shoulder height?
4. Do the same arm movements several times a minute? (eg, package work, mounting, machine feeding, carving),
5. Squat or kneel when you work?
6. Push or pull?
7. Lift or carry?

Available responses were: ‘almost all the time,’ approximately ¾ of the time,’ ‘approximately ½ of the time,’ ‘approximately ¼ of the time,’ ‘seldom/very little,’ and ‘never.’

The responses were analyzed using weighted Cox regression analyses to control for various factors, to determine the interaction of age with physical work demands for the risk of long-term sickness absence (LTSA), defined as at least six consecutive weeks for a period of up to two years.

Results

“In the fully adjusted analysis, the older workers (60 years) had about doubled risk of LTSA from high … and very high … physical work demands, while this risk was not significant for the younger workers (20 years),” they wrote.

The researchers speculated as to possible explanations. Inherent biological changes that reduce physical function can make the same physical work requirements relatively more demanding for older workers, for example. Also, comorbidities more likely to be present among older workers can impede physical capacity. Finally, “the consequences of years of hard physical work seem to accumulate in terms of increased risk of sickness absence and disability pension,” they wrote. “Together these factors may create an imbalance between physical demands of the work and physical capacity of the worker, which increases the risk of LTSA.”

Employers should “consider age of the worker when planning work tasks that are physically demanding,” the authors suggest. “Better use of assistive devices, better planning and organization of the work, and offering physical exercise to stay fit even at a high age may be a way forward.”

They also advise providing lifelong learning and further education for workers, so they can change to less physically demanding work later in life.

“In conclusion, the health consequences of high physical work demands — expressed as the risk of LTSA — increase with age,” the authors wrote. “Workplaces should consider adapting physical work demands to the capacity of older workers.”

Share This Article: