05 Jul What’s the Injury Cost Difference for Younger and Older Workers

Originally posted by Kevin Ring on https://www.forconstructionpros.com

Research shows that once workers reach 35 years old the cost of their injuries are very similar to “older workers”

The workforce is getting older. People are retiring later in life than ever before. This trend has been a major concern for those in the health and safety field because the common knowledge has been that older workers are more prone to suffer very expensive injuries.

However, new research from the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has cast doubt on this conventional wisdom, or at the very least potentially changed the definition of “older workers”.

NCCI studied different age groups and the rate at which they get injured. They found younger workers (under 35) had substantially more cuts on their fingers and older workers (over 35) suffer more cases of carpal tunnel and more cervical injuries, although the numbers are startlingly similar.

So, that quiets the argument about the aging workforce causing more injuries, but what about cost? The research shows that there is a substantial cost difference between younger and older workers, but the split isn’t necessarily where you might expect it.

Workers between the ages of 20 and 24 create much lower costs (and fewer days out), but once workers reach 35, the costs of their injuries are very similar to older workers.

What does this all mean? To start with, it now largely redefines an “older worker” as someone who grew up listening to disco instead of Elvis. This means that someone over 35, not just someone belonging to the traditional “over 65” group, is now being classified as an “older worker.” It should also prompt businesses to strongly focus on the things that can reduce injury costs for everyone.

Injury prevention starts at the job description

Injury prevention for employees should begin before they even become employees – during the hiring process. Start with a written functional description for the position that is open. Once that is complete, it is critical that the candidate you select be given a conditional offer of employment. This document is a bona fide job offer with the caveat that you can withdraw the offer if they are physically or mentally unable to do the job with reasonable accommodation.

Once this is complete, have the candidate go to the doctor and complete a post-offer, pre-placement medical questionnaire. Having this completed allows a physician to ask questions relevant to the job and to let the employer know whether or not the candidate is fit for the job. If they are, it’s time to get started. If not, you’ll have to find another suitable candidate.

Once an employee is on the job, it is critical that they are always mindful of how they are doing their job.Far more injuries are caused by unsafe acts by employees than any unsafe conditions in their workplace. Employees that feel rushed are more likely to set safety aside in the name of meeting a deadline, and those decisions result in accidents that could have been prevented.

Contractors Reporting Business Benefits from Safety Programs

When an accident does happen

When you take all these steps and have a workforce that is fit for work and doing their job safely, then the focus turns to what happens when an accident does happen and an employee is injured.

Employees must know before they get hurt who they should talk to when they suffer an injury. Immediate injury reporting is a key to keeping injury costs as low as possible. Studies have shown that the costs of an injury go up when there is a delay in reporting. Make it your policy that any employee injury is reported before the end of the shift.

Once the injury is reported, getting the proper treatment is key.