:: rawblogXport ::

:: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 ::

Right or wrong, workers 66+ may choose to postpone retirement Author: Wilfred List, Canadian Occupational Safety magazine
One of the problems in making a blanket assessment of occupational risks as workers age is the wide range of jobs in which they are engaged. For example, the risk for a worker with a desk job is far different from that for a worker employed in construction.

Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, who opposes ending mandatory retirement at 65, says that in spite of the fact that Canadians are living longer, physical health starts to deteriorate as workers age. 'We are not just talking about executives sitting at desks. We are talking about a lot of people doing strenuous labour.'

The case for retaining mandatory retirement at age 65 appears to be bolstered by fatality rates uncovered in a Canadian study that covered the period from 1988 to 1993. Katherine Marshall of Statistics Canada Labour and Household Surveys Analysis Division, found that the fatality rate for male workers rose slowly with age: 12 per 100,000 among 25 to 50-year olds, to 28 for those 55 to 64, to 203 per 100,000 for men aged 65 and over.

Marshall concludes that the aging process reduces agility, stamina, and overall health, and is one factor that puts older men at greater risk of injury or death, particularly if workers are in the more demanding blue-collar jobs.

posted 6:58 AM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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