Alberto Ferreras Remesal, Rakel Poveda Puente, Purificación Castelló Mercé, Juan Giménez Pla, Raquel Ruiz Folgado, Mercedes Sanchis Almenara

Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) Universitat Politècnica de València (Edificio 9C) Camino de Vera s/n (E-46022) Valencia (Spain)

The increasing aging of population in Western societies has a major impact on companies. The challenges that arise have to do with the assessment and adaptation of work positions, managing the abilities and talents of the older population, or the very organization of the labor activity itself.

From ergonomics, different proposals can be put forward to help facilitate age management in companies. Although the main objective is health and wellbeing, an ergonomic approach must also focus on making use of abilities and improving efficiency.

THE AGING PROCESS AND ITS IMPACT ON WORK

Aging populations are becoming a reality in Western societies. Spain, in particular, is one of the most aged countries, with some 20% of its population over 65 This effect is also visible in the age groups that cover the final period of the working life (between 50 and 70 years of age), whose relative weight has been increasing in recent years and is expected to keep growing.

Irrespective of the proportion of older people, the aging process is a fact that affects all living beings. This process produces a series of effects that vary depending on personal characteristics and the life history of each person, but it also has common implications: a progressive loss of visual and hearing capacity, a reduction in muscular functionality, and at more advanced ages, changes in cognitive aspects that affect perception, attention and memory.

However, as mentioned, this non-linear process does not affect everyone in the same way.

In the work environment, the changes inherent in the individual aging process are compounded by social and economic changes that are making it increasingly necessary to push back the retirement age, which means that companies are going to have to adapt to older workforces. The aging process at work is, therefore, a reality that can affect both the health and safety of workers and the productivity and competitiveness of companies, if appropriate measures are not taken.

A key concept to understand and manage aging in the workplace has to do with the ability to work, which is determined by the interaction between the characteristics of the workers and the conditions and requirements of the work position. The personal characteristics that determine a person’s ability to work include their health, their functional capacity (physical, mental, social), their professional competence (training, skills, experience), their motivation and  their job satisfaction.

The ergonomic perspective plays  an important role in the relationship between work and aging. Ergonomics, from a work perspective, is concerned with balancing the demands of a job and the abilities of the person who is going to do it, such that the demands are never higher than the abilities, therefore making the performance of said work a healthy, comfortable and efficient process.

The optimization and improvement of this adjustment in the corporate environment between demands and the workers' abilities has been, and is, one of the main objectives of the work carried out at the Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV).    

CHALLENGES OF AGE MANAGEMENT IN COMPANIES 

An aging workforce can entail a need to adapt as far as a company is concerned, but also an opportunity to design a more inclusive and efficient organization. 

In order for a company to maximize its use of the qualities of its workers, it must be flexible enough to adapt to their different skills and abilities. Broadly speaking, good age management in a company must take the following aspects into account:

• Designing / adapting work positions so that they are suitable for most functional abilities (work positions designed for everyone).

• Configuring the work positions in a flexible way, so that they evolve in line with the changing circumstances of the workforce.

• Having open and participative organizational systems that allow for mobility and making the most of abilities.

• Training staff in an adapted and appropriate way. Considering training throughout the entire work cycle.

• Making the most of the experience and knowledge of older workers.

• Creating intergenerational plans that combine youth and experience.

• Facilitating the transition to retirement.

Applying an age management plan must start by knowing the characteristics of the workforce. The next step is detecting the key aspects that can be affected by age and implementing measures that improve the working conditions and result in greater efficiency.

To do so, the Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) has developed methodologies and resources that facilitate age management and the implementation of effective measures.

There are three key aspects in this process:

1. The assessment of work positions taking age into consideration

The analysis of working conditions must take the aging process into account, and in general, the characteristics of the workforce. To do so, it is important to use or adapt methodologies that take workers’ real capacities into account.

For that purpose, the IBV has developed the Ergo+50 method, integrated into the Ergo/IBV software, which makes it possible to identify the main working conditions that are related to age, and to detect the imbalances produced when more sensitive situations arise.

Figure 1. The Ergo+50 application.

In this analysis process, the use of new technologies can simplify the process and adapt better to the characteristics of the population being assessed. In the European project known as BIONIC (in which the IBV is taking part as a partner), systems are being developed that can automatically detect risks and can adapt to the characteristics of the older population (see the section on the BIONIC Project).

2. The adaptation of work positions

Work positions must be conceived in such a way that they are safe, comfortable and healthy for the entire workforce. A well-designed environment will require few modifications, irrespective of the person occupying it.

In addition, the work position may need to be modified taking specific aspects that affect the older population into account. There are databases and publications that can offer orientation in the selection and implementation of such measures.

Along these lines, the IBV has developed the NedLabor/IBV system, a computer program that applies a method for the assessment of the work capacity that makes it possible to objectify the existence or lack of imbalances between the physical requirements of the work position and the physical capacity of the worker. This software has been designed to help the specialist to determine in an objective way whether a worker can return to their work position after a period of Temporary Disability due to an injury to the musculoskeletal system. As a result, it can also be used to assess the capacity of a person who is experimenting a decline in said capacity due to age.

3. The adaptation of the organization taking age into consideration

Besides the adaptation of the work position, organizational factors are essential to facilitate the work of the older population and to increase the efficiency and productivity of the organization.

The following are some key aspects in this regard:

• Making use of experience. Experience is a valuable resource that, if correctly managed, can bring considerable benefits to organizations.

• Organizational flexibility (shifts, task assignments, staff rotation...).

• Ongoing training.

• Promoting health, including check-ups and specific monitoring that takes the aging process into account.

• Facilitating the transition into retirement, trying to retain accumulated knowledge and experience.

The IBV has been carrying out activities, projects and developments that are aimed at favoring age management in companies from its different aspects. Some of the most recent projects being developed are the BIONIC Project and the guide drawn up for the INSST (Spain’s National Institute for Safety and Health at Work).

The BIONIC Project: Personalized sensors for the risk assessment and training of older workers

Occupational risk assessment models are based on the determination of the risk associated with performing tasks, considering average reference values for the functional capacities of workers. Thus, these models do not usually consider an individual’s specific capacities, nor are they very efficient in preventing risk situations in populations such as older workers, those who have returned to work after an injury, or people with mild disabilities.

The European BIONIC project focuses on defining a network of body sensors (BSN) to monitor the worker, the purpose being to obtain a precise assessment of the risk level associated to each of the tasks they perform. The intention is thus to improve the protection of individuals against musculoskeletal disorders, with a more dynamic adjustment between capacities and demands, especially in people over 45 years of age, and it can also be a good tool for learning good postures and for training the worker in how to self-manage their risks.

Figure 2. Example of use of the system developed by the European BIONIC project.

These sensors are integrated into the normal clothing and equipment used in the work environment (e.g., PPEs), and they do not therefore interfere with the work activity. Detection is carried out remotely and in real time, making it possible to define alerts, alarms and recommendations adapted to the characteristics of the older worker. The system will also make it possible to generate motivational activities that can be carried out outside of the work environment, which contribute to the improvement of the person’s health and overall wellbeing.

More information on the BIONIC project: https://bionic-h2020.eu

Guide for the management of health, wellbeing and adaptation of the work position in older workers

Figure 3. The cover of the publication

This guide, drawn up by the IBV, includes practical and reference information to facilitate age management in companies and it also includes criteria to improve the health, comfort and efficiency of older workers.

It is aimed at both professionals who work in occupational risk prevention and those involved in the organization of work and the management of human resources.

The guide is structured in four sections: the first one analyses the aging process in the work context from a gender perspective and introduces the concept of active aging. The second section describes the principles, criteria and methodologies that make it possible to assess work environments taking age and gender into account. The third and fourth sections offer practical recommendations for the application of age management procedures at a corporate level, from a gender perspective.

The guide is available on the INSST website (https://www.insst.es/documents/94886/599872/Gu%C3%ADa+para+la+gesti%C3%B3n+de+la+salud,+del+bienestar+y+la+adaptaci%C3%B3n+del+puesto.pdf/68839323-1e52-45a5-8a9c-03e7c519f530).

CONCLUSIONS

The aging of the workforce in companies is a challenge and an opportunity to improve organizational and productive systems, focusing on the health and wellbeing of workers.

The criteria proposed from ergonomics can help to implement an efficient process of age management, from the assessment of the situation to the proposal of improvements,  both physical and organizational. And in this sense, the Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) has considerable experience both in the identification of needs and in the implementation of solutions aimed at appropriate age management in companies.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thank the companies and entities that are collaborating and taking part in the development of these initiatives to improve age management .

Also, the European BIONIC project “Intelligent Wearables that Support Active and Healthy Aging”, funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union for Research and Innovation under grant agreement 826304.

Finally, the National Institute for Safety and Health at Work (INSST), whose support has made it possible for the IBV to publish the “Guide for the Management of Health, Wellbeing and the Adaptation to the Work Position in Older Workers”, edited by the INSST in the Ministry of Labor, Migrations and Social Security’s collection of Technical Documents.