It’s Not About Their Age; It’s About The Job!
Job characteristics contribute to the increased risk of injury among young workers. That’s the conclusion of a recent study from Canada’s Institute for Work & Health (IWH).
“Young workers are often thought to be at a higher risk because of their age and inexperience, perceived tendency for taking risks, and developmental stage,” noted Curtis Breslin, an IWH scientist and lead researcher of this study. While all of these things may play a role, the study noted that young workers’ higher risk of injury drops from 2 to 1.5 times that of older workers when you factor in where young people work, what they are doing, and the fact that they usually work part time. According to Breslin, this suggests that job-related aspects have a considerable impact on younger workers getting injured at work.
The study revealed that young workers are more likely to have more acute and traumatic injuries, and fewer musculoskeletal injuries than older workers. They tend to work in the sales and service sectors — holding jobs in restaurants, retail stores and offices — and they report higher levels of physical exertion on the job than older workers.
The contribution of job characteristics to the difference in injury rates among age groups has important implications for prevention efforts. “We now have evidence that if we are able to remove the hazards associated with the type of jobs in which young workers are employed, their injury rates could drop,” summarized Breslin.
[This information is courtesy of Occupational Health & Safety and Stephens Publishing Corporation of Dallas, TX.]
Thinking about hiring younger workers over the summer? If so, think about new evidence that job characteristics play a substantial role in higher injury rates among young workers.
