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Friday, May 18, 2018

Webcast Explores Workers' Comp and Managing Aging Workforce Risks

Marsh's Workers' Compensation Center of Excellence presented a webcast, in which panelists discussed a number of strategies organizations can adopt to help create healthier workforces, which can contribute to safer workplaces. During the webcast, the panel discussed:
  • How an industrial athlete approach can improve the conditioning of employees.
  • Physical changes that occur as workers age and their implications for workplace safety programs.
  • How to reduce injury rates for older workers.
According to a report on the webcast:
“I would argue that the same risk factors exist for employees regardless of age,” said David Damico, Atlanta-based vice president and senior ergonomics consultant with Marsh Risk Consulting. “That said, certain risk factors such as force, repetition (and) environmental concerns can become more prevalent as we age.”
In addition, Gary Anderberg, senior vice president–claims analytics, Gallagher Bassett Services Inc., is quoted as saying:
Older workers “know what they’re doing.” .... “They know what to avoid, where not to put their fingers and their toes, for example. The most dangerous time for any employee is generally the first year on the job when they’re still learning to work safely. But when they do suffer workplace injuries, for older employees, the medical indemnity costs can be higher, the cost of treatment can be higher in part because the comorbidities older workers tend to have can complicate recovery.”
Source: Marsh's Workers' Compensation Center of Excellence Webcast (May 16, 2018) Additional Sources: Business Insurance "Aging workforce has positive benefits, but injury risks loom" (May 17, 2018); Property & Casualty "Understand the unique risks that come with employing older workers" (June 5, 2018)

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