Source: Medibank Health Solutions, Workplace wellness in
Austraila, 2010
Identify the early signs of cumulative strain, or degenerative
change Reduce the effects of injury on capacity, productivity and
health Help older workers compensate for age related change
strategies and skills. Assess an individual workers ability to meet
job demands. Perform ergonomic assessments and advising
improvements. Injury prevention strategies- risk assessment and
management Injury and disease management Educating employers in the
management of an ageing workforce Dealing with the comorbidities
associated with injury, disease and age-related changes. Identify
workplace factors that may lead to accelerated degeneration, injury
or disease. Addressing the symptoms of acute and chronic work and
non-work related injury and disease Matching the work ability of
the worker with the job Advise individuals, employers and
Government about strategies to prevent injury and maintain the work
ability of older Australians APA Specialist and Titled Occupational
Health Physiotherapists have a high level of expertise and
experience for assisting individuals and employers to identify
potential health and safety problems
Health and Wellbeing promotion in the workplace will reduce the
impact of risk factors and slow the changes associated with
ageing.
The APA is focused on: Improving awareness of the benefits of
activity, exercise, health/wellness and training programs.
Prompting Australians in their mid-life to self- assess their
strengths and weaknesses and how they might build healthier
lifestyles Developing, implementing and monitoring such health
promoting services and programs Using peer groups in workplace
settings to influence a change in behaviour.
These strategies begin with young workers and continues
throughout their working lives.
1. ASCC, Research on the prevention of Work-related
Musculo-skeletal Disorders, Australian Safety and Compensation
Council, A.G.P. Service, Editor. April 2006: Canberra. Available
at: http://w-ww.ascc.gov.au.2. Australian Physiotherapy
AssociationThe Ageing Australian Workforce. July, 2010:
Australia.3. Productivity Commission An Ageing Australia: Preparing
for the Future, Commission Research Paper. 2013: Canberra.4.
Gibson, E., Progress towards Healthy Ageing in Europe: to pro-mote
active healthy lifestyles in 45-68 year olds through work-place,
rather than traditional health settings. Working with Older People,
2014. 18(2): p. 51-57.5. The Australian Government, 2015
Intergenerational Report Aus-tralia in 2055, Treasury, Editor.
2015: Canberra.6. Laflamme, L.M., E Aging and occupational
accidents. A review of theliterature of the last three decades.
Safety Science 1995. 21(2): p. 145-161.7. Australian Bureau of
Statistics Labour, Hours and Work Pat-terns, , Australian and B.o.
Statistics, Editors. 2002: Canberra.8. PricewaterhouseCoopers,
Workplace-Based Health and Well-ness Programs: The Intersection of
Aging, Work, and Health. 2010, PricewaterhouseCoopers: Sydney.9.
Scanes, L., Address the Ageing Workforce and Fitness for Duty by
Changing the Lifestyle of Workers. Proceedings of the confer-ence
on the Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety, Q.R. Council,
Editor. 2004.10. Silverstein, M., Meeting the challenges of an
aging workforce. . American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2008.
51(4): p. 269-280.11. Work Cover Authority of New South Wales,
Statistical Bulletin 2003
http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/publications. 2004: Sydney.
Decreased physical capacity. Fatigue Increased rates of
musculoskeletal disorders Greater incidence of disease More severe
work injuries Higher cost of injury Longer time to return to work
after injury.
