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| Typical underground mining crew |
Background
On average, employees working in mining are older than those working in other industries. It is projected that the median age of U.S. mine workers will continue to increase throughout the next decade. Changes in physical and cognitive abilities that accompany the normal aging process may be accelerated in mine workers as compared to other industries and have the potential to increase the risk of injury. For instance, changes in vision may affect a person’s ability to perceive a warning signs and changes in strength may place a person at risk for injury. A need exists for general training about the normal changes that accompany aging and ways that worksites can mediate those changes. In keeping with the Steps to a Healthier U.S. Workforce (STEPS) approach, this training combines occupational injury prevention with health promotion by combining recommendations for both worksite modifications and improvements in individual behaviors.
This program includes management training, a seven-module training program (with a newsletter and safety talk guide for each module), and an instructor’s guide. The training modules included in the Age Awareness Training are designed to be given individually in 10-minute safety talks or combined in a longer training session. The newsletter included in each training module could also be disseminated to an employee through company newsletters or other mailings sent to employees’ homes. The Age Awareness Training has the potential to reach management, employees, and even the families of employees.
Potential Outcome
Potential impacts from this project by 2008 are:
- Increased awareness of normal age-related changes and ways to mediate them through worksite changes and improvements in individual behaviors can lead to reductions in injuries, and
- Reductions in injuries and improved lifestyle behaviors that will lead to decreased medical costs. Such decreases could be realized either through costs associated with worker’s compensation or, in the case of self-insured companies, regular medical costs.
These training modules will be piloted at several mines and then presented at both mining and safety conferences. MSHA is interested in giving this training to its inspectors. The training will be available on a CD or downloadable through NIOSH Web pages. In addition, this training might be used as a prototype method and applied to other industries, such as agriculture and construction.