An Approach of Ergonomics and Management in Occupational Health for a Society of Aging Workers

抄録

The phenomenon of aging populations, brought about when the number of people of productive age declines and the ratio of older workers in a productive population increases, is already starting to have an enormous impact on the progress of industrial economies. Given this, raising the ability of aging workers would be a way to render mute any judgments based on calendar age. Essential to this, however, is a yardstick by which to measure functional age, the cornerstone to designing a society of productive, aged workers, or specifically, a barometer for the development of dynamic aging workers. Looking closer, at the foundation of developing energetic, aged workers is the prevention of lifestyle diseases, and the key to this is having habits of daily exercise. This development of an energetic aging workforce is a way to control future “absenteeism” and “presenteeism.” This is the basic strategy of a society with an aging workforce. Upon achieving an active, aged workforce, the next goal will be to have aging workers who are highly adaptable to work, or more specifically, the building of a society of labor in Japan that can turn out many more productive, aged workers. The basic way to achieve this is to objectively assess workers' individual degree of health, lifestyle functions, and furthermore, the ability to adapt to work, as well as to properly match work ability with the job. These are the concepts upon which this report is based. This report expands upon a strategy of Ergonomics and Management in Occupational Health as a way to support a society of aged workers, interweaving business management concepts in ergonomics, and in light of occupational safety, health and employment measures, offers a view to comprehensive measures to be taken.