Advancing Age-Friendly Workplaces Through the NIOSH National Center for Productive Aging and Work

Abstract

The workforce in the USA and other industrialized countries is aging, mainly because of increased life expectancy, the presence of the “baby boom” generation, and declining fertility rates. Moreover, emerging trends, such as the shift toward nonstandard or contingent work arrangements and the erosion of defined-benefit plans, will require workers to prolong their stay in the workforce. Hence, understanding the safety and health needs of aging workers is a necessity, not only to better protect and advance the safety, health, and well-being of those who work into later life but also to take advantage of the important contributions that older individuals can make to their employers and society as a whole. The National Institute for Occupational Safety (NIOSH) has long recognized the growing need to examine the impact of age-related changes on the occupational safety and health (OSH) outcomes and well-being of aging workers. In 2015, NIOSH launched the National Center for Productive Aging and Work (NCPAW). Drawing from the concept of productive aging and adapting it to OSH, NCPAW seeks to advance the safety, health, and lifelong well-being of workers of all ages. This mission can be accomplished through the support of safe and healthy work environments for everyone through comprehensive strategies that allow workers to be safe, healthy, and productive at all ages. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the productive aging concept as it applies to workers of all ages. This chapter also applies this concept to workers’ personal and professional development and their contributions to their organizations as they transition throughout the life cycle. Then the chapter discusses productive aging as a guiding framework for “age-friendly” workplaces. Finally, the chapter provides an overview of NCPAW’s approach to productive aging in the context of occupational safety and health (OSH) and its research and practical implications.