Due to the increase in life expectancy, a global recession, and the rising costs of health care, retirement at age 65 no longer seems tenable for many Americans. Most workers who haven’t already retired are planning to stay in the workforce as long as possible, long past the usual retirement age. This trend of workers remaining in the workforce longer is creating a major shift in the demographics of America’s workplaces.

Managing employees in their 70s and 80s raises a unique set of practical and legal workplace safety and health challenges for employers across all industries. To avoid heightened scrutiny from the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, employers must be aware of the medical realities concerning the effects of aging and should consider implementing measures to address the unique safety and health issues raised by our nation’s aging workforce.

This issue of Workforce Strategies examines OSHA recordkeeping with an aging workforce, ergonomic enforcement, and other trends with this growing segment of the labor force.