Researchers conducting a longitudinal study of 979 U.S. roofers between ages 40-59 discovered 10% left the roofing trade within a year, and of those leaving, 60% vacated their job due to chronic pain, work-related musculoskeletal disorders and poor health, according to a release from The Center for Construction Research and Training.
When that group was examined in a one-year follow-up, researchers report that they were four times more likely to suffer mild economic impact, 19 times more likely to suffer moderate economic impact, and 6.5 times more likely to experience severe economic impact from their early retirement. (WCxKitz)
Those workers younger than age 50 experienced the majority of the economic fallout from exiting the roofing industry. These and other results of the research appeared in the July issue of the American Journal of Industrial Hygiene.
The researchers categorized and compared the health status of the employed and retired roofers and discovered those who left work at the time of the study were older, had significantly lower physical functioning and general health scores, more bodily pain, marginally lower vitality scores, and more diagnosed musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) and/or medical conditions, were more likely to have missed work and have more work limitations in the two years prior to the initial interview. (WCxKitz)
Roofers suffer a high rate of injury among the construction trades, and they command the third greatest rate of jobsite fatalities, behind ironworkers and power installers. With the number of workers over age 55 increasing at an annual rate of 2.5% and a projected shortage of skilled construction workers, the study provides an unwelcome light onto the future of the industry workforce.
The study’s identification of risk factors for exiting the trade – age and physically demanding work – point to a need to modify work practices, a change in work organization or modifying risk factors to prohibit disability and the attendant economic impact.
Author Rebecca Shafer, Consultant & Attorney, President, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers’ Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: [email protected] or 860-553-6604.
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