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Older Population And Ergonomics Term Paper

Employers must make reasonable adjustments to working conditions to ensure that disabled people are not treated less favourably than other employees. The HSE regulations 2002 require employers to ensure that doors, passageways, stairs, lavatories and workstations are suitably arranged for disabled workers' needs. In order to ensure that work sites will be suited for employees of all ages and special needs, the role of the Planning Supervisor was created under the Construction Regulations 1994 to monitor and improve Health & Safety issues related to building and construction works. This is an important role, since it focuses solely on health and safety needs when buildings are being designed or renovated (UKBS website).

The population changes will also impact society as a whole and it will be just as important to build homes and other facilities to prepare for individuals as they age. For example, most stair accidents occur in the home. Webber (1985) carried out an analysis of fatal falls on stairs and steps for England and Wales. Of the 652 deaths on stairs or steps, 560 occurred in the home, 37 in public buildings, 27 in residential institutions and 4 in industrial premises. Nearly 70% of the fatal falls on stairs and steps involved elderly people, aged 65 years and over. Within this age group twice as many involved fatalities of women as men.

Further, according to a study by Parker et. al, older individuals in residential and nursing care homes may depend on the...

Regulations and guidelines on the design of care buildings have accumulated over time with little knowledge of their impact on the quality of life of building users. The Design in Caring Environments Study (DICE) collected cross-sectional data on building design and quality of life in 38 care homes in and near Sheffield, Yorkshire. Quality of life was assessed using methods consisting of all residents regardless of their frailty. Significant positive associations were found between several aspects of the built environment and the residents' quality of life. There was evidence that a focus on safety and health requirements could be creating risk-averse environments which act against quality of life, particularly for the least frail residents. The new tool for assessing building design has potential applications in further research and for care providers.
References

Faculty of Occupational Medicine. 2 March 2007. http://www.facoccmed.ac.uk/library/docs/ppageemp.pdf

Health and Safety Executive. 2 March 2007. http://www.hse.gov.uk/

Parker, Chris, Merryn Gott, Sarah Barnes, Sheila Payne, David Seamark, Salah Gariballa, and Neil Small Predictors of the quality of life of older people with heart failure recruited from primary care Age Ageing (2006) 35: 172-177..

UK Building Surveyors (UKBS). Planning Supervision.. 1 March 2007. http://www.ukbsl.co.uk/PlanningSupervision.aspx

Sources used in this document:
References

Faculty of Occupational Medicine. 2 March 2007. http://www.facoccmed.ac.uk/library/docs/ppageemp.pdf

Health and Safety Executive. 2 March 2007. http://www.hse.gov.uk/

Parker, Chris, Merryn Gott, Sarah Barnes, Sheila Payne, David Seamark, Salah Gariballa, and Neil Small Predictors of the quality of life of older people with heart failure recruited from primary care Age Ageing (2006) 35: 172-177..

UK Building Surveyors (UKBS). Planning Supervision.. 1 March 2007. http://www.ukbsl.co.uk/PlanningSupervision.aspx
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