Job design for the aged with regard to decline in their maximal aerobic capacity: Part I – Guidelines for the practitioner *

This chapter presents several guidelines for job design for the aged. The understanding of the aging process should be combined with knowledge of work systems, work content, and work demands. These guidelines help in (1) preventing premature aging, (2) improving work satisfaction, (3) improving productivity, and (4) reducing early retirement of the aging work population. These guidelines for the aged workforce should be used as a part of occupational health and safety strategy of the company. The identification of the problem with the aged is based on data collection and analysis. Data is needed from the following sources—(1) age structure, (2) health risks of the work, (3) assessment of work ability and functional capacity, (4) assessment of job demands, and (5) identification of the imbalance between work demands and functional capabilities. The health of the aging worker plays an important role when the acceptability of a certain work load is considered. These guidelines presume that the functional capacity is an indirect indicator of both the health status and the work ability with advanced age.