Workplace Injuries: A Comparative Study of Young and Old Workers in a Construction Site

Abstract: It has been shown by the research that young workers (<25 years old) are more subjected to workplace injuries than old workers. But paradoxically, the injuries that young workers are exposed to are not severe. The study is aimed to find out risk factors for injuries in construction industry focusing on the risk factors associated with young workers. The results show that young workers are more involved in workplace injuries than old workers, irrespective of considering department size and type of discipline. However, when variables are added for physical and psychosocial work environment in the safety climate model, age seems to be of less importance. Physical demands (vibration and heavy lifting) and control over work pace are concerned with an increased risk for injuries. This may indicate that the work task distribution among different age groups has an impact on injury risk. Safety climate is not associated with risk for injuries. The study has an indication that the work task distribution between two groups ought to be further explained in relation with injury risk.