Kerstin Nilsson

Occupational injuries to senior farmers in Sweden.

The prevailing demographic change in the western world means that the workforce is becoming older. Farmers in particular often work beyond the normal retirement age, in a challenging physical environment. For example, the agricultural sector has the most hazardous work environment in Sweden. Therefore, it is interesting to examine the following questions: Are senior farmers more frequently involved in work-related injuries? Do some injuries happen more often in the oldest age group? Which part of the body is most frequently affected in different age groups? What can be done to decrease the risk of injury in senior farmers?

Why work beyond 65? Discourse on the Decision to Continue Working or Retire Early

In most of the industrial world the fractions of older people continuously increase (OECD, 2011). The upcoming demographic change is described as a threat to societal service. Many societies have to motivate people to work until an older age to increase the number of working hours in the economy (Eurostat, 2010). Factors important to whether older workers extend their working life are complex, multidisciplinary and involve many different research areas (Nilsson, 2013). Many factors as health, work environment and organisations policies interact and affect the possibility to work in old age. Mental and physical working environment, work pace and skills/competence also associate to if older workers can be a part of an extended working life (Nilsson et al., 2011). Additional, work as an important part of life, working time and management attitude to older workers associated to if older workers want to work beyond 65 years of age. Some studies indicated that people who participate in the working life in an upper age imaging a better mental and physical health (Takashi, 2003). However it seem to depend on demands in their working life, work satisfaction and occupational grade (Westerlund et al., 2009). Economic incentives from salary, in the retirement insurance system and social system also effect the retirement decision (Jokela et al., 2010). Also the family situation an if the older worker plans the retirement with a partner affect the retirement decision (Cobb-Clark & Stillman, 2009). As described the decision to retirement or an extended working life is multifactorial (Nilsson, 2013). In the attention to delay the retirement age it is interesting and important to understand the interaction and which factors older workers put in their weighing pans for the retirement decision. (Less)

Conceptualisation of ageing in relation to factors of importance for extending working life – a review

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore and understand the complexity of ageing in relation to factors of importance for extending working life. Method: Discourse analysis of documents was used in an integrative review including 128 articles. Result: Four different conceptualisation of ageing are shown to affect older workers’ ability to extend their working life: (a) biological ageing people’s health in relation to their physical and mental work environment, their pace of work and recuperation needs; (b) chronological ageing statutory retirement age and policies and economic incentives devised for older workers by society, unions and organisations/enterprises; (c) social ageing inclusion in different social groups, the attitude of managers, organisations and family members, the leisure activities and surrounding environment; and (d) mental/cognitive ageing self-crediting, motivating and meaningful activities, competence and skills in working life. Conclusions: Societies today focus mostly on chronological ageing and are looking to increase the retirement age with regard to statutory pension systems, e.g. beyond 65 years of age. The inter-relationships between chronological, mental, biological and social ageing and the nine areas identified as being important to older workers in these respects need to be considered when aiming to provide a sustainable working life for the increasing numbers of older workers in modern society. The theoretical model developed is a contribution to the critical debate that can be applied by societies, employers and managers in order to provide older workers with an inclusive and sustainable extended working life.

Machinery-related perceived risks and safety attitudes in senior Swedish farmers

ABSTRACT Objectives: To perform an ergonomic analysis of work and machinery-related risks in a group of Swedish older farmers, investigating farmers’ attitudes and perceptions about: 1) health status and work motivation, 2) physical and cognitive workload and difficulties in the interaction with machinery and technological innovations, and 3) risks and safety practices. Methods: Nine Swedish male farmers aged 65+ were administered a semi-structured interview and a questionnaire. Results: Participants perceived themselves as being in good health and considered farming as a good proxy of their health status. They reported an increased physical workload but did not describe any cognitive workload. Technology was reported to have low usability, and thus its benefits cannot be fully exploited. Older farmers acknowledged the existence of “new risks” related to the aging process and mainly referred to the common sense and previous experience as the best safety practices. Conclusion: Multilevel interventions focused on the capabilities and limits of the older farmers should be developed, involving both training activities and design solutions for the machinery that can support older farmers’ health and safety.

Has the participation of older employees in the workforce increased? Study of the total Swedish population regarding exit working life

Aims: This study investigated: (i) the workforce participation in Sweden among older employees before and after changes in eligibility for sickness absence and unemployment compensation by a social insurance reform; and (ii) absence and early exit mechanisms from the workforce for different professions by looking at sickness benefits, disability pension and unemployment, early statutory pension, employment pension and unregistered economic supply. Methods: A register-based follow-up study of the total Swedish workforce population of 55–64-year-olds, measured in 2004 and 2011. Results: The total proportion of individuals aged 55–64 in the workforce increased between 2004 and 2011, but the increase was mostly in professions with lower educational requirements, a lower salary and dominated by women. Both in 2004 and in 2011, men in professions with higher educational requirements more often exit working life with an early statutory pension and employment pension. In contrast, professions with lower educational requirements more often absence working life with sickness benefits, disability pension and unemployment compensation than other professions in both 2004 and 2011. Conclusions: The change in regulations seems to have contributed to an overall shrinking proportion of individuals within the sickness benefit and disability pension schemes. At the same time the proportion of individuals taking an early pension has increased. The results indicated a tendency of passing on the costs of labour-market exit within different economic compensation arrangements, as well as to the individuals themselves; for example, less sickness benefit, disability pension, but more statutory pension and employment pension earlier.

Farm tractors on Swedish public roads – age-related perspectives on police reported incidents and injuries

BACKGROUND Agriculture consistently ranks as one of the highest risk industries in North America and Europe. In addition to vehicle injuries and other injuries that occur on farms, farm vehicle drivers are also involved in collisions involving tractors and other slow-moving vehicles (SMVs) on public roads. These collisions often lead to injuries among farmers, family members, farm workers, and other road users. OBJECTIVE To conduct a demographic analysis of road traffic incidents involving tractors in Sweden during the time period 1992-2009, with special consideration of how incidents vary with driver age. METHODS Statistics from 2,305 police reports describing tractor-related road traffic incidents in Sweden in 1992-2009 were analysed with respect to driver age, type of incident, severity of injury, type of road user and other circumstances at the accident site. RESULTS Tractors of all kinds were involved in 128 road traffic incidents annually, with 7 people killed, 44 seriously injured and 143 suffering minor injuries each year. The annual number of fatalities represented 1.2% of all Swedish road fatalities. Most road traffic incidents with farm tractors involved people aged 25-55 years (mean 45 years). However, most farm tractor drivers killed or injured belonged to younger or older age groups. Drivers aged 12-16 years were over-represented in tractor incidents with no other vehicle involved. Older tractor drivers (> 55 years) were more often involved in incidents with passenger vehicles on entering traffic flows. The youngest tractor drivers aged 12-16 years were more often involved in road traffic incidents during school holidays, and both youngest and oldest drivers (>65 years) during harvest time. CONCLUSIONS Sweden has an ageing fleet of tractors, so increased attention to vehicle maintenance is needed to improve road safety. The over-representation of young children in tractor incidents suggests that it is questionable whether they should be allowed to operate farm vehicles. Farm vehicle drivers suffering the inevitable effects of ageing need increase their awareness of added risks. As road traffic incidents with tractors often involve private vehicles, creating awareness among the public of slow-moving farm vehicles is essential for improving overall road safety.

Time for Caring? Elderly care employees’ occupational activities in the cross draft between their work priorities, “must-do’s” and meaningfulness.

An increasing number of older people in the population will bring new challenges for the society and care coordination. One of the most important questions in care coordination is the employees’ work performance. The overall aim of this study was to examine care employees’ experience of factors that rule how they allocate their time and tasks in the care work. The study was qualitative and consists of focus group interviews with 36 employees in elderly care in five Swedish municipalities. Much of the work that care employees perform is controlled by others in the municipality organised health care. The employees had a limited possibility to decide what should be given priority in their work. However, the employees who participated in the focus group interviews did not want to prioritise tasks and duties they felt were faulty or in direct conflict with their own convictions. When employees experienced that the assistance assessments were correct and helpful to the individual elderly patient this contributed to the employees’ priority and performance of the task. The formal and informal control systems caused the employees’ priority to be mainly quantitative and visible work tasks, rather than more qualitative tasks and care giving to the elderly. In the intention to organise good care coordination that fit each elderly patients’ need it is important that those who work closest to the patient to a greater extent are given the opportunity to make their voice heard in decisions of care planning and assistance assessments.

Occupation, gender and work-life exits: a Swedish population study

ABSTRACT The present study was undertaken in order to examine the differences between occupations in the Swedish labour market with respect to the risk for men and women of leaving working life prematurely. The project was carried out as a population study employing methodology used in demographics to predict life length at birth. Here, calculations of expected remaining work-life length were based on the exits from working life. The study was based on the Swedish national labour statistics, covering all employees who had an occupational definition in 2006 and who were in the age range 35–64 years during the study period 2007–2010. There was a clear socio-economic divide in exit patterns, comparing blue- and white-collar jobs. The differences between the highest and the lowest risk jobs exceeded 4.5 years among both men and women. In the blue-collar occupational groups there were 50 per cent or less ‘survivors’ still working at age 65; in many white-collar occupations there were more than 60 per cent. Men and women exited working life at the same age. Compared to a similar study carried out in 2006, the same socio-economic pattern prevails, but people now work longer in almost all occupations. Women exited working life 0.8 years earlier than men in 2006; this difference is now gone.

Tractor accidents in Swedish traffic

The objective of this study is to reach a better understanding of accidents on Swedish roads involving tractors and to suggest ways of preventing them. In an earlier study we analyzed police-reported fatal accidents and accidents that led to physical injuries from 1992 to 2005. During each year of this period, tractors were involved in 128 traffic accidents on average, an average of 7 people were killed, 44 sustained serious injuries, and 143 sustained slight injuries. The number of fatalities in these tractor accidents was about 1.3% of all deaths in traffic accidents in Sweden. Cars were most often involved in the tractor accidents (58%) and 15% were single vehicle accidents. The mean age of the tractor driver involved was 39.8 years and young drivers (15-24 years) were overrepresented (30%). We are now increasing the data collected with the years 2006-2010 in order to study the changes in the number of accidents. Special attention will be given to the younger drivers and to single vehicle accidents. Based on the results we aim to develop suggestions for reducing road accidents, e.g. including measures for making farm vehicles more visible and improvement of the training provided at driving schools.

Parents' attitudes to risk and injury to children and young people on farms

Objectives Children and young people growing up in a farm environment run a greater risk of being injured or dying in an accident than their non-farming counterparts. This study examines farming parents’ attitudes and experiences of having their children grow up on farms, one of the most dangerous work environments as their home, everyday environment and playground. Method Data were collected using two ethnological methods, a question list and interviews, with a study population of 20 parents. The data were analysed phenomenologically. Results The analysis pursued four themes: i) the most dangerous places and situations on the farm; ii) children’s tasks on the farm; iii) children as a safety risk on the farm; and iv) farm risk education for children. Conclusions Most parents know the risks on their farm, but are sometimes careless when working under stress or exhaustion. Some parents wanted more information and some wanted compulsory preventative or safety measures by manufacturers, e.g. a safety belt as standard on the extra seat in tractors. Children’s friends were described as one of the greatest risks for injury due to peer pressure. Some parents mentioned that people who grow up on farms are sometimes ‘blind’ to the dangers. Other parents seemed to overlook the risks and had their children carrying out tasks for which they were not mentally or physically equipped. Some of the tasks the children reportedly carried out on farms contravened Swedish legislation. It is thus important for farming parents to be repeatedly reminded of the risks to their children and to increase their awareness of how to prevent and eliminate risks in order to avoid accidents on the farm. The situation for farm children is highlighted in a critical discussion.