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Issue link: http://amt.epubxp.com/i/216630
SAFETY MATTERS Many Baby Boomer aviation workers are able to retire but don't necessarily want to retire. Those employees are working longer because they enjoy what they do or they have postponed retirement for various economic reasons. stand the complicated issue of workplace safety and some of the human factors that drive incidents. You have suggested that we need to consider the ages and attitudes of two key groups of workers. In so doing, safety professionals, company managers, and employee work groups can develop better safety solutions, resulting in higher acceptance and reduced risk or injury. The work groups are: Generation Y (Gen Y) — defined as ages 15 to 30 years — which represent 14 percent of the U.S. labor force and are a high risk for workplace injuries; and Baby Boomers — defined as ages 49 to 67 years. Fatal work injury rates for workers 65 years of age and older was more than three times the rate for all workers. AMT: What are the main challenges that the aviation industry is facing in terms of these generational differences? 12 November/December 2013 Randy DeVaul: Many Baby Boomer aviation workers are able to retire but don't necessarily want to retire. Those employees are working longer because they enjoy what they do or they have postponed retirement for Randy DeVaul, senior capability development manager, Global Industrial Safety for Kimberly-Clark Professional. various economic reasons. One in five people in the workplace are over the age of 55. By 2016, one-third of the total U.S. work force will be age 50 or older, and the number of those workers will increase to 115 million by 2020. Another factor is that many manufacturing jobs have moved out of the U.S., limiting the opportunity for Gen Y to develop an interest in, or work in, manufacturing or other heavy industries. Therefore, we have an aging work force that isn't wholly retiring and a skilled labor gap. In the aviation industry, this is creating challenges related to general safety, airplane safety, and worker quality of life. AMT: What are the safety implications of the Baby Boomer generation continuing to work past the age of retirement? Randy DeVaul: As part of its Safe-Skilled-Ready Workforce Initiative, NIOSH conducted research related to aging, shift work, and fatigue. One finding was that after a person consistently works a 10- to 12-hour shift, their response times become similar to a person who is legally drunk. When an older worker is doing shift work while fatigued, it can be a challenge for them to perform their tasks as efficiently Aircraft Maintenance Technology • www.AviationPros.com • www.AMTSociety.org