Safety for everyone
Organisations must ensure they’re keeping older employees safe with more than half of the UK’s workforce predicted to be aged 50 or older by 2030. According to figures from the Health and Safety Executive, 49 of the 125 people killed in work-related accidents in 2024/25 were aged over 60, despite this age group making up just 12% of the workforce.
In an article on the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents’ (RoSPA) website, safety expert Becky Spencer called on businesses to consider their older employees’ needs. She highlighted areas such as underlying health conditions, physical demands and driving.
Becky, editor of the European Association for Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion newsletter, wrote: “Good occupational safety and health management and risk prevention will help keep workers of all ages safe at work.
She added: “People are living and working longer than ever before. With good risk assessment practices, based on an employee’s individual needs and not their age, there is no reason why these longer working years should be any less safe. Older workers bring such value to an organisation that any changes to the work environment or work they may need are well worth making in order for employees to keep their most skilled and experienced employees.”
