Background:

The aging of the working population is already a fact in Spain. International reference bodies (the ILO, the European Commission, the European Agency -EU_OSHA- ...) and national organizations have begun to address this problem. Preventing and adapting working conditions to health problems linked to age is a fundamental task of the Occupational Risk Prevention Services (ORPS) although it is unknown to what extent it is being carried out. The objective of this study was to estimate how this emerging risk is being addressed.

Methods:

A descriptive, multicenter and cross-sectional study was conducted based on the data provided by the ORPS of Public Administrations of three Autonomous Communities, Madrid, the Basque Country and Navarre, Period 2012-2016. The actions performed according to age, economic activity, occupation and size of the work center were analyzed by calculating distribution percentages and association analysis by Prevalence Ratios with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).

Results:

Information was collected from 14 ORPS, all with their own resources. In the majority (11 out of 14) age was not considered in either risk assessments or health surveillance. Small centers performed more frequently the adaptation of job, Risk of Prevalence 1.25 (95% CI 1.12-1.40). In those with more than 5,000 workers, the proportion of relocations was greater (9/1,000 vs 6/1,000). The age of 55 was the risk threshold. In addition to the risks inherent in the tasks, psychosocials were identified in all activities.

Conclusions:

Age is especially sensitive to occupational risks, it must be considered in the evaluation, as well as in the design and adaptation of jobs, a fundamental task of the ORPS.

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