ERGONOMIC DESIGN OF WORKPLACES - PREVENTION FORALL GENERATIONS

The capacity for work of as many employees as possible should be retained until they reach retirement age. This raises the question as to whether the working conditions will have to be adjusted and designed in consideration of an ageing workforce. At the Institute for Work and Health in Dresden, model workplaces have been developed. They are based upon an ergonomically sound basic design, with only a small number of additional elements intended to meet the needs of older persons. Evaluation of the model assembly workplace in comparison with an assembly workplace commonly found in enterprises confirms that the ergonomically sound basic design of the model workplace not only makes work easier for the older workers, but also has a preventive health effect for their younger colleagues.