Survival after 60 years of age in miners

This study analyses long term effects of working conditions at an advanced age and post retirement. A longitudinal study was done among 63,000 retired miners between 60 to 65 years old. The standardised mortality ratio (SMR) in the cohort was above that expected on the basis of concurrent mortality in the reference population (SMR = 111; 95 % confidence interval (CI) : 108-114). The excess mortality was observed in occupational groups with exposure to underground tasks (10 years of underground tasks : RR = 2; 95 % CI : 1.7-2.5), but there was sign of a healthy worker effect after 25 underground years. The effects of modern technologies and of medical progress have changed working conditions and care has reduced mortality for retired manual workers : exposure to underground tasks before 1950 : RR = 1.7; CI 95 % : 1.4-2.0; after 1950 : RR = 1.2; CI 95 %: 1.1-1.2.