Taking into account the changes that occur in the human body with age, it seems obvious that the type of work needs to be adapted to the capabilities of older workers. Meanwhile, as indicated by cyclical surveys of working conditions in European countries, the requirements that are imposed on a person performing professional work most often remain the same regardless of the age of the employee.

As a result, the actual workload of the worker increases with age, which can be the cause of many pathological changes, especially in the musculoskeletal and circulatory systems, as well as a decrease in work capacity and the development of chronic fatigue. The least beneficial combination for the body is the combination of hard physical work and lack of physical activity in the form of practicing sports during leisure time, which increases the risk of serious health complications and premature death.

Physical effort is one of the most important risk factors contributing to the manifestation of musculoskeletal disorders. Even light physical work is associated with the need to stand for a long time or walk for a long time. In addition, it often requires carrying items. Performing this type of activity increases the risk of damage to the musculoskeletal system and is one of the reasons for the acceleration of degenerative changes (especially of the spine) and related ailments. Work-related physical activity also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. This is related to the static effort accompanying the work, which consists in maintaining increased muscle tone without changing the length of the muscle. Examples of this type of effort could be carrying, supporting or moving heavy objects, maintaining a forced body position, etc. This type of effort is particularly taxing for the human body and significantly increases the burden of work. During static exercise, blood vessels are compressed by tense muscles, which results in an increase in heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Heavy physical exertion also has a negative impact on women’s reproductive health. In women performing heavy physical work, the frequency of menstrual disorders and the occurrence of anovulatory cycles increases. High physical effort also makes it difficult to get pregnant, and in pregnant women it increases the risk of miscarriage and may be the cause of low birth weight of the newborn. On the other hand, older women are considered

Excessive, exceeding the employee’s capacity for physical work, also leads to a reduction in work capacity, which expresses a well-balanced job requirements and the employee’s capabilities. Research on the analysis of differences in working ability depending on its type and the size and nature of workload, as well as changes in working ability depending on age, have been conducted in the world, including Poland, for years. These studies have shown that the ability to work decreases with the age of employees, and the rate of this decrease depends on internal factors, such as health status, as well as on the type and intensity of work performed. Factors such as high energy cost of work, forced body position and a large share of repetitive activities at the workplace, or extended working time, are significant factors in premature and, unfortunately, total loss of working capacity. In turn, by tracking changes in working ability as a function of age, attention was paid to the possibilities of its modification by reducing the physical load at work and increasing physical activity outside of work (recreational).

Fatigue as a result of excessive workload is a common feeling in the working population and is considered an inseparable consequence of work, especially one that requires physical effort. However, if the effort is excessive or the rest is inadequate to the effort (too short, in inappropriate conditions) or other factors that may negatively affect well-being (health condition, family situation, etc.) join in, chronic fatigue develops. Chronic fatigue can cause deterioration of the quality of life as well as work efficiency and safety, and even lead to permanent incapacity for work.

Source: CIOP and PIB materials

Source:https://www.seka.pl/excessive-obcarzenie-praca-fizyczna/

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.