Sunday, February 3, 2013

Two-Thirds of Older Workers Plan to Delay Retirement

I saw an interesting post from Thinkprogress.com about the aging of our work force and the effect the Great Recession has had on our older workers.  According to a recent study, 62 percent of workers between 45 and 60 years old plan to delay their retirement due to falling wages and job uncertainty.

Ok...so why am I posting this on my Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation blog?  Here's why....as the work force ages, there will be a corresponding increase in work injuries.  It's just plain physiology.  Further, as the average worker's age range shifts higher we may see different types of work-related injuries that we have not seen before.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

DuPont's Towanda Plant Celebrates Safety Record

From the give credit where credit is due file.......From the Towanda Daily Review:

Led by a veteran group of employees who collectively accounted for 1 million non-hazardous and hazardous exposure hours out of 57 million total, the DuPont Towanda site has recorded 40 consecutive years without an event-related, lost workday case.
The safety milestone, unprecedented for DuPont Pennsylvania-based operations, was achieved by a total Towanda plant population that has varied from over 1,000 to 500 employees over the past four decades. 
It was officially celebrated by the site Jan. 5 with special DuPont Safety Coin recognition given to each member of the veteran group including Leland S. Ayers, Wayne R. Brown, David C. Browning, Dennis L. Cox, Timothy E. Davidson, Dennis P. Fries, Douglas W. Hicks, Gregory J. Kelley, John H. Rees, Thomas D. Roof, Ralph H. Schoonover II, C. Scott Turner and Dale C. Vanderpool. 
"Led by these 13 employees, this outstanding accomplishment is but one example of the total team commitment that all of our employees live out in support of DuPont's Core Values," said James Rodenhizer, plant manager, who added that before starting the current 40-year safety run, Towanda employees had worked 27 years without an ER/LWC, giving the site just one case in a total of 67 years. "The 40 year milestone allows us to pause and appreciate the safe work of not only our current employees, but also past employees. It's wonderful to be a part of this great team." 
"57 million exposure hours without a major injury is an amazing accomplishment," said Michael Betzen, DuPont Electronics & Communications supply chain leader, who attended the Jan. 5 celebration. "It has to be one of the best lost workday records in the company's history."