TY - JOUR
T1 - What do we know about ageing at work? Evidence-based fitness for duty and health in fire fighters
AU - Sluiter, J. K.
AU - Frings-Dresen, M. H. W.
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - This study sought to collect evidence on age and workability in fire fighters, using systematic international literature searches, interviews, and secondary analyses from Dutch fire fighter studies. Recent decades have witnessed growing demands on fire fighters, who face peak task demands during duty. Older Dutch fire fighters experience greater emotional and mental demands than their younger colleagues. Huge inter-individual variation emerged in task performance with over six-fold differences in time-on-tasks and the percentage heart rate reserve between and within age groups. However, no age-effect was observed in lifting capacity during simulations. Compared to their youngest colleagues, older Dutch fire fighters face a six-fold increase in the risk of health complaints. The international literature lacks psychological age effects studies. Semi-functional tests, (e.g. exercise stress testing or push-ups) do not predict workability. Regular screening of fire fighters, using multi-modal functional tests that closely simulate real job activities, is recommended
AB - This study sought to collect evidence on age and workability in fire fighters, using systematic international literature searches, interviews, and secondary analyses from Dutch fire fighter studies. Recent decades have witnessed growing demands on fire fighters, who face peak task demands during duty. Older Dutch fire fighters experience greater emotional and mental demands than their younger colleagues. Huge inter-individual variation emerged in task performance with over six-fold differences in time-on-tasks and the percentage heart rate reserve between and within age groups. However, no age-effect was observed in lifting capacity during simulations. Compared to their youngest colleagues, older Dutch fire fighters face a six-fold increase in the risk of health complaints. The international literature lacks psychological age effects studies. Semi-functional tests, (e.g. exercise stress testing or push-ups) do not predict workability. Regular screening of fire fighters, using multi-modal functional tests that closely simulate real job activities, is recommended
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1080/00140130701676005
DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/00140130701676005
M3 - Article
C2 - 17972208
SN - 0014-0139
VL - 50
SP - 1897
EP - 1913
JO - Ergonomics
JF - Ergonomics
IS - 11
ER -