Explore the vast range of titles available.

OBJECTIVE:To explore issues related to the aging workforce, including barriers to integrating health protection and promotion programs, and provide recommendations for best practices to maximize contributions by aging workers. METHODS:Workgroups reviewed literature and case studies to develop consensus statements and recommendations for a national approach to issues related to older workers. RESULTS:Consensus statements and actions steps were identified for each of the Summit goals and call-to-action statements were developed. CONCLUSIONS:A national dialogue to build awareness of integrated health protection and promotion for the aging workforce is needed. Workers will benefit from improved health and performance; employers will realize a more engaged and productive workforce; and the nation will gain a vital, competitive workforce.

Overexertion is a leading cause of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among construction workers. Nearly 90% of construction jobs require manual handling of materials for approximately one half of the worker's time (1). In 2015, overexertion from lifting and lowering materials caused 30% of WMSDs among construction workers; overexertion involving pushing, pulling, holding, carrying, and catching materials caused an additional 37% of WMSDs (1). This study examined the rate and cost of WMSD claims from overexertion among Ohio construction workers during 2007-2017. Workers' compensation claims related to overexertion that were submitted to the Ohio Bureau of Worker's Compensation (OHBWC) by workers in the construction industry for injuries and illnesses occurring during 2007-2017 were analyzed. Rates and costs of allowed claims were measured by age group. Workers aged 35-44 years experienced the highest claim rate: 63 per 10,000 full-time employees (FTEs) for WMSDs from overexertion. However, claims by workers aged 45-54 years and 55-64 years were more costly on average and resulted in more days away from work. Ergonomic design improvements and interventions are needed to ensure that the majority of construction workers can safely perform jobs throughout their careers. Age-specific WMSD prevention and risk communication efforts also might be helpful.

Occupational differences in depression and global health were examined in a sample of 8,486 employed persons who completed the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES). Scores on the depression and global health measures in the NMES were adjusted for age, race, sex, tenure, and hours worked per week, and then grouped according to occupations in the 1980 US Census code. In all, 239 different occupations, distributed across 11 occupational categories, were studied. Results indicated that professional and managerial occupations tended to have healthier scores on both depression and global health. Occupations involving the operation of machines or transportation equipment tended to have poorer scores. These findings are discussed in terms of factors that contribute to occupational differences in well-being, and the need for additional research in which more detailed information concerning working conditions is collected.

Seagrass beds in Florida Bay are home to many ecologically and economically important species. Anthropogenic press perturbation via alterations in hydrology and pulse perturbations such as drought can lead to hypersalinity, hypoxia, and sulfide toxicity, ultimately causing seagrass die-offs. Florida Bay has undergone two large-scale seagrass die-offs, the first in the late 1980s and early 1990s and the second in 2015. Post-die-off events, samples were collected for stable isotope analysis. Using historical (1998–1999) and contemporary (2018) stable isotope data, we examine how food webs in Florida Bay have changed in response to seagrass die-off over time by measuring contributions of basal sources to energy usage and using trophic niche analysis to compare niche size and overlap. We examined three consumer species sampled in both time periods (Orthopristis chrysoptera, Lagodon rhomboides, and Eucinostomus gula) in our study. Seagrass production comprised the majority of source usage in both datasets. However, contemporary consumers had a mean increase of 18% seagrass usage and a mean decrease in epiphyte usage of 7%. The shift in trophic niche from epiphyte usage (green pathway) toward seagrass usage (brown pathway) may indicate that food web browning is occurring in Florida Bay.