A Study of the Correlation between Age and the Number of Work Accidents in Mining Enterprises between 2003–2017

Abstract

Progressive changes in the demographic structure of developed countries observed for many years have caused increasing disproportions in the workforce age distribution. Every year, the number of older employees is reported to be increasing as opposed to the number of younger employees, which is decreasing. This affects the sphere of occupational health and safety. A work accident comprises a number of interrelated adverse technical, organizational, environmental, and human events [1,2]. However, it has been claimed that the main contributing factor responsible for work accidents is a human error (disruption). The causes of human errors may include: incapacity, nature of tasks being performed as well as physical and social environment. It is important to note that the first element is strongly related to both age and seniority. Based on available literature, the impact of age on work accidents is not clearly defined. Advanced age of employees favors the acquisition and consolidation of professional knowledge, but it can also be associated with greater automation of behaviors in work environment. This can lead to an error resulting in a dangerous situation or accident. The analysis of the age structure of individuals employed in mining enterprises indicates the dominance of employees aged 36–45 between 2003–2017. Bearing in mind the above, this study examined the relationship between age and the number of work accidents among individuals employed in mining enterprises. The study was carried out using the Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The source of analysis included statistical data on the size of employment in individual age groups and the number of work accidents in mining enterprises. The period adopted for the analysis was between 2003–2017. The research showed a correlation between age and the number of work accidents in hard coal mines.