Ageing, Demand for Care and the Role of Migrant Care Workers in the UK

In recent decades, rapid population ageing has dramatically increased the need for older adult care provision in the UK. A prominent role in meeting the care needs of the older population has been played by migrant workers. The aim of this paper is to explore the characteristics of the UK social care system that shape demand for migrant labour, the conditions under which migrant care workers are employed, and older people’s and migrant care workers’ experiences of the quality of care. Our analysis draws on the findings of a survey of providers of social care for older people, in-depth interviews with migrant care workers, and focus groups with older people. The findings show that the underfunding of social care and interrelated workforce shortages are largely responsible for the extensive reliance on migrant workers among social care providers, and raise concerns for workforce inequalities and for the quality of care.     

The effect of age on the hand movement time during machine paced assembly tasks for female workers

The share of older adults in the workforce is increasing in many countries. In the manufacturing industry a high proportion of assembly tasks are machine paced. Previous studies have shown that older adults tend to have longer movement times than younger adults when working at a self-selected pace. However, it is unclear whether older adults can obtain the same hand movement time as a younger group when performing machine paced work at the assembly line. In the current study, 10 older and 10 younger female participants performed simulated light-duty assembly tasks during which the hand movement times were recorded. The results showed that the older participants were capable of working at the set pace and there was no significant difference between age groups in hand movement times (989.9 msec vs. 986.6 msec, p = 0.5647). A likely explanation to the results is that the older participant had to work closer to their physical limits or capacity in order to compensate for the age effect on movement time.     

Supporting intergenerational groups in computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW)

The workforce is ageing as older workers re-enter the workforce or delay retirement. One consequence is that work groups are increasingly becoming intergenerational. Because group work relies on many collaborative tools (e.g. email, shared calendars), it is essential to understand the special requirements that intergenerational groups have for groupware. Can we design collaborative tools that leverage the differing abilities and contributions of older and younger workers in groups? We focus on how best to support intergenerational groups, offering an analytical framework that combines ideas from the theory of small groups and activity theory. We consider design implications for computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) and outline design principles for groupware that supports intergenerational groups. Finally, we discuss methodological issues that arise when studying intergenerational cooperative work.     

The employability of older workers as teleworkers: An appraisal of issues and an empirical study

The aging of the population and, concomitantly, of the workforce has a number of important implications for governments, businesses, and workers. In this article, we examine the prospects for the employability of older workers as home‐based teleworkers. This alternative work could accommodate many of the needs and preferences of older workers and at the same time benefit organizations. However, before telework can be considered a viable work option for many older workers there are a number of issues to consider, including the ability of older workers to adapt to the technological demands that are typically associated with telework jobs and managerial attitudes about older workers and about telework. Through an integrated examination of these and other issues, our goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges associated with employing older workers as teleworkers. We also present findings from a questionnaire study that assessed managers' perceptions of worker attributes desirable for telework and how older workers compare to younger workers on these attributes. The sample included 314 managers with varying degrees of managerial experience from a large variety of companies in the United States. The results presented a mixed picture with respect to the employability of older workers as teleworkers, and strongly suggested that less experienced managers would be more resistant to hiring older people as teleworkers. We conclude with a number of recommendations for improving the prospects for employment of older workers for this type of work arrangement. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Issues in training older adults to use computers

Given the aging of the workforce and the general population, it is important to determine how best to train older adults to use computers. Generally, research has shown that training takes significantly more time for older adults compared with younger learners, and that older adults commit more errors in post-training evaluations. This paper reviews research demonstrating age differences in learning to use a computer. We also explore the effects of attitudes, anxiety, and cognitive abilities on computer use, as well as research on training novices to use computers. Finally, we discuss designing the human-computer interface for the advantage of older users.     

The older driver.

Older drivers constitute the most rapidly growing segment of the driving population in number of drivers licensed, miles driven, and proportion of the driving population. Yet the highway transportation system has not been designed for these drivers. This lack of fit is reflected in the accelerating rate of crashes per mile driven experienced by older drivers beginning around age 55. Furthermore, older persons are more vulnerable to injury once a crash occurs and as a group experience a higher fatality rate. The increasing proportion of our population consisting of older persons, in conjunction with a relative decrease in the young adult population, underscores the need for research to develop a greater understanding of the needs and capabilities of this age group and to develop system improvements that will enable as many older persons as possible to continue to meet their own transportation needs safely.     

Structural Determinants of Workforce Participation after Retirement in Poland

In this paper, we aim to analyse selected structural determinants of workforce participation after retirement in Poland. By structural determinants we mean characteristics of one’s socio-economic position that (a) result from the interplay of social conditions (mechanisms of power, differentiated access to resources) and individual agency, and (b) restrict or facilitate individuals’ choices. We conceptualise workforce participation as engaging in either part- or full-time paid employment despite receiving the old-age pension. Our general hypothesis is that working in older age is not only a matter of motivation or psychological traits but also a complex interplay of structural characteristics, accumulated by individuals during their life course. In the paper, we test a number of hypotheses about the role of specific components of socio-economic status (SES), i.e. occupational prestige, education, and wealth, for workforce participation among retirees. We argue that, in case of retirees, the prestige of the last job before retirement is a more reliable measure of the social position than education. Hence, we conduct a more detailed analysis of the role of occupational prestige for the chances of being employed after retirement. The analysis was based on data gathered in the years 2013–2014 within the sixth wave of the Polish Panel Survey POLPAN (www.polpan.org). We extracted a subsample of retirees from this dataset and used logistic regression to test the hypotheses described above. We found that both occupational prestige of the last job before retirement and educational attainments are strong predictors of being in paid work after retirement, however the impact of occupational prestige varies across the groups with the lowest and higher level of retirement pension. We also found that there are horizontal differences in the occupational structure of the chances for workforce participation after retirement and additionally found that being a farm owner increases the propensity to engage in economic activity after retirement. The paper contributes to the field of studies on the relationship between SES and workforce participation after retirement in line with the cumulative advantage/disadvantage theory and shows that resources that individuals have accumulated during the life course can determine their chances of working after retirement just as individual motivations or organisational characteristics do.     

Scheduling mobile collaborating workforce for multiple urgent events

Despite the advancement of wireless technologies that allows collaboration at different places, under emergencies, professionals are often still required to arrive at the scene to carry out critical tasks. Under many practical constraints, how to schedule mobile collaborating workforce for urgent event requirements becomes a challenging problem. In this paper, we study the optimal mobile workforce assignment problems for multiple events and propose an efficient algorithm to find an optimal workforce arrangement with respect to quick response under qualification and location constraints. A practical example is given to illustrate how our method works. We also study the exception case where there are not enough qualified users. We allow a user to take on multiple qualified tasks previously assigned to different users. But each person is restricted within one event location so as to reduce traffic transfer between different places for the quick response purpose. We analyze the computational complexity of the problem of finding an optimal assignment of mobile workforce under such restraints and solve it by means of integer linear programming.     

Age as a moderator of attitude towards technology in the workplace: work motivation and overall job satisfaction

Given the prevalence of technology in the workplace, an understanding of employees' attitudes towards technology is essential. Such attitudes have been linked to such important issues as the successful implementation of new technologies in the workplace, employee intent to use technology, and the actual usage of technology by employees. As a result of the rapidly aging workforce, and because age has been linked to computer use and comfort, it is important to examine the relationship that may exist between age and attitudes towards technology. This study examines age as a moderator of 612 employees' attitudes towards technology in relation to work motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) and overall job satisfaction. Further, given the technological socialisation of the Generation X (Gen X) versus the Baby Boomers, our sample comprised these two demographics. Hierarchical moderated multiple regression indicates age moderates the relationship between attitude towards technology and intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and to a lesser extent, overall job satisfaction. In each instance, older employees exhibit the strongest relationships with the outcome variables when possessing a high attitude towards technology. In contrast, older employees exhibit the weakest relationships when possessing a low attitude towards technology. These results are supportive of the moderating effect of age on attitude towards technology. Lastly, implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

Imaginal technology and management information processing: a review of the applied literature

The present study examined the reactions of older and younger workers to the situation of encountering an error during computer-based work. It was expected that older workers would have a stronger negative emotional reaction to such an error due to a combination of age-related factors. In both a questionnaire and an observational study among 134 office workers this was found to be the case. This age relationship remained after controlling for differences in computer experience, attitudes to new technology, education and the number of errors made by participants during a typical computer-based work session. More detailed analyses showed that in response to an error situation, older workers compared to younger ones stated they were significantly less likely to try and solve the problem entirely on their own; this was also partly supported by the observational data. In terms of the available options for helping rectify errors, older workers reported that they were more often likely to use written documentation and rely less on asking other workers. The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of interventions to ameliorate the impact of errors in computer-based work on an older workforce.     

Age differences in reactions to errors in computer-based work

The present study examined the reactions of older and younger workers to the situation of encountering an error during computer-based work. It was expected that older workers would have a stronger negative emotional reaction to such an error due to a combination of age-related factors. In both a questionnaire and an observational study among 134 office workers this was found to be the case. This age relationship remained after controlling for differences in computer experience, attitudes to new technology, education and the number of errors made by participants during a typical computer-based work session. More detailed analyses showed that in response to an error situation, older workers compared to younger ones stated they were significantly less likely to try and solve the problem entirely on their own; this was also partly supported by the observational data. In terms of the available options for helping rectify errors, older workers reported that they were more often likely to use written documentation and rely less on asking other workers. The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of interventions to ameliorate the impact of errors in computer-based work on an older workforce.     

Differences in functional performance of the shoulder musculature with obesity and aging

The workforce includes an increasing number of workers who are obese and/or older, which may lead to higher rates of workplace injuries. We examined the main and interactive effects of obesity and age on strength and functional performance during sustained isometric exertions involving shoulder flexion in two postures. Four groups of eight participants each (non-obese (18.5 < BMI < 25 kg/m²) young (18–25 years), non-obese older (50–65 years), obese (30 < BMI < 40 kg/m²) young, and obese older) completed static endurance tasks in each posture, at fixed target levels of shoulder moment. Shoulder strength was ∼25% higher with obesity and equivalent between age groups. Both obesity and age affected endurance time, with the obese and younger groups both having shorter endurance. Obesity and age did not have an interactive effect on endurance time and the results were inconclusive regarding acute fatigue effects for individuals who are older and obese. Further work is needed under more realistic task conditions, to explore the likely complex effects of these individual differences.     

A comparison of foot/ground interaction during stair negotiation and level walking in young and older women

Stair design and environmental conditions may play a role in slip accidents on stairs in the workplace, but little is known about the slip resistance requirements on stairs compared to level walking. Older adults have an increased risk of falling compared to younger adults and may be at greater risk during stair negotiation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the ground reaction force profiles and peak required coefficient of friction (RCOF) differed between young and elderly women or between stair ascent, stair descent and overground walking. While there was a trend towards less risky stair descent behaviour in the older women in terms of their peak RCOF values during stair descent, the increased vertical loading rate in the older women may imply reduced dynamic balance control. The largest mean RCOF peaks occurred during stair ascent in both young and older women, but there were several overground walking trials in both groups and a few stair descent trials of the young women, which resulted in RCOF peaks greater than 0.5. These results should be considered when choosing stair surface materials, particularly in occupational and outdoor settings where the tread surfaces may become wet or contaminated.     

A comparison of foot/ground interaction during stair negotiation and level walking in young and older women

Stair design and environmental conditions may play a role in slip accidents on stairs in the workplace, but little is known about the slip resistance requirements on stairs compared to level walking. Older adults have an increased risk of falling compared to younger adults and may be at greater risk during stair negotiation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the ground reaction force profiles and peak required coefficient of friction (RCOF) differed between young and elderly women or between stair ascent, stair descent and overground walking. While there was a trend towards less risky stair descent behaviour in the older women in terms of their peak RCOF values during stair descent, the increased vertical loading rate in the older women may imply reduced dynamic balance control. The largest mean RCOF peaks occurred during stair ascent in both young and older women, but there were several overground walking trials in both groups and a few stair descent trials of the young women, which resulted in RCOF peaks greater than 0.5. These results should be considered when choosing stair surface materials, particularly in occupational and outdoor settings where the tread surfaces may become wet or contaminated.     

智能矿山建设实践及关键技术

目前对智能矿山概念、发展规划的研究较多,对智能化建设成果和关键技术的研究较少。基于智能矿山建设的5层技术架构,以大柳塔煤矿智能化建设为例,论述了综采、掘进、运输、供电、供排水等系统的智能化建设情况及成效:共取消井下固定岗位约100个,减少作业人员200余人,降低人工成本4000万元/a,节约工业水电消耗30%,提高设备利用率5%,提高全员工效10%。指出智能矿山建设的关键点在于拓宽网络通道、统一各子系统接口、关联设备安全可靠和配备专业人才队伍,由此总结了目前智能矿山建设中存在的难点,并有针对性地提出了要攻关的关键技术,包括自动割煤、移动设备人员接近探测、无线传感、集中加油、井口智能安检、无人驾驶等。     

A numerical simulation on a pneumatic air table realized bymicro-EDM

This paper presents a numerical simulation of the flow field on a one-dimensional pneumatic actuator. Unlike conventional actuators, this model uses dynamic pressure instead of friction to drive a slider. The objective of this simulation is to find the detail of the flow field under the slider as well as the influence of its levitation on the horizontal transportation. Secondary vortices to be formed under the slider may cause an instability of the slider movement. To further assure a stable transportation of the slider, absence of secondary vortices in the gap is desirable, which can be achieved by narrowing the gap width. However, a too narrow gap might cause a significant increase of flow impedance and thus sacrifice the horizontal transportation. Here, two cases with gap width of 100 and 50 μm were investigated. With a gap width of 50 μm, there was no secondary vortex formed; however, the horizontal transportation was greatly sacrificed. In contrast, with a gap width of 100 μm, several secondary vortices of a size one to two times the gap width were formed. However, the horizontal driving force was about eight times larger than that in the case of a gap width of 50 μm     

重油输送系统基于流量-压力的建模与仿真

应用于阳极焙烧的重油输送的精确控制是一个典型交叉耦合的复杂控制问题，它对炭阳极焙烧质量起关键作用，输送过程中涉及到重油流量、压力和温度三个参量的变化。为了简化所建模型，假定重油输送过程中油温恒定，这样在建模过程中就剩下重油流量与压力之间的耦合关系。为了实现阳极焙烧重油输送的精确控制，通过对阳极焙烧重油输送工作机理的分析。以现场实际采集的数据为基础，采用管道流体传输的物理机理建立对象的模型的方法，提出了一种阳极焙烧萤油输送的基于流量-压力精确控制的数学模型，经仿真验证了该模型的有效性。     

A virtual reality cognitive health screening tool for aviation: Managing accident risk for older pilots

To address elevated risk for older pilots, we examined the efficacy of a virtual reality (VR) cognitive health screening tool (integrated into simulated flight scenarios) in identifying general aviation pilots who experienced a critical incident during flight in a full-scale Cessna 172 simulator. Performance data were obtained from 51 certified pilots (17–71 years). Machine learning classification algorithms, based on key data from the VR flight, were used to validate the utility of the screening tool for identifying pilot risk. The results showed that aviation-relevant cognitive factors obtained in the VR screening tool, including situation awareness and prospective memory, predicted risk of a critical incident with good sensitivity (0.83) and specificity (0.85), AUC = 0.82. These results support VR-based cognitive screening to identify at-risk older pilots. The present findings inform procedures for optimizing safety and reducing critical incidents at any point in the pilot lifespan and are timely in view of the impending pilot workforce shortage.     

The relationship between work organization and workforce agility in small manufacturing enterprises

Organizational agility requires development of an adaptable workforce that is able to deal with unexpected and dynamic changes in the business environment. However, little research has been done on the attributes and characteristics of workforce agility. Even less is known about what organization characteristics are conducive to the agile performance of employees. The main goal of this study was to explore the effect of agile strategies on work organization and employees' performance. A total of 41 managers, 82 office workers, and 52 production workers from six small manufacturing companies participated in the study. Three questionnaires, including Agility Strategy Scale, Work Organization Scale, and Workforce Agility Scale, were used for the purpose of data collection. The results support a hypothesized relationship between management strategies focused on agility development, work characteristics, and workforce agility. The results also reveal that autonomy at work is one of the most important predictors of workforce agility. A combination of job demands and job uncertainty had a significant effect on workforce agility. The study also suggests that developing strong cooperative relationships within an organization and with customers and suppliers promotes workforce agility in small manufacturing enterprises.     

Stress reactions to computer‐interactive tasks as a function of task structure and individual differences

The resurgence of interest in occupational stress has resulted in an emphasis on identifying work conditions that are potentially causal in generating stress reactions and psychological disorders among workers. Although a considerable knowledge base related to this topic has evolved, relatively little is known regarding the impact of computer technology on incidence of job stress. This issue is especially important for older workers, given the increased use of computers in most occupations, the aging of the workforce, and the changes in cognitive and physiological capacities that occur with increased age. The study reported in this article was concerned with developing a methodology to evaluate stress for computer‐interactive tasks as a function of the mental workload of the task and the age of the individual. Sixty‐five women ranging in age from 25 to 70 years performed three computer‐interactive tasks that varied as a function of information processing complexity and pacing requirements. The methodology encompassed physiological, subjective, and performance measures. Results indicated differences in sensitivity among the measures as a function of task and age. The data also indicated age differences in stress reactions and performance. The findings are discussed in terms of the suitability of computer tasks for older people.