Obstacles and Future Prospects: Considerations on Health Promotion Activities for Older Workers in Europe

The ageing of workers is one of the most important issues for occupational health and safety in Europe. The ageing of the active population means that health promotion is a necessity rather than a mere option. This review considers barriers and perspectives for workplace health promotion for older workers. Lack of awareness on the part of management and inflexibility in the occupational health and safety system appear to be major barriers. To overcome these, it will be necessary to disseminate knowledge regarding the effectiveness of health promotion actions for older workers, encourage greater involvement on the part of social partners, recover resources by replacing medical consumerism and bureaucratic practices, adopt an integrated approach combining the prevention of occupational risks and the promotion of healthy lifestyles, and recognize subsidiarity and the ability of working communities to regulate themselves.