Older Workers Face More Serious Consequences from Workplace Injuries

Health and Income Security for an Aging Workforce
Brief No. 5 ~ December 2003

Summary: Comparing the outcomes of workplace injuries in three states—California, Washington, and Wisconsin—suggests that older workers are more likely than their younger counterparts to have permanent disabilities as a result of those injuries. This is true even though older workers have fewer workplace accidents. In addition, older workers suffer larger wage losses over the first few years after injury, they have lower replacement rates from workers’ compensation benefits, and they experience more injury-related days of non-employment.