In common with other developed nations, the UK has an ageing workforce. This trend has implications for workplace health and safety. Provided that job demands are well matched to individual capabilities, there are no grounds for excluding older workers from the workplace, but achievement of this goal requires identification of best practice in job design and work organisation.

Previous work in Finland and Japan has shown that it is possible to assess the effects of ageing on individual capabilities and to modify job and environmental demands accordingly. Management strategies also have an important role in maintaining the employability and health and safety of older workers. Further research is needed to explore the applicability of these approaches within the UK.

The Health and Safety Executive(HSE) is to fund a multidisciplinary workshop to consider the occupational health and safety implications of an ageing workforce. The research needs and priorities will be considered and an outline research strategy for wider discussion by stakeholders will be formulated. It is expected that up to 50 delegates will attend the event, representing the views and interests of researchers, policy-makers and practitioners. An important feature of the workshop will be the participation of experts from Finland, Germany and Japan. A research agenda and a report on the workshop will be published on the AgeNet website although the site has still to be fully updated.

The workshop is a part of the package of research announced last May and being jointly undertaken on behalf of The Medical Research Council (MRC), the Economic and Social Research Council(ESRC), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC),the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the government's Department of Health.