Health Issues of Elderly Workforce to Laws, Standards, and Workplace Assessments

Abstract

     Thailand is entering an aging society, and there is a trend towards extending the working age. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare a suitable working environment. Although there are well-being building standards and building regulations, the statistics for disease prevalence still remain high. This is qualitative research aims to investigate the causes of health problems among elderly workers, considering Thailand's high disease prevalence statistics and the integration of health standards and environmental laws in the workplace, and proposes an assessment approach for suitable workplaces. The study involved interviews with qualified individuals and experts in public health, selecting five participants with specific expertise. A Likert scale questionnaire with a 95% reliability was utilized, and ordinal ranking analysis was performed to explore disease interconnections. The findings revealed a high level of disease correlation in alignment with the disease prevalence statistics for 2020. Major diseases identified included cancer, tumors, cardiovascular, nervous, and respiratory systems. The primary environmental causes were air quality factors such as temperature, humidity, organic compounds, and particulate matter. Although some workplace environmental standards are regulated by laws, such as heat, light, and sound, they do not comprehensively cover the main causes. Therefore, it is recommended to follow international standards like Fitwel or WELL, focusing on controlling primary disease causes. Additionally, the installation of Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring systems for real-time assessments, along with annual or five-yearly evaluations of physical environments, is suggested.