The effect of age on subjective assessment of hygienic work environment inthe metal industry

Most studies have shown a simple positive linear relationship between age a nd job satisfaction, although a U-shaped relation has also been described. The question which arises, are the differences in the job satisfaction of d ifferent aged people caused by job characteristics and the work environment , or are they based on psychosocial variables. In this study we tried to fi nd the answer by carrying out both objective observations and interviews of employees in the metal product manufacturing industries. Sixty companies w ith 261 employees in different jobs, were randomly selected for the study. A U-shaped relation was found between age and satisfaction with noise, ligh ting, thermal conditions, and chemical safety of the work place. Most findi ngs on job satisfaction showed U-shaped relationships between employee age and the hygienic environment. Both young and old workers appeared to have g reater benefits from working in a hygienic environment than did middle-aged workers. The results do not support alternative hypotheses explaining the effect of working conditions across age cohorts. Relevance to industry The different aged workers' satisfaction with the items concerning industri al hygiene were compared to the researchers' observations of the same envir onment. The results do not support the hypothesis that differences in satis faction with the hygienic environment are caused by age-related attitudes. The U-shaped relation between age and satisfaction with the hygienic work e nvironment is mainly a reflection of the actual situation in work life. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.