Loading
Careers
Investors
PartnerNetwork Portal
Contact Us
Popular Resources
Compatibility & Downloads (PCDC) Knowledgebase Literature Library Lifecycle Status Learning+ Training Subscriptions
 
Product Management
Asset Management (RAAMP) Installed Base Evaluation (IBE) Product Registration Repairs Service Contracts & Tickets Software Activation Software Subscriptions Sustainability Dashboard
 
Product Configuration and Selection
Advisor Bill of Materials CrossWorks Integrated Architecture Builder Product Catalog ProposalWorks Proposal Builder ProposalWorks Standards Builder Safety Automation Builder
 

 

View All Tools →

Rockwell Automation logo
Products
Hardware
What's New in Hardware
Circuit & Load Protection Condition Monitoring Connection Devices Distributed Control Systems Drives Energy Monitoring Human Machine Interface Independent Cart Technology Industrial Computers & Monitors Industrial Control Products Input/Output Modules Lighting Control
Motion Control Motor Control Network Security & Infrastructure Packaged Solutions Power Supplies Programmable Controllers Push Buttons & Signaling Devices Relays & Timers Safety Instrumented Systems Safety Products Sensors & Switches Signal Interface
Software
What's New in Software
Cloud Software
 
Design
Studio 5000 FactoryTalk Logix Echo Emulate3D Digital Twin Arena Simulation FactoryTalk Design Studio FactoryTalk Twin Studio FactoryTalk Vault
 
Analytics & Data
FactoryTalk Historian FactoryTalk Analytics Thingworx IIoT FactoryTalk Edge Gateway FactoryTalk Transaction Manager FactoryTalk Edge Model Predictive Control
HMI
FactoryTalk View FactoryTalk Optix
 
MES
Plex MES Plex Quality Management ProductionCentre PharmaSuite
 
Performance Monitoring
Plex Production Monitoring FactoryTalk Metrics OEE
 
Thin Client Management
ThinManager
Maintenance
Fiix CMMS FactoryTalk AssetCentre FactoryTalk Remote Access FactoryTalk Network Manager Emonitor
 
Process
PlantPAx FactoryTalk Batch
 
Industrial Communications
FactoryTalk Linx
 
XR/Augmented Reality
Vuforia
Product Directory Allen-Bradley FactoryTalk
Services
Asset Optimization & Workforce Services
Equipment Repair Equipment Remanufacturing Asset & Equipment Inventory Management Application Remote Support & Monitoring
Onsite & Field Services Safety Services Training Services
Cybersecurity & Network Infrastructure
Cybersecurity Industrial Network Infrastructure Pre-Engineered Network Solutions
Digital Thread
Overview
 
LifecycleIQ Services
Rockwell Automation consultant in hard hat looks at tablet with male client in orange vest
LifecycleIQ Services

Lifecycle Services help your manufacturing facility work faster, smarter and with greater agility at every lifecycle stage.

Get Started
Industries & Solutions
Industries
Automotive & Tire Cement Chemical Entertainment Fiber & Textiles Food & Beverage Household & Personal Care Infrastructure Life Sciences Marine
Metals Mining Oil & Gas Power Generation Print & Publishing Pulp & Paper Semiconductor Warehouse & Fulfillment Water Wastewater
Solutions
Digital Transformation Industrial Analytics Industrial Automation Control Industrial Cybersecurity & Networks
Motion & Robotics Process Automation Control Safety Solutions  Smart Manufacturing
 
Solutions for
OEMs
PlantPAx DCS Helps Country Maid Ramp Up Production
men automation manufacturing beverage plant hmi
Case Study
PlantPAx DCS Helps Country Maid Ramp Up Production

Interstates, a Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork Systems Integrator, helps Country Maid increase production and gain operational efficiencies

Read Now
Support
Documentation
Technical Documentation Center Product Drawings & Wiring Diagrams Product Certifications Release Notes Technical Specifications
Product Support
Downloads Selection & Configuration Management
Training
Webinars E-learning Courses Instructor-led Training Training Workstations Learning+ Training Subscriptions
Contact Us
TechConnect Support Customer Care General Inquiries
TechConnect Support
TechConnect Support

Get the knowledge and assistance for solving your technical challenges.

Learn More about TechConnect
Compatibility and Downloads (PCDC) Knowledgebase Literature Library
Sales & Partners
Find a Partner
Go to the Partner Finder
 
Our PartnerNetwork
PartnerNetwork Program Digital Partners Distributor Partners Licensed Developers
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Partners Strategic Alliance Partners System Integrator Partners Technology Partners
Order Online
Software Subscriptions E-learning Training Instructor-led Training Learning+ Training Subscriptions
What is the PartnerNetwork™?
Two people interacting using tablet
What is the PartnerNetwork™?

Our Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork™ program gives our customers access to the best people, products, services and solutions to meet manufacturing goals and bring The Connected Enterprise to life.

Explore Now
Careers
Investors
PartnerNetwork Portal
Contact Us
Resources
Popular Resources
Compatibility & Downloads (PCDC) Knowledgebase Literature Library Lifecycle Status Learning+ Training Subscriptions
 
Product Management
Asset Management (RAAMP) Installed Base Evaluation (IBE) Product Registration Repairs Service Contracts & Tickets Software Activation Software Subscriptions Sustainability Dashboard
 
Product Configuration and Selection
Advisor Bill of Materials CrossWorks Integrated Architecture Builder Product Catalog ProposalWorks Proposal Builder ProposalWorks Standards Builder Safety Automation Builder
 

 

View All Tools →

Products
  • Products
  • PCDC
  • Literature Library
  • Knowledgebase
  • Web Pages
  • Sample Code
Select country or region
Select language
Sign In Create an Account
Why Create an Account?
Create bills of materials, submit repair quotes, register products and more!

Manage your e-communication subscription preferences.

Manage your user profile.
Welcome, {0}
Residing Location
My Account Sign Out
Blog
Recent ActivityRecent Activity
3 minute read

Evolving Workforce’s Impact on Machinery Design, Safety & Productivity

Share This:

LinkedInLinkedIn
XX
FacebookFacebook
PrintPrint
EmailEmail
Evolving Workforce’s Impact on Machinery Design, Safety & Productivity hero image
Video Player
Chevron DownChevron Down Chevron DownChevron Down
Safety In an Evolving Workforce
00:00
00:00
00:00
Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.

A growing labor pool is critical to a growing economy.

Availability of workers – particularly skilled workers – improves productivity and reduces costs. In turn, the reduced cost of goods improves sales and profits. However, major demographic and cultural shifts occurring today are reducing the availability of the manufacturing and industrial workforce throughout the globe.

Dealing with these shifts requires a multifaceted approach, impacting machinery design in significant ways to improve worker safety and productivity.

  • In the United States, one-third of workers are over age 50 and the average skilled worker is 56. The U.S. faces a shortfall of about 875,000 skilled workers by 2020.
  • In China, the over-65 population is expected to reach 210 million by 2030 and will account for one-fourth of the country's population by 2050. In anticipation of the looming workforce shortage, China abolished its one-child policy in 2015.
  • In Europe, the Europe 2020 Strategy aims to increase the employment rate to 75 percent for people aged 20 to 64. But for this to happen, European citizens will need to work longer and pension reforms will be required to facilitate extending older workers' time in the workforce.
  • In Latin America, birth rates have plummeted to nearly one-third of 1960 levels, reducing labor availability in those countries.

These shifts will continue in the coming decades, impacting companies' productivity and worker safety in significant ways. Meanwhile, the global GDP growth rate is expected to decline from 3.6 percent to only 2.1 percent for the next 50 years. It will require 80 percent faster productivity growth to compensate for the projected decline.

Because the availability of skilled workers is shrinking globally, methods such as offshoring and workforce relocation become less effective. Instead, companies will need to take a multifaceted approach.

Supporting a Changing Workforce

The workforce of the future will be increasingly diverse. For example, while a worker on one shift may be a 32-year old, 5'9”, right-handed male, the second operator may be a 55-year old, 5'1” left-handed female. Another may be someone with a pre-existing back problem.

Manufacturers and industrial operators must address the wider range of needs that will come with this changing workforce.

Younger and less-experienced workers are more frequently injured and tend to have more acute, serious injuries. This can be due to inexperience, and cognitive and developmental characteristics. On the other hand, older workers are at higher risk for musculoskeletal and repetitive stress injuries. Injuries in older workers also often require longer recovery periods and can end their careers, and with it their availability to contribute to their employer.

Another issue of concern is maintaining a strong safety culture amid pressures to increase production. There is a strong tendency for workers who are under such pressure to take shortcuts. But an injury resulting from a shortcut can easily cost much more in lost production and revenue than the small increase in production that the shortcut hoped to achieve.

The Role of Machinery Design

Manufacturers must maximize the productivity of each worker hired, while helping to create a safety-conscious and desirable workplace to retain workers and fulfill their social responsibilities. Machinery design affects these issues in significant ways.

Designing machinery that maximizes safety, productivity, and adaptability to a diverse workforce will be critical to the long-term viability of manufacturers, and will help protect machine builders from liability risks and lawsuits.

Manufacturers must adopt a machinery safety philosophy that addresses what we refer to as the 3 C's: cultural (behavioral), compliance (procedural), and capital (technical) aspects.

For more information and detailed guidance on how you can deal with an evolving workforce, please download the white paper: “Workforce Availability: Protecting Your Investment in Productivity and Safety amid an Evolving Global Workforce.”

Published May 23, 2016


Steve Ludwig
Steve Ludwig
Commercial Programs Manager, Safety, Rockwell Automation
Connect:
EmailEmail
Subscribe

Subscribe to Rockwell Automation and receive the latest news, thought leadership and information directly to your inbox.

Subscribe

Recommended For You

Loading
  • Sales
  • Customer Care
  • TechConnect Support
  • General Questions
  1. Chevron LeftChevron Left Home Chevron RightChevron Right
  2. Chevron LeftChevron Left Company Chevron RightChevron Right
  3. Chevron LeftChevron Left News Chevron RightChevron Right
  4. Chevron LeftChevron Left Blogs Chevron RightChevron Right
Company
About Us Accessibility Careers Diversity, Ethics and Integrity Engage Online Community Investor Relations Modern Slavery Statement Newsroom Sustainability Trust Center
 
Trending Topics
Cybersecurity Digital Transformation Smart Manufacturing The Connected Enterprise®
 
Our Brands
Allen-Bradley FactoryTalk LifecycleIQ Services
Events & Training
Events Training Webinars
 
PartnerNetwork
Find a Partner What is the PartnerNetwork?
Contact Us
TechConnect Support Customer Care General Inquiries How to Buy Report Ethical Concerns Customer Experience Survey
Insights
Results Achieved Blogs Case Studies Automation Today Podcasts
BlogRockwell Automation's Blog
Legal Notices
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Email Preferences
Cookie Settings
Accessibility Settings
© 2025 Rockwell Automation
Home