Quality of work life of elderly worker at small medium enterprise (A case study in Tofu Industry)

Abstract

Propose - This study was conducted by considering many elderly who still work in SME in Indonesia and increase every year. The study aims to measure Quality of Work Life (QWL) of elderly workers (above 60 years old) in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to recommend the improvement of work facilities and methods. Survey conducted at Tofu Industry in Central Java, Indonesia. Questionaire QWL from NIOSH is used to measure subjective opnion of Elderly workers (n = 14) about their QWL. They were observed and interviewed while they were doing their jobs to identify subjective fatigue based on the Nordic body map. Observation was also done to identify the characteristics of the elderly when they were at work. Result - This study show the result of the QWL survey to give recommendation for tofu industries for their safety program design. Survey for QWL based on the NIOSH-QWL criteria. The result shows that more than 50% worker have good perception on QWL, but still need effort to improve safety in the workplace especially in ergonomics area. The study corroborates that subjective fatigue measured from the musculoskeletal complaints of elderly workers was significantly high in the upper and leg area. Conclusion - The survey result is used to develop recommendations to improve work safety environment for elderly workers.