Effects of age and level of work experience on occurrence of accidents.

Results of a research study on the effects of age and work experience and their interaction on the occurrence of accidents in an agro-food sector are described. Three different levels of experience and six age groups were examined. Age and work experience significantly affected frequency and seriousness of accidents. A study of these two factors jointly shows that considerably higher rates of frequency and seriousness are found for the youngest and oldest subjects with low work experience. These analyses enable us to put forward several hypotheses concerning the mechanisms in the occurrence of accidents.