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Benefits and Pensions MonitorShiftwork … Friend Or Foe?
By: Caroline Tapp-McDougall We live in a ‘24/7’ world. Shift work is a daily reality for just about 25 per cent of North American workers, presenting people with unique on-the-job challenges. Costly machinery can’t sit idle, deliveries are ‘just in time,’ and customer service and healthcare workers are always on call. And research shows that workers’ alertness, performance, safety, and health are often negatively affected by their changing work hours and their subsequent lack of sleep. The economic consequences of shift work are said to be huge and the cost in human terms potentially devastating. Rotational shift work has been blamed for significant ‘human error,’ disruption of family life, fatigue, and gastrointestinal disorders. Sadly, the disasters of Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and the Exxon Valdez all occurred on the night shift. Yet, for critical service providers such as workers in healthcare, transportation, power, emergency services, and police and fire, shift work is, and will most likely always be, a way of life. While many workers claim they have no choice, it’s important to remember that rotating shifts are preferred or more suitable for many because they may mean increased income, more daylight hours for recreation or time to attend to family responsibilities, school, or hobbies.
What To Watch For It’s well documented that the human and performance risks of shift work need attention. The Department of Labour for the province of Saskatchewan(www. labour.gov.sk.ca/safety) says safety problems associated with shift work include:
Experts agree that losing as little as two hours of sleep can negatively affect both performance and alertness. Most night workers complain of sleepiness and sometimes fall asleep on the job. The Canada Safety Council (www.safetycouncil.org) says studies monitoring brain activity show that one in five shift workers dozes off during their shift, with performance levels appearing to be lowest between 3:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. For employers and benefit providers, the challenge is to understand the inherent risks and mitigate the negative effects of shift work on productivity and wellness. There are two basic areas where research has shown that improvements can be made – at the organizational level and on an individual level. What Can Organizations Do? To reduce the potential effects of shift work, managers might want to consider optimizing the way shift schedules are organized and limit shift work to essential jobs. It’s also wise to recognize the disruption of the body’s circadian rhythms and the potential consequences of transitioning to a different schedule. The flexibility to schedule demanding or dangerous tasks at the beginning of an early morning shift can be well worth it. Attention to the work environment, adjusting the workload to prevent boredom, and the provision of certain facilities such as exercise rooms and well-lit cafeterias with nutritious food will help the shift worker manage and will make a noticeable difference. Think of reducing noise, traffic, and distractions. Maximizing machine guarding for safety and allowing employees to control workplace ventilation and temperature go a long way, as does ongoing education for workers and supervisors about the hazards of shift work and how to avoid them. A Path To Better Health There are some general guidelines for employers and employees to share that promise to decrease the effects of shift work:
Although discontinuation of shiftwork would be healthier in the long run, it is not at all a realistic option. Thankfully, however, most 24/7 organizations have recognized the potential problems and are conducting their own surveys to listen to the needs of their workers. Caroline Tapp-McDougall is the publisher of Solutions: Canada’s Family Guide to Home Health Care and Wellness and the author of The Complete Canadian Eldercare Guide. |
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