Shiftwork

1
Shiftwork
2
Outline

• What is shiftwork?
• Shiftwork in Canada
• Why there is a need for shiftwork
• Health and safety concerns of shiftwork
• Circadian Rhythm
• Optimal shift scheduling
• Shift work systems
• Strategies for dealing with shiftwork

3
Shiftwork

• A shift worker is anyone who follows a work
  schedule that is outside of the typical "9 to 5"
  business day
• National Sleep Foundation
• Shiftwork differs from a normal work day in two
  ways
• Work is performed regularly during times other
  than morning and afternoon
• At a given workplace, more than one shift is
  worked during the 24-hour day
• A shift often lasts 8 hours but may be shorter or
  longer
• Approximately 25 of the North American working
  population work shiftwork
• CCOHS stat

4
Shiftwork in Canada

• In 2005, the General Social Survey conducted by
  Statistics Canada found that 28 of employed
  Canadians (4.1 million workers) were shift
  workers
• 82 worked full time (gt30 hrs/week)

5
Shiftwork in Canada

• In 2005, women accounted for only 37 of full
  time shift workers, but made up 69 of part time
  shift workers
• Men made up 57 of the total number of workers
  who do shift work (all full- and part-time)

6
Shiftwork in Canada

• In 2005, rotating shifts and irregular schedules
  were the most common types of shift work,
  accounting for 2.3 million full-time workers
• Even though these are considered among the most
  difficult shifts because the body cannot properly
  adjust to the sleep pattern changes, rotating
  child care is difficult to find and health
  effects can be profound

7
Types of Shiftwork in Canada
8
Shiftwork is not new!

• Deliveries were made in ancient Rome at night in
  order to relieve street congestion
• Bakers habitually work through the late night
  hours
• Soldiers and firefighters have always been
  accustomed to night shifts
• With industrialization came long working days
  with teams of workers relaying each other to
  maintain blast furnaces, rolling mills,
  glassworks, and other workplaces where continuous
  operations were required

9
Who works shiftwork
Traditionally shift work was required to
provide vital services and emergency cover at all
hours of the day and night and also to maintain
long-term industrial processes
Today Shiftwork is found in financial and retail
services where employees deliver services around
the clock , supermarkets, newsroom and banks,
call centres
10
Why the need for shiftwork?

• The need for "around the- clock" workers has
  increased dramatically in industry during recent
  years
• This reliance may be attributed to three main
  sources, namely technological, economic and
  social advancements
• Economically utilization of equipment/resources
• If equipment is available 168 h per week and used
  for only 8h a day for 5 days a week gives only
  24 utilization
• Socially convenience (24-hour shopping,
  restaurants, movies)

11
Why is shiftwork a problem?

• The problems associated with shiftwork fall under
  three areas
• Economic people tend to dislike shiftwork which
  may require extra pay for workers
• Social many workers feel that shiftwork disrupts
  their personal and family life
• Health and Safety Rotating shifts have been
  blamed for the human error involved with
  nuclear power plants incidents, airplane
  accidents, and other catastrophic accidents
• Individual health factors

12
The Interaction Between Personal Factors and
Shiftwork
Some of the most serious and persistent problems
shift workers face are frequent sleep disturbance
and associated excessive sleepiness, which can
lead to poor concentration, absenteeism,
accidents, errors, injuries, and fatalities. The
issue becomes more alarming when you consider
that shift workers are often employed in the most
dangerous of jobs, such as firefighting,
emergency medical services, law enforcement and
security - National Sleep Foundation
13
Individual Health and Shiftwork

• Frequently changing work schedules can lead to

• Shiftwork may also be independent predictor of

• Increased body mass
• Increased body mass index
• Prevalence of obesity
• Waist-to-hip ratio

• Increased risk of insomnia
• Chronic fatigue
• Anxiety and depression
• Cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems
• Impaired reproduction in women
• Circadian rhythm disruption

Atkinson et al. (2008)
14
Fatigue Symptoms

• Sleepiness
• Irritability
• Reduced alertness, concentration and memory
• Lack of motivation

• Increased susceptibility to illness
• Depression
• Headaches
• Giddiness
• Loss of appetite and digestive problems

15
Personal Factors

• Many functions of the human body have long been
  recognized to exhibit periodic variations
• Of concern are those fluctuations which occur on
  a daily basis called circadian rhythms
• Among those body functions which show diurnal
  variations
• Sleep
• Readiness to work
• autonomic processes
• heart rate
• body temperature
• Blood pressure

16
Circadian Rhythms
17
Circadian Rhythms

• Circadian comes from the Latin word circa dies
  which means about a day.
• Many human physical functions follow these daily
  rhythms or 24-25 hour cycles
• Sleeping, walking, digestion, secretion of
  adrenalin, body temperature, blood pressure,
  pulse, other body functions
• The body uses cues from its processes and from
  the environment such as clock time, social
  activities, the light/dark cycle, and meal times
  to keep the various rhythms on track

18
Circadian Rhythms

• Involvement in shiftwork, in particular night
  work, results in a disruption of these inherent
  rhythms.
• These phase shifts occur slowly over a
  considerable period.
• Some people can start to adapt after 2-3 days
  while some take much longer.
• Adjustment on days off does not happen because
  most individuals go back to normal day schedules

19
Circadian Rhythms

• Circadian rhythm phase shifts induced by
  shiftwork can have significant effects on the
  worker in terms of
• performance efficiency
• motivation
• sleep patterns
• family and social life
• health

20
Shiftwork Disorder

• Shift work sleep disorder is a circadian rhythm
  sleep disorder
• The main complaint for people with shift work
  sleep disorder is excessive sleepiness. Other
  symptoms include
• Insomnia
• Disrupted sleep schedules
• Reduced performance
• Difficulties with personal relationships
• Irritability/depressed mood

21
Circadian Type

• There are 2 broad classifications of personality
  associated with circadian type which are
  differentiated between the morning larks and
  the night owls
• 1)Morning types (M-types) aka larks
• Have early bedtimes wake times and
• are more alert in the morning hours
• 2)Evening types (E-types) aka owls
• Are more aroused later at night and
• experience difficulty waking up early

22
Circadian Type Shiftwork

• M-types have been found to be less tolerant of
  night shift for 3 reasons
• They find it extremely hard to stay awake at
  night, or
• to sleep late in the morning (standard night
  worker behaviors)
• They appear to be more susceptible to
  environmental zeitgebers (time cues)
• When M-types are isolated from all time cues,
  they exhibit "free-running" circadian rhythms
  with an approximate length of 24.3 hours in
  comparison to E-types who tend to have slower
  rhythms of approximately 25.5 hours

23
Circadian Type Shiftwork

• Night work is best suited to those individuals
  with a longer running period as this leads to a
  phase delay in behaviour (i.e.- a later bedtime)
• It has been questioned whether morningness-evening
  ness is a stable, genetically determined trait,
  or simply a reflection of a recently developed
  habit
• Example An M-type individual could temporarily
  acquire E-type characteristics, but may revert
  back to their morningness tendency at a later
  stage

24
Shift Scheduling
25
What is the most optimal shift schedule?

• There is no golden schedule that fits every
  operations needs
• The schedules that perform the best
• balances operational requirements, employee
  preferences and lifestyle issues, and takes into
  account the human factors considerations that
  influence safety and employee performance
• The best schedules can only be achieved by
  involving the employees in the shift schedule
  selection process

26
Why involve employees in shiftwork scheduling?

• Through education, participatory design, and
  group implementation of employee involvement in
  schedule design/redesign financial and
  performance benefits increase substantially
  compared to schedules decided by management alone
• Resulting in
• Better employee morale and satisfaction with
  scheduling
• Lower absenteeism and turnover
• Increased operational efficiency
• Improved daytime sleep quality
• Decreased physical and
• psychological circadian

27
General Notes on Scheduling

• An early morning start (before 700am) for the
  morning shift should be avoided
• Shifts should rotate forward
• The schedule should be simple and predictable
  people want to plan their lives!

28
Shift Systems
29
Four Important Questions Regarding the Features
of Shift Systems

• Does a shift extend into hours that would be
  normally be spent asleep?
• Is the shift worked throughout the entire
  seven-day week, or does it include days of rest,
  such as a free weekend?
• Into how many shifts are the daily work hours
  divided? Are there two, three, or more shifts per
  day?
• Do the shift crews rotate or do they work the
  same shifts permanently?
• Kogi (1985)

30
Other Important Features of Shift Systems

• The starting and ending time of a shift
• The number of workdays in each week
• The hours of work in each week
• The number of shift teams
• The number of free days per week or per rotation
  cycle
• The number of consecutive days on the same shift,
  which may be a fixed or variable number
• The schedule by which an individual works or has
  a free day or days

31
Types of Shift Systems

• Rotational shiftwork
• Rapidly rotating shift systems
• weekly/monthly rotating systems
• Permanent night shift systems

32
Rotational Shiftwork

• Shifts rotate or change according to a set
  schedule
• Shifts can be continuous (24/7) or
  semi-continuous (2-3 shifts/day without weekends)
• Workers take turns working all of the shifts in
  the system

33
Rapidly Rotating Systems

• Switches once or twice during a week
• Found to cause the least disturbance to the
  endogenous body clock

34
Weekly/Monthly Rotating Systems

• Changes every week or every month
• Provide for both the physical and social needs of
  the worker
• A forward direction (morning-afternoon/evening-nig
  ht) is preferred for shift rotation
• Means minimum disturbance of diurnal rhythms

35
Weekly/Monthly Rotating Systems

• Weekly rotating shifts are generally regarded as
  being the worst system
• Because disruptions to the circadian rhythms lead
  to a cumulative sleep debt
• These systems tend to be the most commonly used
  (employment equity)

36
Permanent Night Shift System

• An acceptable level of circadian rhythm
  adjustment can normally be achieved with this
  shift system
• This nocturnal orientation may in turn improve
  sleep and performance
• Permanent night shifts are preferred when safety
  is crucial

37
Permanent Night Shift System

• Family units appear to prefer permanent night
  work as it facilitates the organization of
  domestic responsibilities
• Some individuals working this shift feel socially
  isolated

38
Extended Workdays

• One further variable to consider in terms of the
  design of shift systems is that of the length of
  the shift
• Some suggest a shift should not exceed 8 hours
  (except where the work is low in physical and
  mental demands) while others recommended that
  extended work periods of 9 to 12 hours may be
  acceptable

39
Advantages of twelve hour shifts

• Management Perspective

• Employee Perspective

• More days off
• Longer/better breaks
• Few consecutive days worked
• Less commuting required
• Twice as many weekends off
• Improved family social life
• Improved Morale
• More home study time
• More frequent recovery days
• Better use of vacation time
• Better utilization of personal time
• Elimination of double shifts/holdovers
• Elimination of evening shifts

• Increased productivity, reduced errors
• Increased continuity and accountability
• Reduced adaptation time
• Higher project completion rates
• Reduced absenteeism
• Lower attrition and turnover
• Improved morale
• Dedicated employees

40
Disadvantages of 12 Hour Shifts

• Management Perspective

• Employee Perspective

• Harder to sustain vigilance
• Potential comprise in alertness and performance
• Increased exposure to work-related stress
• Diminished communication or personal interaction
• Unequal distribution of work hours
• Increased risk of getting out of touch
• Increased moonlighting
• Increased ergonomic risk
• More difficult absence coverage
• Difficulties of change

• Limited social time during work days
• Sleep schedule inflexibility
• Irregular pay weeks
• Concerns of older workers
• Reduced tolerance of long commutes
• Difficult to schedule meetings
• Decreased tolerance to physically demanding jobs
• Pay loss when day is missed
• Driver fatigue
• Fast-rotating 12-hour schedules
• Longer hours away from home in evenings
• Increased percentage of night shifts

41
Summary of Features for 8 and 12-Hour Shift
Schedule
42
Strategies for Improving Problems Associated with
Shiftwork

• Most obvious solution?
• There are two basic levels where improvements can
  be made
• The organizational level - primarily through the
  design of shift schedules, education and better
  facilities.
• The individual level - helping workers to get
  better sleep, a healthier diet, and the reduction
  of stress.

43
Organizational Approaches

• Talk to employees to see shift preferences
• Consider time at which shift starts/ends
• Provide time off during socially advantages times
• Let employees know schedules well in advance
• Allow some flexibility for staff to switch shifts
  but make sure people arent double-shifting
• Provide same facilities support for all shifts

44
Organizational Approaches

• Educate employees on how to cope with shiftwork
• Consider exposure limits, breaks required
• Consider different lengths for shifts
• Keep schedule regular and predictable
• Keep long shifts and overtime to a minimum
• Plan for some weekends or holidays off

45
Good Practice Guidelines for the Work Environment

• Adequate lighting proper heating
• Same facilities available for each shift
• Access to healthy meals
• Encourage interaction between employees
• Keep in contact about employees about their
  concerns
• Encourage exercise
• Encourage breaks when sleepy

46
Individual Approaches

• Pay attention to food/nutrition
• Exercise
• Figure out how to optimize sleep time
• Get information on shiftwork health risks
• Have a social life
• Seek advice from doctor if you have health
  conditions
• Take more frequent breaks when fatigued

47
Individual Approaches

• Talk to family and friends about sleep schedule
• Restrict or avoid caffeine, cigarettes and
  alcohol consumption
• Avoid long commutes when sleepy
• Use co-workers to keep you awake on the job
• Talk to co-workers for tips on how to cope
• Dont leave the boring tasks for the end of the
  shift when most fatigued
• Try not to alter sleep schedule too much on days
  off

48
(No Transcript)
49
References

• Atkinson, G., Fulick, S., Grindey, C.,
  Maclaren, D. (2008). Exercise, energy balance and
  the shift worker. Sports Medicine, 38(8),
  671-685.
• Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and
  Safety. (2007). Rotational Shiftwork. Retreived
  from http//www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/sh
  iftwrk.html
• Carex Canada. (2008) Carcinogen profile
  Shiftwork. IARC Monograph, 98. Retrieved from
  http//www.carexcanada.ca/en/shiftwork.pdf
• Davis, W., Aguirre, A. (n.d). Shift scheduling
  and employee involvement the key to successful
  schedules. Retrieved from http//
  www.circadian.com
• The National Sleep Foundation. (2009). Shift work
  and sleep. Retrieved from http//www.sleepfoundat
  ion.org/
• Konz, S., Johnson, S.(2000). Work Design
  Industrial Ergonomics. Scottsdale, Az Holcomb
  Hathaway.
• Kroemer, K., Kroemer, H., Kroemer-Elbert, K.
  (2001). Ergonomics How to design for ease and
  efficiency (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ
  Prentice Hall.
• Moore-Ede, M., Davis, W., Sirois, W. (n.d).
  Advantages and Disadvantages of twelve-hour
  shifts A balanced perspective. Retrieved from
  http//www.circadian.com
• Occupational Safety and Health Branch, Labour
  Department.(n.d) Guide on shiftwork. Retrieved
  from http//www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/oh/Shift
  Work.pdf
• Williams, C. (2008) Work-life balance of shift
  workers. Statistics Canada Catologue number
  (75-001-X). http//www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-001-x/
  2008108/pdf/5215218-eng.pdf