Category: Shift Work
Working Hours and Fatigue: Meeting the Needs of American Workers and Employers
In November 2022, the American Journal of Industrial Medicine (AJIM) published a special issue focusing on work-related fatigue. The issue explores factors that may increase work-related fatigue and actions to reduce work-related injuries and illnesses. [1] This issue is a result of discussions and collaborations from the 2019 NIOSH Working Hours, Sleep and Fatigue Forum Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentShiftwork May Lead to Health Problems among Police Officers: What Can be Done? Using Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) Study Data to Examine First Responder Health
Ensuring the safety of our community is a 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year kind of job. Weekends and holidays included. Working at night (outside the normal daylight hours of 7am – 6pm) is known as “shiftwork” and it has been linked to certain health issues. Police officers and detectives frequently work 1st, 2nd, and 3rd shift, Read More >
Posted on by 5 CommentsNoticias recientes sobre el trabajo en turnos de noche y el cáncer: ¿Qué significa para los trabajadores?
El Programa Nacional de Toxicología (NTP, por sus siglas en inglés) hace poco publicó un informe sobre cómo el trabajo constante en turnos de noche está relacionado con el riesgo de cáncer (1). Este informe aparece después de una evaluación similar que publicó la Agencia Internacional de Investigaciones sobre el Cáncer (IARC) (2) en julio del 2019, la cual Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentRecent News about Night Shift Work and Cancer: What Does it Mean for Workers?
The National Toxicology Program (NTP) recently released a report about how persistent night shift work is related to cancer risk (1). This report follows a similar evaluation released in July, 2019 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (2), an update of their 2007 report (3). Both agencies reviewed existing studies of night Read More >
Posted on by 4 CommentsCOVID-19 and Workplace Fatigue: Lessons Learned and Mitigation Strategies
The declaration of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a US public health emergency on March 13, 2020, altered the way we work and live, intensified feelings of stress, and created uncertainty about the future for many people. The closure of many businesses led to financial instability and the highest unemployment rates since 1976 1. Read More >
Posted on by 5 CommentsLighting Interventions to Reduce Circadian Disruption in Rotating Shift Workers
Shift work has been linked to poor sleep, chronic metabolic disorders (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity), several forms of cancer [1-3], depression, and elevated risk for the occurrence of accidents. These risks are especially acute for those who work rotating shifts that involve working through the night [4-8], as sometimes occur in hospitals. Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentThe Physiological Burden of Prolonged PPE Use on Healthcare Workers during Long Shifts
Please note that this blog is specifically about respirators used by healthcare workers during long shifts and not facemasks worn as barrier control to stop the spread of COVID. Healthcare workers (HCW) and first responders often work long, physically and mentally exhausting shifts as they provide care for patients, especially during a public health emergency. Read More >
Posted on by 34 CommentsManaging Fatigue During Times of Crisis: Guidance for Nurses, Managers, and Other Healthcare Workers
At times of crisis, healthcare workers (e.g., nurses, advanced practice nurses, physicians, nursing assistants, etc.) continue to provide care, despite ever challenging work demands, including higher influx of critically ill patients, increased work stress, and a frequent need for overtime. These work demands can compound already challenging work schedules (i.e. 12-hour shifts, night shifts), making Read More >
Posted on by 11 CommentsNIOSH Working Hours, Sleep and Fatigue Forum: A Recap and Future Directions
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), has had a longstanding interest in nonstandard work hours and associated health and safety effects. The last NIOSH meeting on this topic was held in 2004 and centered around long working hours and the impact on injuries, illnesses, and health behaviors. To build on this expertise, Read More >
Posted on by 11 CommentsShift Work and Sleep
In today’s competitive economy, an increasing number of U.S. businesses operate to meet customer demand for 24/7 services. These around-the-clock operations are required in order to maintain a place in the global market where transactions with clients, suppliers, and colleagues can span multiple time zones. Consequently, for many men and women, the workday no longer Read More >
Posted on by 11 CommentsA Hard Day’s Night: Training Provides Nurses with Strategies for Shift Work and Long Work Hours
“The problem for me became very severe and my head nurse actually called me into her office to discuss it… it had gotten to the point where I was so chronically sleep-deprived that I was falling asleep while I was trying to report off to the on-coming shift. So, I’m sitting there talking about very Read More >
Posted on by 6 CommentsNIOSH Research on Work Schedules and Work-related Sleep Loss
Yesterday, in honor of National Sleep Awareness Week, we blogged about sleep and work and the risks to workers, employers, and the public when workers’ hours and shifts do not allow for adequate sleep. This blog provides a brief overview of some of the work that NIOSH intramural scientists are carrying out to better understand Read More >
Posted on by 28 CommentsSleep and Work
Sleep is a vital biological function and many Americans don’t get enough. To coincide with National Sleep Awareness Week, the new NIOSH blog post: Sleep and Work summarizes the risks to workers, employers and the public when long hours and irregular shifts required by many jobs do not allow workers to get adequate sleep. Read More >
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