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Shift work
The world of health risks
Health RisksNight work/shift work and
workers’ health have been a concern for some time.
There is a wealth of evidence from HSE and many other sources.
Shift work and Cancer
• International Agency for Research on Cancer
• Danish Government: workers’ compensation
• HSE research
• IIDB?
Shift work: other issues
• Legislation
• Employment sector/workplace
• Work-life balance – women and men
• Caring and family responsibilities
• Social life
• Personal health issues
• Age, Gender
Who does shift work?
• Widespread across Europe
• 20% of the working population in Europe and North America
• UK Labour Force Survey 2005
Estimate: 3.6 million people in Britain ie
14% of the workforce “most of the time”
• Norway LFS 2008 34%
Shift work – sector issues
• Civil Aviation
• Construction
• Road Transport/logistics
• Passenger transport (buses)
• Care workers
Why Shift Work?
Economic reasons• The pace of change has quickened, plant and
equipment out of date more quickly• Maximise outputSocial reasonsChanges in living and working patterns create a
demand for goods and services outside traditional working hours eg retail, call centres.
• Security Reasons• Medical Reasons
Shift work consequences
• Repetitive monotonous work may be less well performed
• Increased errors and accidents• Increased sickness absence• Increased labour turnover• Reduced morale
Though shift work also suits many workers
What is shift work?
Working Time Regulations 1998
Any method of organising work in shifts whereby workers succeed each other at the same workstations, according to a certain pattern, including a rotating pattern, and which may continuous or discontinuous, entailing the need for workers to work at different times over a given period of days or weeks.
Who is a shift worker?
Working Time Regulations 1998
Define a shift worker as:
Any worker whose work schedule is part of shift work.
Exclusions
Night WorkWorking Time Regulations 1998
Night time, in relation to a worker, means a period– the duration of which is not less than seven hours– which includes a period between midnight and 5 am
which is determined for the purpose of the WTR by a relevant agreement, or, in the absence of such an agreement, the period between 11 pm and 6 am.
Night work means work during the night time.
Night worker means a worker • who as a normal course (i.e. on the majority of days on which s/he works) works at
least three hours of their daily working time during night time, or• who is likely, during the night time, to work at least such a proportion of her/his annual
working time as may be specified in a collective agreement or workforce agreement
Special Hazards limit
Health Assessmentsand health surveillance
Night workers: a right to free health assessments
As there are health risks linked with night work, your employer must offer all night workers a free health assessment.
Health Surveillance – legal requirement under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Prevention: Risk Assessment
• Consider the risks
• Establish systems to manage the risks
• Assess the risks
• Take action to reduce the risks
• Check and review
What safety reps can do
• Information• Inspections• Agreements• Consultation• Health surveillance• Improve shift systems by minimising fatigue and risk• Training• Job Design• Welfare• Individuals and special groups
Working shifts
should not
mean that your health
is compromised
