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The implementation of a shift pattern that involves night work requires careful planning and in many work sectors is governed by strict regulations that are in place to maintain the health and safety of staff and to cut the necessity for work injury compensation claims.
However, shift work can be detrimental to health and well being in several ways:
Shift lag syndrome
"Shift lag" syndrome is an important contributory factor in human error and accidents at work. It is characterised initially as feelings of fatigue, sleepiness, insomnia, disorientation, digestive trouble, irritability, poorer mental agility and reduced performance efficiency. In long term shift pattern workers, it can lead to more severe disorders, although susceptibility does vary from person to person. Many people opt out of shift pattern working once affected severely by "shift lag" syndrome.
Sleep disturbance
The commonest result of shift pattern working is disturbed sleep. The effects vary depending on shift times and usually clear within two to three days of finishing a shift pattern. Thankfully, there is no conclusive evidence that long term shift work results in chronic sleep disorders.
Night workers, on average, lose between two and four hours of normal rapid eye movement sleep, after a night shift. It can take two nights of sleep after finishing night shifts to restore normal sleep. Worryingly, shift workers have been found to be more tired whilst driving to and from work than non-shift employees.
Health effects
Shift workers suffer more often with gastrointestinal disorders: pain and bowl habit alteration are the most common complaints. Shift work has been linked strongly to peptic ulcer disease. There has also been "rather strong evidence" linking shift work to coronary heart disease. Night work leads to an increased occurrence of potassium, uric acid, glucose, cholesterol, and total lipids; however, a return to day work restores normal levels.
There is also "rather strong evidence" regarding shift work for pregnant women leading to miscarriage, preterm birth and newborn low weight. However, the evidence linking shift work and cancer or reduced longevity is inconclusive, meaning that there is no proven relation in this case.
Performance and safety
Shift work affects general functioning, sometimes leading to reduced efficiency and safety. Alertness, performance and metabolism hit a low ebb in the early morning and are at a peak 12 hours later. A number of studies into practical ability and efficiency have highlighted significant dips in performance between 10pm and 6am, with a noticeable low at 3am. A number of major incidents including Bhopal, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and the Exxon Valdez chemical spillage happened at night.
Compared with morning shifts risk of injury is higher on night shifts and is at its highest in the first two to three hours. With successive nights the risk increases; the fourth consecutive night shift carries 36% more risk than the first. Risk of injury increases if breaks are not taken regularly, and rises substantially as time progresses from the previous break; for instance, 90 minutes after a break a worker is twice as likely to have an accident compared with straight after the break.
Shift pattern guidelines
Companies adopting shift pattern systems should work under guidelines for safe working hours as set out by the Working Time Directive and Health and Safety Executive. Health workers, airline pilots and lorry drivers all have strongly regulated shift work conditions, but many sectors do not adhere to such guidelines.
YouClaim and work injury compensation claims
If you have been injured as a result of uncompromising shift patterns or because of someone else's negligence during a night shift we can put you in touch with a specialist personal injury solicitor. Your solicitor will make a compensation claim on your behalf on a no win no fee basis. This means that whatever the outcome of your claim you will never be charged for their services. All our solicitors have years of experience and are governed by the exacting standards demanded by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
You can speak to one of our advisers by calling 0800 10 757 95 or we can always call you back at a time to suit you.
Or you may wish to fill in our online claim form giving us brief details of your work injury compensation claim. Whichever way you choose to get in touch with us we endeavour to give you the best no win no fee service possible.
