How to schedule night shift work in order to reduce health and safety risks

Conclusions Based on the limited, existing literature, we recommend that in order to reduce the risk of injuries and possibly breast cancer, night shift schedules have: (i) ≤3 consecutive night shifts; (ii) shift intervals of ≥11 hours; and (iii) ≤9 hours shift duration . In special cases – eg, oil rigs and other isolated workplaces with better possibilities to adapt to daytime sleep – additional or other recommendations may apply. Finally, to reduce risk of miscarriage, pregnant women should not work more than one night shift in a week.byGarde AH, Begtrup L, Bjorvatn B, Bonde JP, Hansen J, Hansen ÅM, Härmä M, Jensen MA, Kecklund G, Kolstad HA, Larsen AD, Lie JA, Moreno CRC, Nabe-Nielsen K, Sallinen M. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3919
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health - Category: Occupational Health Tags: Discussion paper Source Type: research