Institute of Employment Rights The Health Agenda at Work 17 February 2010

Shift work The world of health risks

Health Risks Night 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 %

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 Economic reasons The pace of change has quickened, plant and equipment out of date more quickly Maximise output Social reasons Changes in living and working patterns create a demand for goods and services outside traditional working hours eg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 Work Working 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 Assessments and 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