What can we do about shift work?

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Today’s post was shared by Jon L Gelman and comes from strongerunions.org

Working the night shift can be hard on a person from many perspectives, as has been written in this blog before (see Night Shift Work Causally Linked to an Increase in Breast Cancer and Falling Asleep On The Job: Insufficient Sleep Is A Compensable Condition).

The new research that recently came out includes more details with the sleep challenges of night-shift work affecting the body and being linked to breast cancer.

“However it is not just breast cancer that is more likely to be caused by shift working. Shift work has been shown to lead to heart problems, type2 diabetes and obesity. It is also linked to stomach problems and ulcers, depression, and an increased risk of accidents or injury. We have known about these problems for many years and researchers continue to find links between shift work and health concerns.”

Unfortunately, the article doesn’t have many solutions to offer, but it is encouraging that discussion and research is continuing so workers can be as safe and productive as possible, regardless of their shift.

“That means that unions and employers have absolutely no idea what kind of shiftwork patterns we should be agreeing. Are rotating shifts better than permanent nights? If so what are the best type? What steps can employers take to reduce the effects of shiftwork?”

SHIFTWORK

There has been a lot of research published in the past few years around the effect of shift work and our health since the World Health Organisation classified night shift work as a probable carcinogen back in 2007. In 2012 research for the HSE estimated that the additional breast cancer risk associated with night shift working would have translated into about 2,000 extra cases of breast cancer (out of a total of about 43,200 in Britain) in 2004. That would mean around 550 additional deaths and makes it the biggest occupational killer after asbestos. A study in 2013, based on 2,300 women in Vancouver found that women who worked night shifts for 30 years or more were twice as likely to develop breast cancer.

More research was published this week on the link between shift work and cancer. The new one comes from researchers in the Netherlands and Germany and appears to support previous research suggesting a link between night-shift work and breast cancer. Although this research is in mice it is important because it provides the first experimental proof that shift work increases breast cancer development.

However it is not just breast cancer that is more likely to be caused by shift working. Shift work has been shown to lead to heart problems, type2 diabetes and obesity. It is also linked to stomach problems and ulcers, depression, and an increased risk of accidents or injury. We have known about these problems for many years and researchers continue to find links between shift…

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  1. Pingback: Infographic: Considering the Health Hazards of Shift Work - Workers' Compensation Watch

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