A recent study casts new light on the unique hazards posed to shiftworkers. Here's a look at what the study says and how to use the results to convince senior management to invest in special training for shiftworkers.

The Hazards of Shiftwork

Many employers, such as manufacturing plants, utilities and healthcare facilities, operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So their workers must work shifts, some of which are overnight. Workers may also be scheduled to work a night shift one week and then a day shift the next. Shiftwork takes its toll. It throws off workers' "circadian rhythm" or natural body clock, making it hard for them to sleep when they're off duty. Shiftworkers are also prone to develop certain kinds of illnesses and because they're often fatigued, they're more vulnerable to safety incidents.

The good news is that workers can be trained to cope better with the rigors of shiftwork. But this form of special training isn't part of the traditional safety training budget. So persuading senior management to invest in such training isn't easy, especially when safety budgets are already so tight. What can you do to build a case for providing special training for shiftworkers?

A study by Circadian Technologies, an international consulting firm that specializes in shiftwork issues, provides some of the ammunition you need. The study shows that giving workers shiftwork lifestyle training can reduce safety incidents, absenteeism and turnover-all of which cost the company money. In addition to saving money, shiftwork lifestyle training can also enhance revenues in the form of improved morale and productivity.

How the Effects of Shiftwork Cost the Company Money

Shiftworkers face considerable challenges. Their morale is often low. Their family and social lives may suffer because of their irregular hours, which contributes to their stress. The quantity and quality of shift workers' sleep is also typically low. So it's no surprise that sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, are commonplace among shiftworkers. Shiftwork has also been associated with an increased risk of:

And the increased prevalence of such health problems often results in shiftworkers' increased use of medication, which can adversely affect their job performance.

How exactly do these problems impact employers? The medical ailments that shiftwork causes or contributes to all have an erosive impact on workers' productivity. And workers with such ailments utilize health services and drugs at a high rate and so drive up the company's health insurance costs.

How bad is the problem? Based on data collected by Circadian, shiftwork costs U.S. companies approximately $206 billion a year, or about $8,600 per shiftworker per year (based on 24 million shiftworkers). Shiftwork drives up employers' costs by increasing:

There are techniques that shiftworkers can use to help mitigate many of the problems associated with shiftwork. But these techniques aren't obvious and, unlike other skills, they can't be picked up on the job. And teaching these skills isn't generally incorporated in standard safety training. They require a special kind of training. Unfortunately, most employers offer no form of shiftwork lifestyle training for their shiftworkers. According to Circadian, 77% of shiftwork facilities in the U.S. don't offer any such training.

Conclusion

Next week, I'll look at the results of the Circadian study and their implications for your own safety training programs.

OUR WORLD

What's Happening to the Price of Food?

By Glenn Demby

On Saturday, I went out and blew about $300 in less than an hour. And what do you think I got for my money? An IPOD? A couple of fancy bottles of wine? Some new clothes? None of the above. That $300 bought me a tank full of gas and about a half dozen bags of groceries.

It was a sobering experience, especially the food part. I'm not a discriminating food shopper. I pick out the items I need without scrutinizing prices, comparing sizes or seeking values. I just have a rough sense of what I'm prepared to pay at the register when everything is totalled up. So when my not even 3/4 full-cart returned a nearly $200 price tag, I almost keeled over. For the first time in my life I actually looked at the receipt to make sure it was right. It was.

It's Not Just Gas

Lately, I've been so fixated on the price of gas that I haven't noticed what's been happening to food. But I'm here to tell you that it's ugly. A new Congressional Research Service (CRS) report documents the dimensions of food price inflation. Food prices in the U.S. increased 4% in 2007. That doesn't sound like a lot. But it was the largest annual jump since 1990. And prices are expected to increase 3.5% to 4.5% in 2008.

What's causing food prices to rise? The CRS study cites four factors:

1. Higher Domestic Demand

Demand for corn, soybeans and wheat have increased significantly. Here's what really gets me aggravated. Rising gas prices have fuelled demand for ethanol. Ethanol is made of corn. And it's supposed to make gas cheaper. But if ethanol is saving us money at the gas pump, it's costing us more at the supermarket checkout counter.

2. Low Supply

Globally, stocks of corn, wheat and soybeans are at 30-year lows as a result of drought in Australia and Eastern Europe and lousy weather in Canada, Western Europe and the Ukraine.

3. More Demand from China and India

Higher incomes are boosting demand for processed foods and meats in countries like China and India. Demand is also growing in lower-income parts of Asia as well as in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.

4. The Weak Dollar

The decreasing value of the U.S. dollar has driven up the price of imports within the U.S. and commodities around the world. The bushel of wheat is undergoing much the same experience as the barrel of oil.

Source: CRS, Food Price Inflation: Causes and Impacts, April 10, 2008

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