A recent study* by the international consulting firm Circadian Technologies demonstrates that providing shiftwork lifestyle training can improve shiftworkers' quality of life, which translates into reduced costs for employers. Let's take a look at the study and its implications for your own programs.

The Circadian Study

The study focused on a group of heavy equipment operators that worked shifts for a major surface mining company in the U.S. To establish a pre-training baseline, the shiftworkers filled out sleep/wake logs for a 28-day shift cycle. They also completed diagnostic surveys about their:

The shiftworkers and their spouses or partners then attended the "Managing a Shiftwork Lifestyle" training workshop. (Because shiftwork impacts workers' families, involving family members in the training maximizes its benefits.) The workshop consisted of small groups of shiftworkers. Expert trainers delivered the training in a single four-hour session. During the session, they gave shiftworkers and their family members practical information on the special issues associated with shiftwork, including such topics as:

The sessions were interactive so shiftworkers could raise particular problem areas and share tips with each other. About six weeks after attending the workshop, 74% of the original shiftworkers filled out an additional month of sleep/wake logs and 68% of the original group completed a post-training survey.

The Study's Results

The researchers compared the operators' pre- and post-training information in the following areas:

Overall health. Before attending the workshop, 77% of the shiftworkers felt that their overall health would improve with a different schedule, as compared to 59% after the workshop. This finding could be the result of the shiftworkers' better understanding of how their own personal circadian rhythms are affected by their current schedules. It could also reflect the fact that a high percentage of shiftworkers was more aware of good nutrition and was incorporating healthy eating habits into their lifestyles.

The surveys included a series of scientifically validated instruments to evaluate health status, including a gastrointestinal index. The post-training improvement in this index was quite dramatic-dropping from a score of 17.9 to 13.6. Because heartburn, indigestion and other types of gastrointestinal problems were frequent complaints for the shiftworkers, this result was very favorable. And the reduction in gastrointestinal score could represent a significant reduction in medical costs for the company. (The study didn't analyze the company's costs pre- and post-training.)

Use of caffeine. The study looked at the shiftworkers' caffeine use as high caffeine use is related to an increased frequency of both gastrointestinal disorders and sleep disorders. Excessive caffeine use-defined as drinking more than four 12 oz. servings of a caffeinated beverage in a 24-hour period-decreased from 24% of the shiftworkers to 16% during off-duty hours. The decrease in excessive caffeine use during night shifts was even more impressive: such use decreased from 32% of the shiftworkers to only 8%. And this reduction could result in significant improvements in the shiftworkers' health.

Sleep habits. Overall, the shiftworkers' sleep habits improved significantly. More than 54% of the shiftworkers indicated that they'd made some changes to their sleeping environment to enhance their ability to fall asleep and stay asleep, especially during the day. Those changes seem to have paid off. The average amount of sleep shiftworkers got during the day (when working night shifts) increased a full hour from 4.8 hours to 5.8 hours (a 21% increase). In addition, 67% of the shiftworkers reported getting more than five hours of daytime sleep while working nights, compared to 45% before the workshop. Also, after the training, only 67% reported staying awake for more than 18 hours in the prior week, compared to 82% before the training. And improved sleep and reduced fatigue directly correlate with improved alertness, safety and performance.

Management of work/family balance. After attending the workshop, shiftworkers were better able to balance work and their family lives. For example, before the training, 41% found it "very" or "often" difficult to fulfill their domestic responsibilities; after the training, only 23% felt that way. Also, 46% reported difficulty finding adequate time for entertainment and recreational activities, compared to only 23% after the workshop. These results can be attributed to the shiftworkers' having a better overall management of work and family issues.

Overall, the workshop was well received by both the shiftworkers and management. The shiftworkers felt better and were more alert after attending the workshop. And management described the program as "a very positive breakthrough."

Meaning of the Results

What do these results mean for your company? The study's results demonstrate that shiftwork lifestyle training can improve shiftworkers' ability to handle and manage the problems that shiftwork can create and thus improve their overall health, sleep habits and job performance. Improving these aspects of workers' lives isn't just a "nice thing to do." It enables a company to realize real savings. Data on the mining company's costs pre- and post-training wasn't available. But Circadian surveyed 550 managers from companies that used shiftworkers. It found that companies that provided training for shiftworkers:

Costs saved included:

So given the savings in absenteeism, turnover and other performance areas, it's clear that shiftwork lifestyle training is extremely cost effective.

Conclusion

The study shows that if a company can improve the quality of life of its shiftworkers and help them better manage the challenges posed by shiftwork , it can reduce absenteeism, turnover, safety incidents and workers' compensation claims. You should be able to use this study to convince management that investing in a lifestyle training program for shiftworkers will pay off.

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* "Improving Health, Safety, and Profits in Extended Hours Operations (Shiftwork)," Alex Kerin and Acacia Aguirre, Industrial Health, Vol. 43 (2005), No. 1 January pp. 201-8; http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/indhealth/43/1/201/_pdf

BY THE NUMBERS


Food Safety

U.S. food inspectors still rely on the outdated and unproductive practice of inspecting carcasses.

By Glenn Demby

Unless you grow and raise all of your own food, you're dependent on your nation's inspection system for the safety of what you eat. And for residents of the U.S.A., that's not such a comforting thought. A recent report from a group called the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) documents serious deficiencies in the nation's food safety system, including fragmentation of regulation and reliance on outdated inspection practices that don't account for modern bacteria threats such as salmonella and particularly virulent strains of E. coli. Here are some statistics from the report:

Source: THAF, Fixing Food Safety: Protecting America's Food Supply from Farm-to-Fork,
http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/20080428tfahfoodsafety.pdf

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E-MAIL BLUNDERS


The Spellcheck Strikes Again

I was supposed to send out an email about an upcoming safety conference. Item 3 was about conducting hazard assessments on new equipment before being placed into service. The title was supposed to read "Lack of Pre start Review." Spell check underlined it (Something to do with a hyphen?) So being in my usual rush I clicked OK and sent off the email to about 18 managers. I got a call a short time later from Saskatchewan and the manager said "I don't think so?" When I asked what he was talking about, he said that he had a major issue with item # 3 "Lack of Prostate Review."

That was one painful conference call for me; they did not let up on the razzing!

We're going to withhold the name but, yes, he is a male!

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