"Are night shift workers more prone to impaired health than workers who work office hours?"
OHS Research question:
"Are night shift workers more prone to impaired health than workers who work office hours?"
Aim: To gather more information on health effects of shift work (night shift) and establish whether there is a clear relation between poor health and night shift, through review of statistics, survey and a study design.
Study population: 500 from each of the following worker groups - (i) 12-hours permanent night shift workers, (ii) 8-hours permanent night shift workers and (iii) normal day hours workers.
Hypothesis: Workers on permanent night shift tend to suffer from impaired health more often, as compared to day workers.
Industries considered: Manufacturing & production, operations, services, defence & security, healthcare, public transportation, gaming (casinos).
Introduction
A person who runs counter to their circadian rhythm in their body, that is to say, one who works through the night or start work before 6 am, runs a higher risk of developing health problems [1]. Health effects that are usually associated with shift work, especially night shift, encompasses disruption to the normal circadian rhythms that involves the sleep/wake cycle, and also more severe disorders such as gastrointestinal diseases (e.g. gastroduodenitis, peptic ulcer), neuro-psychic diseases (e.g. chronic fatigue, depression) and cardiovascular symptoms (e.g. hypertension, ischemic heart diseases). In addition, shift and night work may impact even more on women’s health, in relation to their hormonal and reproductive function. From several studies, it has been estimated that about 20% of all workers have to leave shift work in a very short time because of serious disturbances; while the remainder withstand shift work with different levels of intolerance, that can become more or less manifest at different times, and also with variance in intensity in terms of discomfort, troubles or diseases [2]. Hence these above-mentioned factors form the fundamental purpose for our
"Are night shift workers more prone to impaired health than workers who work office hours?"
Aim: To gather more information on health effects of shift work (night shift) and establish whether there is a clear relation between poor health and night shift, through review of statistics, survey and a study design.
Study population: 500 from each of the following worker groups - (i) 12-hours permanent night shift workers, (ii) 8-hours permanent night shift workers and (iii) normal day hours workers.
Hypothesis: Workers on permanent night shift tend to suffer from impaired health more often, as compared to day workers.
Industries considered: Manufacturing & production, operations, services, defence & security, healthcare, public transportation, gaming (casinos).
Introduction
A person who runs counter to their circadian rhythm in their body, that is to say, one who works through the night or start work before 6 am, runs a higher risk of developing health problems [1]. Health effects that are usually associated with shift work, especially night shift, encompasses disruption to the normal circadian rhythms that involves the sleep/wake cycle, and also more severe disorders such as gastrointestinal diseases (e.g. gastroduodenitis, peptic ulcer), neuro-psychic diseases (e.g. chronic fatigue, depression) and cardiovascular symptoms (e.g. hypertension, ischemic heart diseases). In addition, shift and night work may impact even more on women’s health, in relation to their hormonal and reproductive function. From several studies, it has been estimated that about 20% of all workers have to leave shift work in a very short time because of serious disturbances; while the remainder withstand shift work with different levels of intolerance, that can become more or less manifest at different times, and also with variance in intensity in terms of discomfort, troubles or diseases [2]. Hence these above-mentioned factors form the fundamental purpose for our