Full description of the thematic session

Work hours, sleep and injury
Session chair
· Anna Arlinghaus, Dr., Gesellschaft für Arbeits-, Wirtschafts- und Organisationspsychologische
Forschung e.V. (GAWO e.V.), Germany, [email protected]
· Imelda Wong, Dr., Institute for Work & Health, Toronto / University of British Columbia, Canada
[email protected]
Nonstandard shift schedules, particularly those involving overnight work, require workers to be
awake during typical (night) sleeping hours, and sleep during regular waking (day) hours. The
misalignment of sleep/wake and light/dark cycles can lead to disruption of normal circadian
rhythms and the homeostatic drive for sleep. Furthermore, long work hours have been associated
with a reduction in sleep and insufficient recovery opportunity. Sleep deprivation has been found
to affect cognitive work performance in terms of negatively affecting workers’ moods, reducing
motor function, decreasing the ability to concentrate and impairing higher-order thinking skills.
Overall, this can contribute to an increased risk for fatigue and accident risk. This is illustrated in
high profile disasters such as the nuclear meltdown of Cherynobl, grounding of the Exxon Valdez
and, most recently, the derailment and explosion Lac-Mégantic. All of these disasters occurred
during early morning hours and accident investigations reveal that all have been partially
attributed to human fatigue.
In the US, 25% of workers report that their work schedule does not permit them to obtain adequate
sleep and 30% do not feel that they obtain sufficient sleep to function at their best. Across North
America and Europe, it has been estimated that approximately 20 – 30% of the work force
population suffers from prolonged fatigue. It has been estimated that worldwide, sleep-deprived
workers cost $350 billion US per year in terms of lost-time wages, productivity and health care.
Thus, injury prevention through fatigue management and work hour scheduling remains an
important topic for researchers and practitioners.
The intention for this thematic session is to discuss the issues surrounding work hours and how
they may impact sleep/fatigue and consequently lead to work injury. Our session will draw on
existing evidence, examine the possible biological pathways and discuss the implications for future
research directions and policy implications.
The session includes five speakers:
· Impact of work hours limitations on worker and patient safety in US Healthcare
Dr. David Lombardi, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, USA
1
·
Flexible / variable work hours and accident risk
Professor Friedhelm Nachreiner, GAWO e.V., Germany / Dr. Anna Arlinghaus, GAWO
e.V., Germany
·
Travel weariness and workplace injury
Dr. Olav Muurlink, Central Queensland University, Brisbane, Australia
·
Accident risk on rotating shift systems: the roles of metabolic dysfunction and cognitive
impairment
Dr. Phil Tucker, Swansea University, UK / Professor Simon Folkard, Paris Descartes
University, France
·
Shift work, fatigue and cognitive impairment: what are the next steps for future
research?
Dr. Imelda Wong, Institute for Work and Health / University of British Columbia, Canada
2