Designing Optimal Work Shift Durations to Manage Fatigue

New guidance has been released to help employers design work shift durations to balance the needs of operational demands with the need to manage fatigue-related risks.

The guidance was developed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.

Previously, various studies have linked shift work to adverse effects on employee health and safety, including cancer, obesity, cardiovascular disease and fatigue.

University of Pennsylvania study author and physician of sleep medicine, Indira Gurubhagavatula, said that maximum shift durations have traditionally been set with a one-size-fits-all approach focused primarily on physical fatigue.

“Rather than provide a single, generic recommendation, these new guiding principles involve taking a more holistic view when setting customized shift durations for each individual workplace, considering not just physical fatigue, but mental fatigue, time of day, job requirements, safety risks, lifestyle factors and health.”

The guiding principles include:

• Work-related factors such as workload and commute time contribute to the impact
  of shift duration on performance, safety and health outcomes.
• Countermeasures such as strategic naps and caffeine intake can reduce, although
  not necessarily eliminate, adverse outcomes associated with shift duration.
• Monitoring the effects of countermeasures is important to determine their
  effectiveness, identify unintended consequences, and evaluate opportunities for
  improvement.
• The decision-making process for shift duration should be fully informed, transparent
  and based on scientific evidence.
• The decision-making process for shift duration should faithfully represent the
  interests of stakeholders and respect the legitimacy of these interests.
• Deliberations, policies and documentation regarding shift duration should be
  supported by an organisation’s safety management architecture.

The new guidance was published online in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine and SLEEP.