Human Factors

[Blacksheep]

Just been off to look up some figures...

Facts about shift work taken from the the academic literature review 'Shift Work, Health and Safety':

1. Shift workers are likely to die younger than day workers;
2. Shift workers are 40% more likely than day workers to suffer from cardiovascular disease;
3. After 15 - 20 years of shift work 20% of shift workers had cardiovascular disease, three times the rate in day workers in similar jobs;
4. 30-50% of shift workers suffer from indigestion, two to five times the rate for day workers;
5. Shift workers suffer from peptic ulcers at an earlier age and if they leave shift work, their peptic ulcers often improve;
6. Shift workers and former shift workers suffer more from anxiety and depression than day workers.
7. Although no definite link with cancer has been demonstrated, women who work night shift were found to have three times the rate of breast cancer compared to women who work days in comparable jobs.

This literature review was referred to by the European Commission in drawing up 'The Working Times Regulations 1998'. However the transport industries - Maritime, Aviation, Rail and Road Transport were excluded from the regulations limiting our working hours and governing shift patterns and rest periods, so they don't apply to us. If we must work these hours and shifts, the health implications suggest that shift work is under-compensated and that shift pay could need to be up to three times the rate for day work to compensate for proven reductions in health and life span.

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Through difficulties to the cinema