Shift work/Night shift
Night shift is considered if you are working between 11:00pm to 6:00am for more than 3 hours. By up growing demand of industrialization and development compel human to work in shifts to increase the production in lesser calendar days. It’s not on record that when shift work started (night shift) but on various data and record showing sign of its origination by end -18th century when industrialization and labor exploitation was on peak in Europe and America, prior to the Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain in the late 1700s, manufacturing was often done in people’s homes, using hand tools or basic machines.Industrialization spread from Britain to other European countries, including Belgium, France, and Germany, and to the United States. By the mid-19th century, industrialization was well-established throughout the western part of Europe and America’s northeastern region. By the early 20th century, the U.S. had become the world’s leading industrial nation.
The scenario of the 18th century was not simple as like now, they were working more than 15 to 16 hours a day and so we can’t define it as shift but still for the sake of discussion we are moving ahead on the same.After many revolution and sacrifice sector were ready to give full day payment after working 8 hours a day in normal condition. But still sector lagging behind the many constraints which need to be focused in coming year to ease the workers’ life in general and in shifts. It is normal practice in the industry to divide the 24 hours by 8 to get the number of the shift in complete day-night cycle, which assumed day and night as same working condition, but it’s not fair. Working in the day is not equal to work at night, a person can’t take his part sleep in the day instead of night, due to many constraints like light, sound, temperature etc.. and the isolated daily life routine from another part of the world is another strong thing which causes a problem. Working in the night is not cause only less sleep, fatigue but also have many consequences in long terms too, like heart disease, sugar and even breast cancer in women.
Night shift causes the change of ‘circadian rhythm’
The human body follows a daily rhythm, which involves the fluctuation of over 100 body functions, with regular peaks and troughs, in a 24-hour cycle. These daily cycles are called circadian rhythms. The word ‘circadian’ comes from the Latin ‘circa dies’, meaning ‘about a day’.
Circadian rhythms regulate body functions such as temperature, metabolism, digestion, blood pressure, secretion of adrenalin, sleeping and waking. These rhythmical processes form the body’s internal clock and are coordinated so as to allow for high activity (peaks) during the day and low activity (troughs) at night. Hence, this is one reason why people often feel most active and alert around 4-6pm, and sleepiest around 4-6am.
Night/Shift work may cause or contribute to the following effects:
Biological Effects:
cardiovascular disorders
gastrointestinal disorders
circadian dysrhythmia
Psychosocial Effects:
sleep loss/fatigue
lowered performance
increased accidents
stress
Individual Effects
disrupted family and social life, e.g. isolation from friends, family, social events and celebrations, sports match, etc.
Performance
Yes, of course, our performance is not going to be as normal as working in day shift. Night shift workmen can never have the sufficient amount of sleep which body required normally and this can accumulate into a large “sleep debt” over time. Again about the rhythmic cycle, you are going against your biological things. Have you ever observed some special effect in your body during night only, like increase in pain or increase of illness etc. there are many things which happen in night only. By working regularly in the night you are obstructing the natural cycle and that cause uncomfortable, these things lower down the efficiency of the human.
it’s not possible to shut off the night shift work but it should be put on discussion with these concern which not limited to these only.
Lower down the night working hours, cycle shall not be as equal to day shift working hours.
There is some example of balancing the night working time
Ø Night shift shall not be more than 6 hours including 2:30hours of define day shift and maximum 3:30 hours of night shift between 11:00 pm to 6: am. And so cycle shall be in the line of 8:30 pm to 2:30 am and 2:30 am to 8:30 am. These debt hours(due to 6 hours’ shift) can be adjusted from normal working hours like instead of 8 hours a persona can work for 10 hours when he is in day shift and continue this cycle to ease everyone when they are in night shift.
Or,
Ø We may arrange three shifts like two shifts of 9 hours including 1 hours break and the third one, night shift, 6 hours only. No need to overlap the shifts.
· Give special allowances to night shift workmen.
· Regular health assessment
· No new works and new workmen
Ø Any new job shall not be started from night shift which needs special attention and skill.
Ø No new workmen shall be introduced into the night shift and barred them from shift rotation up to the complete familiarity of job and workplace.
· Adequate number of supervisor
Ø Not in the factory but in the construction industry, it's normal to plan heavy concreting and other heavy work in the night that risk the safety of workmen and quality of work as well, as in night there is few staff with less experience. That cause poor judgment and many irregularities, accident and quality lapse had observed due to that.
· Workmen should put on the radar with more than two supervisors.
Ø In cold night of December 2010, I was employed with DMRC project in a famous contracting company. Work men found drowsy and went to sleep in invisible side of stockpile, later an excavator operator started the loading of stockpile into the truck and excavator operator cut the rear side sleeping workmen into two pieces.
Ø 2nd incident happens due to low and lazy reaction; a dumper operator raises up their dump bucket on hydraulics cylinder to dump the material on the ground but unfortunately the top of bucket gets in touch with the overhead electric line.
· Operator Job and idle time shall be supervised carefully.
Ø In construction industry operator of different heavy equipment may not have the job at all of his shift and in idle time he tends to sleep quickly inside the operator cabin, (it happens due to idle and rest theory of human body and mind). After getting job assignment they start working immediately but it’s wrong that immediately jump into the work cause them less reactive and less attentive too.
