Guiding principles for determining work shift duration and addressing the effects of work shift duration on performance, safety, and health: guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society

Indira Gurubhagavatula; Laura K. Barger; Christopher M. Barnes; Mathias Basner; Diane B. Boivin; Drew Dawson; Christopher L. Drake; Erin E. Flynn-Evans; Vincent Mysliwiec; P. Daniel Patterson; Kathryn J. Reid; Charles Samuels; Nita Lewis Shattuck; Uzma Kazmi; Gerard Carandang; Jonathan L. Heald; Hans P.A. Van Dongen

doi:10.5664/jcsm.9512

Guiding principles for determining work shift duration and addressing the effects of work shift duration on performance, safety, and health: guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society

Indira Gurubhagavatula^*, Laura K. Barger, Christopher M. Barnes, Mathias Basner, Diane B. Boivin, Drew Dawson, Christopher L. Drake, Erin E. Flynn-Evans, Vincent Mysliwiec, P. Daniel Patterson, Kathryn J. Reid, Charles Samuels, Nita Lewis Shattuck, Uzma Kazmi, Gerard Carandang, Jonathan L. Heald, Hans P.A. Van Dongen

^*Corresponding author for this work

Neurology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Risks associated with fatigue that accumulates during work shifts have historically been managed through working time arrangements that specify fixed maximum durations of work shifts and minimum durations of time off. By themselves, such arrangements are not sufficient to curb risks to performance, safety, and health caused by misalignment between work schedules and the biological regulation of waking alertness and sleep. Science-based approaches for determining shift duration and mitigating associated risks, while addressing operational needs, require: (1) a recognition of the factors contributing to fatigue and fatigue-related risks; (2) an understanding of evidence-based countermeasures that may reduce fatigue and/or fatigue-related risks; and (3) an informed approach to selecting workplace-specific strategies for managing work hours. We propose a series of guiding principles to assist stakeholders with designing a shift duration decision-making process that effectively balances the need to meet operational demands with the need to manage fatigue-related risks.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	2283-2306
Number of pages	24
Journal	Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine
Volume	17
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.9512
State	Published - Nov 2021

Funding

The shift length task force thanks Dr Claire Caruso (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), Dr Michael Hodgson (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), and Emily Whitcomb (National Safety Council) for lending their expertise and providing valuable feedback during the development of this manuscript. While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not have concerns with the content of the guiding principles, OSHA does not endorse them. The shift length task force also thanks two anonymous reviewers for valuable feedback on the paper, and Ginger Ellen Espinoza of the Naval Postgraduate School for the graphic design of Figure 1.

Keywords

alertness
circadian rhythms
mental fatigue
occupational medicine
policy making
productivity
shift scheduling
sleep homeostasis
sleepiness
working time arrangements

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Medicine

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Gurubhagavatula, I., Barger, L. K., Barnes, C. M., Basner, M., Boivin, D. B., Dawson, D., Drake, C. L., Flynn-Evans, E. E., Mysliwiec, V., Patterson, P. D., Reid, K. J., Samuels, C., Shattuck, N. L., Kazmi, U., Carandang, G., Heald, J. L., & Van Dongen, H. P. A. (2021). Guiding principles for determining work shift duration and addressing the effects of work shift duration on performance, safety, and health: guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 17(11), 2283-2306. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.9512

Gurubhagavatula, Indira ; Barger, Laura K. ; Barnes, Christopher M. et al. / Guiding principles for determining work shift duration and addressing the effects of work shift duration on performance, safety, and health : guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. In: Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2021 ; Vol. 17, No. 11. pp. 2283-2306.

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title = "Guiding principles for determining work shift duration and addressing the effects of work shift duration on performance, safety, and health: guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society",

abstract = "Risks associated with fatigue that accumulates during work shifts have historically been managed through working time arrangements that specify fixed maximum durations of work shifts and minimum durations of time off. By themselves, such arrangements are not sufficient to curb risks to performance, safety, and health caused by misalignment between work schedules and the biological regulation of waking alertness and sleep. Science-based approaches for determining shift duration and mitigating associated risks, while addressing operational needs, require: (1) a recognition of the factors contributing to fatigue and fatigue-related risks; (2) an understanding of evidence-based countermeasures that may reduce fatigue and/or fatigue-related risks; and (3) an informed approach to selecting workplace-specific strategies for managing work hours. We propose a series of guiding principles to assist stakeholders with designing a shift duration decision-making process that effectively balances the need to meet operational demands with the need to manage fatigue-related risks.",

keywords = "alertness, circadian rhythms, mental fatigue, occupational medicine, policy making, productivity, shift scheduling, sleep homeostasis, sleepiness, working time arrangements",

author = "Indira Gurubhagavatula and Barger, {Laura K.} and Barnes, {Christopher M.} and Mathias Basner and Boivin, {Diane B.} and Drew Dawson and Drake, {Christopher L.} and Flynn-Evans, {Erin E.} and Vincent Mysliwiec and Patterson, {P. Daniel} and Reid, {Kathryn J.} and Charles Samuels and Shattuck, {Nita Lewis} and Uzma Kazmi and Gerard Carandang and Heald, {Jonathan L.} and {Van Dongen}, {Hans P.A.}",

note = "Funding Information: The shift length task force thanks Dr Claire Caruso (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), Dr Michael Hodgson (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), and Emily Whitcomb (National Safety Council) for lending their expertise and providing valuable feedback during the development of this manuscript. While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not have concerns with the content of the guiding principles, OSHA does not endorse them. The shift length task force also thanks two anonymous reviewers for valuable feedback on the paper, and Ginger Ellen Espinoza of the Naval Postgraduate School for the graphic design of Figure 1. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 American Academy of Sleep Medicine. All rights reserved.",

year = "2021",

month = nov,

doi = "10.5664/jcsm.9512",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "17",

pages = "2283--2306",

journal = "Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine",

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Gurubhagavatula, I, Barger, LK, Barnes, CM, Basner, M, Boivin, DB, Dawson, D, Drake, CL, Flynn-Evans, EE, Mysliwiec, V, Patterson, PD, Reid, KJ, Samuels, C, Shattuck, NL, Kazmi, U, Carandang, G, Heald, JL & Van Dongen, HPA 2021, 'Guiding principles for determining work shift duration and addressing the effects of work shift duration on performance, safety, and health: guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society', Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, vol. 17, no. 11, pp. 2283-2306. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.9512

Guiding principles for determining work shift duration and addressing the effects of work shift duration on performance, safety, and health: guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. / Gurubhagavatula, Indira; Barger, Laura K.; Barnes, Christopher M. et al.
In: Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, Vol. 17, No. 11, 11.2021, p. 2283-2306.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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T2 - guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society

AU - Gurubhagavatula, Indira

AU - Barger, Laura K.

AU - Barnes, Christopher M.

AU - Basner, Mathias

AU - Boivin, Diane B.

AU - Dawson, Drew

AU - Drake, Christopher L.

AU - Flynn-Evans, Erin E.

AU - Mysliwiec, Vincent

AU - Patterson, P. Daniel

AU - Reid, Kathryn J.

AU - Samuels, Charles

AU - Shattuck, Nita Lewis

AU - Kazmi, Uzma

AU - Carandang, Gerard

AU - Heald, Jonathan L.

AU - Van Dongen, Hans P.A.

N1 - Funding Information: The shift length task force thanks Dr Claire Caruso (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), Dr Michael Hodgson (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), and Emily Whitcomb (National Safety Council) for lending their expertise and providing valuable feedback during the development of this manuscript. While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not have concerns with the content of the guiding principles, OSHA does not endorse them. The shift length task force also thanks two anonymous reviewers for valuable feedback on the paper, and Ginger Ellen Espinoza of the Naval Postgraduate School for the graphic design of Figure 1. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 American Academy of Sleep Medicine. All rights reserved.

PY - 2021/11

Y1 - 2021/11

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Gurubhagavatula I, Barger LK, Barnes CM, Basner M, Boivin DB, Dawson D et al. Guiding principles for determining work shift duration and addressing the effects of work shift duration on performance, safety, and health: guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2021 Nov;17(11):2283-2306. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.9512

Guiding principles for determining work shift duration and addressing the effects of work shift duration on performance, safety, and health: guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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