Improving shiftwork management

This article will examine the impact of shiftwork not only on an individual but also on the employer and the community, with particular emphasis on the impact of shiftwork an the health and psycho-social well being of the worker. Biological rhythms and the stressors that arise when working shiftwork are discussed, including disruption of biological rhythms, sleep and fatigue, and social and domestic disturbances. The biological disruption associated with shiftwork, in conjunction with the psycho-social environment, may interact to produce reductions in performance, and health and psychological difficulties. The effects of shiftwork on the individual can best be understood as an increased incidence of 'lifestyle' health problems. These effects are not the inevitable consequence of shiftwork per se, rather, they reflect the behavioural responses of shiftworkers to the biological disruption associated with shiftwork. In many cases, inappropriate responses mediate the biological and psychological effects of shiftwork. From this perspective, adaptation is conditional on optimising the behavioural responses to shiftwork.