Workplace strategies to reduce risks from shift work, long work hours, and related fatigue issues.

2019 ◽  
pp. 247-262
Author(s):  
Claire C. Caruso
Keyword(s):  
Shift Work ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Long Work Hours

Shift work and overtime across a career in law enforcement: a 15-year study

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-212
Author(s):  
Samantha M. Riedy ◽  
Desta Fekedulegn ◽  
Bryan Vila ◽  
Michael Andrew ◽  
John M. Violanti
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Shift Work ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Night Shift ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Work Hours

PurposeTo characterize changes in work hours across a career in law enforcement.Design/methodology/approachN = 113 police officers enrolled in the BCOPS cohort were studied. The police officers started their careers in law enforcement between 1994 and 2001 at a mid-sized, unionized police department in northwestern New York and continued to work at this police department for at least 15 years. Day-by-day work history records were obtained from the payroll department. Work hours, leave hours and other pay types were summarized for each calendar year across their first 15 years of employment. Linear mixed-effects models with a random intercept over subject were used to determine if there were significant changes in pay types over time.FindingsA total of 1,617 individual-years of data were analyzed. As the police officers gained seniority at the department, they worked fewer hours and fewer night shifts. Total paid hours did not significantly change due to seniority-based increases in vacation time. Night shift work was increasingly in the form of overtime as officers gained seniority. Overtime was more prevalent at the beginning of a career and after a promotion from police officer to detective.Originality/valueShiftwork and long work hours have negative effects on sleep and increase the likelihood of on-duty fatigue and performance impairment. The results suggest that there are different points within a career in law enforcement where issues surrounding shiftwork and long work hours may be more prevalent. This has important implications for predicting fatigue, developing effective countermeasures and measuring fatigue-related costs.

scholarly journals The Impact of Shift Work and Long Work Hours on Employers’ Health Care Costs

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
pp. 1006-1010
Author(s):  
Megan McHugh ◽  
Dustin D. French ◽  
Mary M. Kwasny ◽  
Claude R. Maechling ◽  
Jane L. Holl
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Shift Work ◽  
Health Care Costs ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Long Work Hours ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Care Costs

scholarly journals 0179 Poor Sleep Quality Increases Odds of On-Duty Injuries in Policing

SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A71-A71
Author(s):  
S M Riedy ◽  
D Fekedulegn ◽  
B Vila ◽  
M Andrew ◽  
J Violanti
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Shift Work ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Sleep Loss ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Disciplinary Actions ◽  
Poor Sleep Quality ◽  
Long Work Hours

Abstract Introduction Shiftwork is inevitable in law enforcement. Officers are scheduled around-the-clock to protect and serve communities. Many police departments are also understaffed; consequentially, officers’ work schedules often include long work hours. Shift work and long work hours can result in sleep loss, poor sleep quality, and fatigue. In turn, these factors can impair police officers’ operational performance. We investigated whether sleep loss and poor sleep quality increase odds of on-duty injuries or disciplinary actions in policing. Methods Officers (n=113) that started their careers as police officers at the Buffalo Police Department between 1994–2001 were studied. Work and injury data were obtained for each officer starting with their hire date and continuing day-by-day for 15-years. Between 2004–2009, officers reported any disciplinary actions in the prior two years and their sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Survey Screen for Apnea. Data were analyzed using logistic regression with logit link functions (PROC GLIMMIX, SAS 9.4). Covariates included sex, ethnicity, experience, shift type, workload, and secondary employment. Results Seventy-four percent of officers had poor sleep quality (PSQI global score ≥ 5). Officers with poorer sleep quality had greater odds of injury (OR=1.3 [95% CI: 1.0–1.5], p=0.03). Officers’ sleep duration was not a significant predictor of injuries (OR=1.0 [95% CI: 0.3–3.2], p=0.96). Officers with sleep disturbances (OR=3.5 [95% CI: 1.0–11.8], p<0.05) and/or using sleep medications (OR=15.7 [95% CI: 2.8–89.3], p<0.01) had higher odds of injury. None of the variables were significant predictors of disciplinary actions. Conclusion Poor sleep quality was prevalent among the officers. The natures of the injuries were likely multi-factorial and complex. Notwithstanding, poor sleep quality was associated with higher odds of on-duty injuries. The source of officers’ sleep disturbances (e.g. shift work, insomnia, and/or policing-related stresses) remains to be determined. Support CDC/NIOSH grant 1R01OH009640-01A1; NIJ grant 2005-FS-BX-0004

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