Association between split shift work and work-related injury and disease absence.

BACKGROUND: Shift work (particularly split shifts) has been noted among the working conditions that hinder sustainable work. However, little is known regarding the effects of split shifts on health. This study aimed to investigate the association between split shift work and work-related injury and disease absence. METHODS: This study used data from the fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey and included 4,042 paid shift workers. Shift work type and self-reported work-related injury and disease absence were investigated using a questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between split shift work and work-related absence with rotating shift worker as the reference group. RESULTS: Of the 4,042 shift workers, 980 (24.3%) were split shift workers. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of split shift for absence due to work-related injury was high at 2.94 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.85-4.68) and the aOR of split shift for absence due to work-related disease was also high at 1.58 (95% CI: 1.09-2.29) compared to rotating shift. CONCLUSIONS: Split shift work leads to an increased risk of absences due to work-related injury and disease.

An on-road study of sleepiness in split shifts among city bus drivers.

Bus drivers often work irregular hours or split shifts and their work involves high levels of stress. These factors can lead to severe sleepiness and dangerous driving. This study examined how split shift working affects sleepiness and performance during afternoon driving. An experiment was conducted on a real road with a specially equipped regular bus driven by professional bus drivers. The study had a within-subject design and involved 18 professional bus drivers (9 males and 9 females) who drove on two afternoons; one on a day in which they had driven early in the morning (split shift situation) and one on a day when they had been off duty until the test (afternoon shift situation). The hypothesis tested was that split shifts contribute to sleepiness during afternoon, which can increase the safety risks. The overall results supported this hypothesis. In total, five of the 18 drivers reached levels of severe sleepiness (Karolinska Sleepiness Scale ≥8) with an average increase in KSS of 1.94 when driving in the afternoon after working a morning shift compared with being off duty in the morning. This increase corresponded to differences observed between shift workers starting and ending a night shift. The Psychomotor Vigilance Task showed significantly increased response time with split shift working (afternoon: 0.337s; split shift 0.347s), as did the EEG-based Karolinska Drowsiness Score mean/max. Blink duration also increased, although the difference was not significant. One driver fell asleep during the drive. In addition, 12 of the 18 bus drivers reported that in their daily work they have to fight to stay awake while driving at least 2-4 times per month. While there were strong individual differences, the study clearly showed that shift-working bus drivers struggle to stay awake and thus countermeasures are needed in order to guarantee safe driving with split shift schedules.