It’s probably rare to find anyone that enjoys shift work, and the impact of such ways of working have been well documented, whether in terms of our physical or mental health.  Sadly, shift work can be necessary, so there is a strong incentive to try and find ways to structure shift work such that any risks are minimized.

The lack of any concrete evidence on the best way to do this has prompted a special issue of Industrial Health to focus specifically on shift work and working time arrangements.

“With this special issue, we have made available a freely accessible resource that describes the current state of research, identifies relevant health and safety risks, and provides advice on effective ways to mitigate these risks,” said Van Dongen, who served on the editorial team with Imelda Wong (chair), Drew Dawson, and Masaya Takahashi to oversee the special issue’s creation.

The paper includes nine distinct articles that cover things such as the effect of shift work on our health; the effect on individuals, their families and even their communities of shift work; whether certain people are more tolerant to the side effects of shift work; and various approaches to reduce the risks associated with shift work.

The various authors hope that putting their thoughts together collectively in this wway, before then presenting them at the 24th International Symposium on Shiftwork and Working Time this September, will be a first step towards creating better advice about shift work and how the risks of it can be mitigated.

“This is a starting point, in which we are providing access to our half century of research and experience on the impact of working shifts,” the editors explain. “It is our intent to keep this knowledge base up to date over time and propagate its use and availability across the globe, supporting policy makers, companies, worker organizations and the workers themselves.”