Safety and Health at Work Vol. 13 Supplement 2022
Impact of the 24-hour society on workers’ health and safety

Safety and Health at Work Vol. 13 Supplement 2022
Impact of the 24-hour society on workers’ health and safety

Impact , 24-hour society, workers’ health and safety

It’s been a hard day’s night, I’ve been working like a dog/It’s been a hard day’s night, I should be sleeping like a log” is part of the lyrics of the famous song by “The Beatles”, released in October 1964. At that time, very little was said about the organization of shift work, as the concern with work environment and illnesses were focused on other stressors. The fact is that 24-hour society is here to stay due to the continuous production processes and the need for uninterrupted services that are offered and necessary to the society. For the last decades thousands of publications have highlighted the negative effects of shift and night work on health, quality of life and safety at work. The dissemination of information in both scientific journals and non-scientific media reports has shown the nonglamorous and less apparent sides of the problems faced by those who work during the night, on weekends, on public and religious holidays while most of the population is resting and or enjoying
free time. The intrusion of work at nighttime and consequent daytime rest lead to a biological mismatch and partly explain chronic health problems and malaise faced by shift and night workers. There are several consequences already well-studied, such as sleep, metabolic and cardiovascular disturbances, mental health symptoms, a less effective immune system and the still controversial requiring further studies- cancer development. But there are other shift work issues directly or indirectly associated with malaise, issues to be yet reconciled and solved, in addition to the biological ones. These include living and working conditions. At the occupational level, the organization of work schedules such as work hours during day and non-daytime, daily and weekly working hours, recovery time within and between shifts, how healthy the work environment is, including policies of respect and health
promotion is essential and can be the source of the mentioned problems and possible solutions. Regarding safety at work, it is necessary to pay attention to sleepiness, which changes throughout the 24 hours. Interventions to improve sleep duration and quality are required to maintain alertness and adequate performance, especially during hours of greater sleepiness. It is also necessary to investigate the combined effects of environmental and organizational factors and how occupational exposures can be mitigated.
My presentation will focus on several aspects related to biological,
work and social issues, as well as health issues, including sleep and
health of healthcare workers during the new coronavirus
pandemic. The presentation will include what has now become
commonplace in 24-hour society - the extension of working hours,
particularly those carried out using telework environments, which
are associated with domestic and professional overload. And finally,
a brief comment at the future of decent work - what awaits workers
who cannot follow daytime work patterns and nighttime rest? In
post-pandemic times, there is hope the new labor regulations will

be more equitable, leading organizations to provide greater pro-
tection and health at work for those who take care of production

and services, while we, day workers, are resting.

Frida Marina Fischer

Elsevier Korea LLC

January 2022

Sri Wahyuni

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Safety and Health at Work Vol. 13 Supplement 2022