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Now, thanks to a literature review published in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health in November 2014, employers can have greater confidence about which strategies work—and which do not.
The best schedule and the best light
Researchers assessed a broad range of interventions, including shift scheduling, controlled light exposure, behavioral, and pharmacological interventions. The four strategies that appeared to offer the greatest positive effect on chronic disease outcomes were:
Fast-forward rotating shifts. Of the many possible shift arrangements, fast-forward rotating shifts—two morning, two evening, two night, followed by 2 to 3 days off—support the greatest short-term health benefits (such as reduced sleepiness) and long-term health benefits (resistance to chronic illness).
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Action item: You may not be able to rework your entire shift schedule overnight, but you can begin making changes today. If your shiftworkers are on a fixed schedule or backward rotation, move them to a forward-rotating schedule. If they are on a slow-forward rotation, rotating shifts every few weeks or every few months, reduce the rotation until you have reached a fast-forward rotating schedule. Keep workers in the loop as you do this, letting them know current research supports this move, and it is intended to improve their health.
Simultaneous use of timed bright light and light-blocking glasses. Bright light exposure can reset the body’s clock, so effective use of light exposure/light blocking can help workers be alert at appropriate times and less alert at other times. Blue wavelengths of light suppress melatonin—the “sleep hormone”—and have the greatest effect. For this reason, exposure to bright light, especially blue wavelengths like those produced by many energy-efficient lights, during the work shift can improve workers’ alertness, causing a hormonal “phase shift” in their circadian rhythms.
This phase shift exposure has been used effectively to treat jet lag and workers in space, but daytime light exposures in shiftworkers made it less effective. Combining light exposure with light-blocking glasses at the end of the worker’s shift, during his or her drive home and for a few hours before sleeping, offsets the effect of off-shift light exposure. Glasses are available that block the blue wavelength of light.
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Action item: For improved energy use and employee alertness, replace your workplace lighting with energy-efficient bulbs that are brighter and tend toward bluer light. Provide blue-blocking sunglasses for shift workers as part of their work-related equipment, and teach them how to use these glasses to improve their sleep.
To learn more about the latest research on issues affecting your workers, try the up-to-date coverage on Safety.BLR.com®.