Long Work Hours, Extended or Irregular Shifts, and Worker Fatigue

Additional Resources

Fatigue. National Safety Council (NSC). NSC is a leader in working to change the culture with research, education and outreach programs related to sleep health in the workplace.
Preventing Worker Fatigue Among Ebola Healthcare Workers and Responders. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)/Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Fact Sheet. Presents guidelines for employers and workers to prevent fatigue in conditions with cases related to Ebola where workers may be required to work longer or unusual shifts.
Trainers' Handbook. Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Australia. Provides trainers with the tools and strategies to prepare and deliver training on fatigue management strategies for employees.
Plain Language About Shiftwork. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH Pub. No. 94-145, July 1997). Provides basic facts about shiftwork and ways to make shiftwork life easier.
Your Guide to Healthy Sleep. National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute. Provides information about common sleep myths, practical tips for getting enough sleep and coping with nighttime shiftwork.
Improving Shift Work Schedules. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Addresses health effects of shift work and ways to improve work schedules.
Work Schedules: Shift Work and Long Work Hours. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Workplace Safety and Health Topic. Provides links to NIOSH publications and other resources that address demanding work schedules.
Overtime and Extended Work Shifts: Recent Findings on Illnesses, Injuries and Health Behaviors. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH Pub. No. 2004-143, April 2004). Summarizes recent scientific findings about the relationship between overtime and extended work shifts on worker health and safety.
Working Time, Health and Safety: A Research Synthesis Paper. International Labour Organization, (May 2012). Brings together research on working hours, worker health, well-being and workplace safety.
Guidance for Managing Worker Fatigue During Disaster Operations, Vol. 1. National Response Team, (2009). Addresses worker fatigue during large-scale disaster operations.
Interim NIOSH Training for Emergency Responders: Reducing Risks Associated with Long Work Hours. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (2014). Provides strategies to reduce risks from fatigue due to the need to work long day shifts during the emergency response and recovery operations