Work shift duration: A review comparing eight hour and 12 hour shift systems

Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Volumn 55, Issue 4, 1998, Pages 217-229

  Smith, Lawrence ^a   Folkard, Simon ^b   Tucker, Phil ^b   Macdonald, Ian ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS   (United Kingdom)

^b SWANSEA UNIVERSITY   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

12 hour shifts; Health; Shift duration; Sleep

Indexed keywords

ABSENTEEISM; CONTROLLED STUDY; FATIGUE; HUMAN; INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION; PRIORITY JOURNAL; PRODUCTIVITY; PSYCHOSOCIAL ENVIRONMENT; REVIEW; SAFETY; SLEEP; STRESS; WORK SCHEDULE;

EID: 0031917695     PISSN: 13510711     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1136/oem.55.4.217     Document Type: Review

References (86)

1. Folkard S, Monk T. Hours of work: temporal factors in work scheduling. Wiley: Chichester, 1985.
2. Scott AJ, Ladou J. Shiftwork: effects on sleep and health with recommendations for medical surveillance and screening. In: AJ Scott, ed. Occupational medicine: state of the art reviews: shiftwork. Philadelphia: Hanley and Belfus, 1990;5:273-300.
3. Waterhouse J, Folkard S, Minors D, Shiftwork, health and safety: an overview of the scientific literature 1978-90. London: HMSO, 1992.
4. Tepas DI, Mahan RP. The many meanings of sleep. Work Stress 1989;3:93-102.
5. Akerstedt T. Psychological and psychophysiological effects of shiftwork. Scand J Work Environ Health 1990;16:67-73.
6. Akerstedt T. Sleepiness at work: effects of irregular work hours. In: T Monk, ed. Sleep, sleepiness and performance. Chichester: Wiley, 1991:129-52.
7. Folkard S. Circadian performance rhythms: some practical and theoretical implications. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 1990;327:543-53.
8. Fischer FM, Moreno CRC, Fernandez RL. Day and shiftworkes' leisure time. Ergonomics 1993;36:43-9.
9. Volger A, Ernst G, Nachreiner F, et al. Common free time of family members under different shift systems. Applied Ergonomics 1988;19:213-8.
10. Tepas DI. Flexitime, compressed workweeks and other alternative work schedules. In: Folkard S, Monk T, eds. Hours of work: temporal factors in work scheduling. Wiley: Chichester 1985:147-64.
11. Steward GV, Larsen JM. A four-day-three-day per week application to a continuous production operation. Management of Personnel Quarterly 1971;10:13-20.
12. Poor R, ed. 4-Days, 40-hours. Cambridge, MA: Bursk and Poor, 1970.
13. A Wedderburn, ed. Compressed working time. Dublin: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 1996:7. (Bulletin of European Studies of Time No 10.)
14. Baker TL. Alertness, performance and off-duty sleep on 8-hour and 12-hour night shifts in a simulated continuous operations control room setting. NUREG/CR-6046. Washington, DC: Division of Systems Technology, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 1995: 20555-0001. (NRC Job Code L2630.)
15. Underwood AB. What a 12-hour shift offers. Am J Nurs 1975;75: 1176-8.
16. Garong WL, Garong JM, Harrison ET. The 12-hour shift: better quality, lower cost. J Nurs Admin 1976;6:17-29.
17. Vik AG, Mackay RC. How does the 12-hour shift affect patient care? J Nurs Admin 1982;12:11-4.
18. Blanchflower S. Alternative rota systems. Nursing Times 1986;82:55-8.
19. Rosa R. Extended workshifts and excessive fatigue, Journal of Sleep Research 1995:4:51-6.
20. Moores J. A meta-analytic review of the effects of compressed work schedules. Applied Human Resource Management Research 1990;1:12-8.
21. Vernon HM. The speed and adaptation of output to altered hours of work. Reports of the Industrial Fatigue Research Board. London: HMSO, 1920:6.
22. Osborne EE. The output of women workers in relation to hours of work in shell-making. Reports of the Industrial Fatigue Research Board. London: HMSO, 1919:2.
23. Libre E. The good and the had of 12-hour shifts. Registered Nurse1975;38:47-52.
24. Thompson J. Rigour round the clock. Nursing Times 1989;85:21.
25. Wallace M, Owens W, Levens M. Adaptation to twelve hour shifts. In: Costa G, Cesana G, Kogi K, et al, eds. Shiftwork: health, sleep and performance. Frankrurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1990.
26. Fields WL, Loveridge C. Critical thinking and fatigue: how do nurses on 8 and 12 hour shifts compare? Nursing Economics 1988,6:189-91.
27. Washburn MS. Fatigue and critical thinking on eight and twelve-hour shifts. Nursing Management 1991;22:80A H.
28. Ugrovics A, Wright J. 12-Hour shifts: does fatigue undermine ICU nursing judgements? Nursing Management 1990;21:64A G.
29. Mills ME, Arnold B, Wood CM. Core 12: a controlled study of the impact of 12-hour scheduling. Nurs Res 1983;32: 356-61.
30. Williamson AM, Gower CGI, Clarke BC. Changing the hours of shiftwork: a comparison of 8 and 12-hour shift rosters in a group of computer operators. Ergonomics 1994; 37:287-98.
31. Duchon J, Keran C, Smith T. Extended workdays in an underground mine: a work performance analysis. Hum Factors 1994;36:258-69.
32. Wilson JT, Rose KM. The twelve hour shift in the petroleum and chemical industries of the United States and Canada: a study of current experience. Philadelphia: Industrial Research Unit, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 1978. (Industrial research reports No 26.)
33. Johnston M, Pollard B, Manktelow A, el al. Stress and information processing in 8 and 12-hour nursing shifts. The pychologist 1989.
34. Smiley A, Moray NP. Review of 12-hour shifts at nuclear generating stations. Ottawa, Canada: Report to Atomic Energy Control Board, 1989. (Project No 2.131.1.)
35. Baker TL, Campbell SC, Linder KD, a al. Control room operator alertness and performance in nuclear power plants. Palo Alto, CA: February 1990. (Electric Power Research Institute Report NP-6748.)
36. Todd C, Reid N, Robinson G. The impact of 12-hour nursing shifts. Nursing Times 1991;87:47-50.
37. Reid N, Robinson G, Todd C. The quantity of nursing care on wards working 8 and 12-hour shifts. Im J Nurs Stud 1993;30:403-13.
38. Bowers-Hutto C, Davis LL. 12-hour shifts: panacea or problem? Nursing Management 1989;20:56B H.
39. Peacock B, Glube R, Miller M, et al. Police officers' responses to 8 and 12 hour shift schedules. Ergonomics 1983-26:479-93.
40. Parkes K. Sleep patterns, shiftwork and individual differences: a comparison of onshore and offshore control room operators. Ergonomics 1994;37:827-44.
41. Northrup HR. The twelve hour shift in the North American mini-steel industry. Journal of Labor Research 1991;12:261 78.
42. Lees R, Laundry B. Industrial accident experience of one company on 8 and 12 hour shift systems. Journal of Occupational Medicine 1991;33:903-6.
43. Pollock C, Cross R, Taylor P. Influences of 12 versus 8 hour shiftwork on injury patterns. International Ergonomics Association. Ergonomie et Lieux de Travail 1994;5:19-21.
44. Ontario Hydro Report. Analysis of the impact of 12-hour shifts on human performance at Ontario Hydro Nuclear Generating Stations. Annual Report. Toronto: Ontario Hydro Technical and Training Services Division, 1986.
45. Lewis PM, Swaim DJ. Evaluation of a 12-hour day shift schedule. Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 30th Annual Meeting. Dayton, Ohio: HFS, 1986;2:885-9.
46. Kelly RJ, Schneider MF. The twelve-hour shift revisited: recent trends in the electric power industry. J Hum Ergol (Tokyo) 1982;11:369-84.
47. Rosa R, Colligan M. Long workdays versus rest days: assessing fatigue and alertness with a portable performance battery. Hum Factors 1988;30:305-17.
48. Rosa R. Performance, alertness and sleep after 3-5 years of 12 h shifts: a follow up study. Work Stress 1991;5:107-16.
49. Rosa R, Bonnet MH. Performance and alertness on 8h and 12h rotating shifts at a natural gas facility. Ergonomics 1993; 36:1177-93.
50. Gould S. Safety considerations related to 12-hour shift schedules. Nuclear Safety 1989;30:103-5.
51. Lees R, Laundry B. Comparison of reported workplace morbidity in 8-hour and 12-hour shifts in one plant. Journal of Social and Occupational Medicine 1989;39:81-4.
52. Frese M, Semmer N, Shiftwork stress and psychosomatic complaints: a comparison between workers in different shiftwork schedules, non-shiftworkers and former shiftworkers. Ergonomics 1986;29:99-114.
53. Tucker P, Barton J, Folkard S. Comparison of eight and 12 hour shifts: impacts on health, wellbeing and alertness during the shift. Occup Environ Med 1996;53:767-72.
54. Jaffe MP, Smolensky MH, Wun C. Sleep quality and physical and social wellbeing in North American petrochemical shiftworkers. (Personal communication, University of Texas, Health Sciences Centre, School of Public Health, PO Box 20186, Houston, Texas 77225, USA 1994.)
55. Knauth P. The design of shift systems. Ergonomics 1993;36: 15-28.
56. Gadbois C, Prunier S. Douaniers en horaires atypiques: rythmes de vie et conditions de travail (Customs officers on unusual schedules: rhythms of life and working conditions). Rapport de Recherche 95p. Paris: EHPE, 1994.
57. Iskra-Golec I, Folkard S, Marek T, et al. Health, well-being and burnout of ICU nurses on 12 and 8 hour shifts. Work Stress 1996;10:251-6.
58. Chan OY, Gan SL, Yeo MH. Study on the health of female electronics workers on 12 hour shifts. Occup Med 1993,43: 143-8.
59. Hadjiova I, Mincheva L, Deyanov C. Cardiovascular strain in operators on 12-hour shifts. Rev Environ Health 1994,10:67-71.
60. Kundi M, Koller M, Stefan H, et al. Attitudes of nurses towards 8-h and 12-h shift systems. Work Stress 1995;9: 134-9.
61. Brief RS, Scala RA. Occupational exposure limits for novel work schedules. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1975;36:467-9.
62. Moretz S. Rotational shifts: are they harmful to workers' health? Occupational Hazards 1987;49:54-7.
63. Reynolds JL Royster LH, Pearson RG. Hearing conservation programmes (HCPs): The effectiveness of one company's HCP in a 12-hour work shift environment. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1990;51:437-46.
64. Harma M. Individual differences in tolerance to shiftwork. Ergonomics 1993,36:101-10.
65. Withdrawn.
66. Conrad-Betschart H. Designing new shift schedules: participation as a critical factor for an improvement. In: Costa G, Cesana G, Kogi K, et a/, eds. Shiftwork: health, sleep and performance. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1990.
67. Latack JC, Foster LW. Implementation of compressed work schedules: participation and job redesign as critical factors of employee acceptance. Personnel Psychology 1985;38:75-93.
68. Northrup HR, Wilson JT, Rose KM. The twelve-hour shift in the petroleum and chemical industries. Industrial Labour Relations Review 1979;32:312-26.
69. Smith L, Hammond T, Macdonald I, Folkard S. Twelve hour shifts are popular but are they a solution? International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 1998;21:323-31.
70. Smith L, Barton J. Shiftwork and personal control. European Work and Organisational Psychologist 1995;4:101-20.
71. Suter P. Transition to 12-hour shifts: the process and the product. American Nuclear Society Annual Meeting. Boston, MA, USA. Transactions of the American Nuclear Society 1992;65:400.
72. Tepas DI. Condensed working hours: questions and issues. In: Costa G, Cesana G, Kogi K, et al, eds. Shiftwork: health, sleep and performance. Frankrurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1990.
73. Barton-Cunningham J. A compressed shift schedule: dealing with some of the problems of shiftwork. Journal of Organizational Behaviour 1989;10:231-45.
74. Ivancevich JM. Effects of the shorter work week on selected satisfaction and performance measures. J Appl Psychol1974;59:717-21.
75. Nachreiner F, Frielingsdorf R, Romahn R, et al. Schichtarbeit bei kontinuierlicher Produktion, Forschungsbericht No 141. Dortmund: Bundesanstaltfur Arbeitsschutzund Unfallforschung, 1975.
76. Jozef D. Morbidity and absenteeism rates for operators connected with duration of shift. Handbook of work and organinational psychology. Chichester: Wiley, 1984:283-9.
77. Keran CM, Duchon JC, Smith TJ. Older workers and longer workdays: are they compatible? International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 1994;13:113-23.
78. Hoekstra F, Jansen B, Van Goudoever B. The compressed working week. Wyattville Road, Loughlinstown, Co Dublin, Ireland: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 1994.
79. Baker K, Olson J, Morisseau D. Work practices, fatigue and nuclear power plant safety performance. Hum Factors 1994; 36:244-57.
80. Colligan MJ, Tepas DI. The stress of hours of work. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1986;47:686-95.
81. Smith PA, Wright BM, Mackey RW, et al. Results from a study of participative roster redesign: a change from slowly rotating 8 hour shifts to rapidly rotating 8 and 12 hour shifts. In: Harma M, et al, eds. New challenges for the organisation of night and shiftwork [abstracts], Helsinki, Finland: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, 1997.
82. Lowden A, Akerstedt T, Kecklund G, et al. Shifting from an 8 hour to a 12 hour work schedule. In: Harma M, et al, eds. New challenges for the organisation of night and shiftwork [abstracts]. Helsinki, Finland: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, 1997.
83. Tucker P, Smith L, Macdonald I, et al. Shift length as a determinant of on-shift alertness. In: Harma M, et al, eds. New challenges for the organisation of night and shiftwork [abstracts]. Helsinki, Finland: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, 1997.
84. Axelsson J, Kecklund G, Lowden A, et al. Alternating 8 and 12 hour shifts: differences in sleep and sleepiness. In: Harma M, et al, eds. New challenges for the organisation of night and shiftwork [abstracts]. Helsinki, Finland: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, 1997.
85. Rosa R, Bonnet M, Cole L. Work schedule and task factors in upper-extremity fatigue. In: Harma M, et al, eds. New challenges for the organisation of night and shiftwork [abstracts]. Helsinki, Finland: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, 1997.
86. Bourdouxhe M, Queinnec Y, Granger D, et al. The effects of 20 years of rotating 12-hour shiftwork in petroleum refinery operators. In: Harma M, et al, eds. New challenges for the organisation of night and shiftwork [abstracts]. Helsinki, Finland: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, 1997.