Shift Work refers to a work activity scheduled outside standard daytime hours, where there may be a handover of duty from one individual or work group to another; a pattern of work where one employee replaces another on the same job within a 24-hour period. 

Examples of shift work might be work during the afternoon, night or weekend, typically with periods of the work schedule outside standard daytime hours; extended work periods of twelve hours or more, often associated with compressing the working week; rotating hours of work; split shifts; overtime and standby/on-call duties. 

Undesirable effects of shift work may include disruption of the internal body clock; fatigue; sleeping difficulties; disturbed digestion; reliance on sedatives and/or stimulants and social and domestic problems. 

Reducing the problems associated with shift work may also financially benefit the organisation by lowering sickness and absenteeism; decreasing lost-time incidents; improving work efficiency and product quality and reducing staff turnover. 

Employers should identify individuals responsible for shift-working arrangements and assess how severe the risks are, identifying where improvements need to be made. Good practice guidelines should be applied. 

Good practice guidelines for shift-work schedule design  

• If reasonably practicable, schedule a variety of tasks to be completed during the shift and allow workers some choice about the order they need to be done in.  
• Avoid scheduling demanding, dangerous, monotonous and/or safety-critical work during the night, early morning, towards the end of long shifts and during other periods of low alertness.  
• Avoid placing workers on permanent night shifts.  

• If possible, offer workers a choice between permanent and rotating shift schedules.  
• Where possible, adopt a forward-rotating schedule for rotating shifts rather than a backward-rotating schedule.  
• If not strictly necessary for business needs, try to avoid early morning starts before 7.00 am.  
• Where possible, arrange shift start/end times to be convenient for public transport.  
• Limit shifts to a maximum of twelve hours (including overtime) and consider the needs of vulnerable workers.  

• Limit night shift or shifts where work is demanding, monotonous, dangerous and/or safety critical to eight hours.  
• Avoid split shifts unless absolutely necessary to meet business needs.  
• Encourage and promote the benefit of regular breaks away from the workstation.  
• In general, limit consecutive working days to a maximum of 5-7 days.  
• When switching from day to night shifts or vice versa, allow workers a minimum of two nights’ full sleep. Build regular free weekends into the shift schedule.  

• Provide similar facilities and opportunities for shift workers as those available for daytime workers. 
• Ensure that workplace lighting and temperature is adequate and adjustable by workers.  
• Provide training and information for workers on the risks associated with shift work and on coping strategies.  
• Encourage interaction between workers and provide a means of communication for lone workers. Ensure procedures for transmitting information to the next shift team are followed.  
• Promote healthy living strategies such as increasing exercise and improving diet. Ensure that free health assessments are provided for night workers.  

• Ensure that the workplace and its surroundings are well lit, safe and secure and that workers are free from the threat of violence.  
• Check and review your shift-work arrangements regularly.