Around 14% of the UK working population now do shift work

(3.6 million people)

Working shifts can affect a worker’s health and safety. Shift work can affect performance and attentiveness, which may increase the risk of accidents and injuries. Shift workers may have irregular patterns of eating, sleeping, working and socialising that may also lead to health problems.

There is no specific definition of shift work in law, but it is usually taken to mean 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.

This new book from HSE is particularly useful for employers, safety representatives, trade union officials, employees, regulators and other stakeholders. It will help them tackle issues such as risk assessments, shift-work schedules, and advice on controlling, managing and monitoring the risks of shift work.

By drawing together advice and best practice from a range of sources, the guide explains employers' legal duties and the risks associated with shiftwork and describes the impact shiftwork can have on health and safety.

In addition a number of annexes are included and cover legal requirements, views from international experts on how to manage irregular sleep patterns (not HSE advice, but sensible helpful tips), and details of assessment tools and sources of information.