New Guidelines For Managing Shift Work Available From HSE

In a new warning the Health & Safety Executive says that poor shift arrangements and long hours can cause employee fatigue, accidents, injuries and ill health, while also leaving employers to face potential liability claims. The Health & Safety Executive have therefore produced new guidelines aimed at improving employers’ understanding of shift work and its effects on the employee’s health and safety. They point to a number of key risk factors including the very design of shift schedules. As workplaces demands are ever increasing and changing, employers are encouraged to reconsider the wider “shift environment” including workload, the work activity, shift timing and duration, and the amount of rest during and between shifts.

In July, an inquest found that PC Barrie Davies had worked 110 hours in eight days prior to his death in car crash in October 2005. The crash investigator suggested it was likely that Davies’ driving had been affected by working long hours.

For further information – go to - http://www.hsebooks.co.uk

MultiTime Limited™