Self–reported health and well-being amongst night security guards: a comparison with the working population

Abstract

The present study sought to relate the well-being of night workers to that of the working population in general. One hundred and ninety-seven male permanent night security guards were interviewed with regard to the occurrence of various symptoms during the previous 12-month period. The results were compared with the results from similar interviews with a representative national sample of males (n= 1769) in the Swedish workforce. An age standardized morbidity ratio was computed with control for various background variables. The results showed that the security guards had a 2–3 times higher occurrence of sleep disturbances and fatigue than the national sample. Among the variables notdiffering from the national sample were gastrointestinal problems, headache, nervous problems, depression, nausea, diarrhoea, and haemorrhoids. It was concluded that sleep/wake disturbances are considerably more usual in permanent night security guards than in the working population as a whole.     

Shiftwork experience,age and cognitive performance

Changes of alertness and cognitive efficiency has been suggested in people whose circadian rhythms are disrupted, e.g. night or shift-workers. Data from field and laboratory studies have demonstrated short-term cognitive disturbances related to circadian rhythm disruption. By contrast, little is known about the long-term consequences of chronic sleep deprivation, as can be observed with shift-work, on cognitive abilities. The present paper is aimed at evaluating, on a large cross-sectional sample of workers, the long-term influence of shift-work on verbal memory and speed performances. Participants were 3237 workers aged 32, 42, 52, and 62 years of various occupational statuses included in the VISAT (Aging, Health and Work) cohort. Data collected by questionnaires included items on working hours and shift-work and sleep disorders. Cognitive abilities were assessed using neuropsychological tests. Current male shift-workers had lower cognitive performance than never exposed workers. In the same population, memory performance tended to decrease with increasing shift-work duration. Among former shift-workers, the cognitive performance of the participant having stopped shiftwork more than 4 years ago seemed to be increased, suggesting a possible reversibility of effects. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that cognitive functioning tends to be impaired by a long-term exposure to SW. As found by other authors, neuropsychological performance tends to decrease with the increases in the duration of exposure to SW.     

Shiftwork experience, age and cognitive performance

Changes of alertness and cognitive efficiency has been suggested in people whose circadian rhythms are disrupted, e.g. night or shift-workers. Data from field and laboratory studies have demonstrated short-term cognitive disturbances related to circadian rhythm disruption. By contrast, little is known about the long-term consequences of chronic sleep deprivation, as can be observed with shift-work, on cognitive abilities. The present paper is aimed at evaluating, on a large cross-sectional sample of workers, the long-term influence of shift-work on verbal memory and speed performances. Participants were 3,237 workers aged 32, 42, 52, and 62 years of various occupational statuses included in the VISAT (Aging, Health and Work) cohort. Data collected by questionnaires included items on working hours and shift-work and sleep disorders. Cognitive abilities were assessed using neuropsychological tests. Current male shift-workers had lower cognitive performance than never exposed workers. In the same population, memory performance tended to decrease with increasing shift-work duration. Among former shift-workers, the cognitive performance of the participant having stopped shiftwork more than 4 years ago seemed to be increased, suggesting a possible reversibility of effects. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that cognitive functioning tends to be impaired by a long-term exposure to SW. As found by other authors, neuropsychological performance tends to decrease with the increases in the duration of exposure to SW.     

Effect of sleep loss on core temperature when movement is controlled

Nine subjects were studied for 16 days in an isolation unit where they lived on normal time, working at a decision-making, computer-driven task during the daytime. Interspersed among these control days were three occasions when sleep was curtailed. Rectal temperature and activity (non-dominant wrist) were measured throughout. Any effects of sleep loss on core temperature and activity were assessed by comparing these variables on control days with values during the daytime immediately following sleep loss, and during the next (recovery) day. During the daytime following sleep loss, activity showed no significant changes. By contrast, core temperature was significantly lower, particularly after the night of complete sleep loss. On recovery days also, activity was not significantly changed from control days but core temperatures during work were significantly lower than on control days if there had been no sleep the previous night. These results indicate that the effects of sleep loss on core temperature can persist for at least 24 h, and that they occur in the absence of parallel changes in activity.     

Effect of sleep loss on core temperature when movement is controlled

Nine subjects were studied for 16 days in an isolation unit where they lived on normal time, working at a decision-making, computer-driven task during the daytime. Interspersed among these control days were three occasions when sleep was curtailed. Rectal temperature and activity (non-dominant wrist) were measured throughout. Any effects of sleep loss on core temperature and activity were assessed by comparing these variables on control days with values during the daytime immediately following sleep loss, and during the next (recovery) day. During the daytime following sleep loss, activity showed no significant changes. By contrast, core temperature was significantly lower, particularly after the night of complete sleep loss. On recovery days also, activity was not significantly changed from control days but core temperatures during work were significantly lower than on control days if there had been no sleep the previous night. These results indicate that the effects of sleep loss on core temperature can persist for at least 24 h, and that they occur in the absence of parallel changes in activity.     

Field Studies of Shift Work at an Austrian Oil Refinery I: Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing of Workers who Drop Out of Shiftwork

Most of the problems that arise in shift workers prove to be social or family-bound rather than strictly medical, though health may in fact be affected seriously by these problems. The present study was concerned with the question whether, and in what way, men giving up shift work (‘ drop-outs ’) differ from those who stay on shift work, and from those on permanent day work. A questionnaire containing items about personal, family, and social life, and health, working conditions, and sleep was given to 270 workers in an oil refinery. All respondents were subsequently interviewed.

Taking all the results together it is concluded that shift and night work leads, in a proportion of cases, to difficulties with regard to work and family life, as well as in social and health matters. The results from the ‘drop-outs’ group indicate that in certain individuals very long lasting ‘ psychosomatic’, ‘pseudoneurotic’ or ‘sensitisation’ reactions may develop.     

Influence of shift work in process industry on workers' occupational health,productivity, and family and social life: An ergonomic approach

Shift work is a major feature of modern work practices. It involves working at times considered unconventional for most workers, such as at night. Although the community often benefits from such work practices, shift work can be hazardous for both the workers and the community. There are increased risks for accidents and errors, increased sleepiness and fatigue due to difficulties sleeping, increased health problems, and disruptions to family and social life. More shift workers complained of sleep disturbance, poor sleep quality, tiredness at awakening, and sleepiness in work than did non‐shift workers. More shift workers also complained of gastrointestinal disturbances than did non‐shift workers. The aim of this article is to provide general information on shift work, work schedules, and the effects of work schedules on sleep, fatigue, performance, the health of the human operator, and productivity. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Worktime control-dependent reductions in fatigue, sleep problems, and depression

We investigated the association between worktime control and fatigue, sleep problems, and depressive symptoms in a sample of daytime and shift workers. A total of 3681 permanent daytime workers and 599 shift workers completed a questionnaire designed to assess the above variables. Worktime control was evaluated in terms of both “control over daily working hours” and “control over days off”. Worktime control × work schedule × gender analysis of covariance, adjusted for age and employment status, showed overall reductions in incomplete recovery, insomnia symptoms, daytime sleepiness, and depressive symptoms with increasing levels of worktime control. However, no associations between control over daily working hours and insomnia symptoms were observed in women. The reductions appeared to be more evident for control over days off. These results remained consistent after adjustments for other potential covariates. The present findings indicate that increased worktime control and enhanced control over days off in particular, may be associated with favorable health outcomes.     

Adaptation to permanent night work: the number of consecutive work nights and motivated choice

To study the effects of different patterns of days on and days off duty within a permanent night shift schedule, we studied two groups of female permanent night nurses, one (n=42) working‘many’ nights in a row, and the other (n=36) working ‘few’ nights in a row. The groups were matched for several important moderating variables. All nurses were interviewed individually, and they answered several questionnaires. A MANOVA revealed no statistically significant differences in subjective health between the two groups. Nor was any difference found for satisfaction measures. The many-night group however seemed to put more effort into dealing with their schedule; they used more active coping, had a higher cigarette consumption, and engaged more in sport. They also stayed one hour less in bed during the day after the last night shift. It is concluded that neither schedule was a clear threat to subjective health because the acceptance of permanent night work was the result of a motivated choice and because social support was high. The differences between the two schedules were not large enough to suggest that one of them should be favoured over the other.     

Work schedule differences in sleep problems of nursing home caregivers

Nursing home caregivers (n=775; 604 women; mean age 33.6 years) were studied to examine how work schedules affect their sleep. The shift group (n=536) worked under a rotating two-shift system (n=365), a rotating three-shift system (n=66), or other types of shifts (n=78). The non-shift group included 222 caregivers. Participants completed a questionnaire about working conditions, sleep problems, health, lifestyle, and demographic factors. The two-shift caregivers reported the highest levels of difficulty initiating sleep (DIS, 37.6%), insomnia symptoms (43.0%), and poor quality of sleep (24.9%) among the groups. Adjusted odds ratios for these problems were significantly greater for the two-shift caregivers than for non-shift counterparts: DIS (odds ratio 2.86, 95% confidence interval 1.57-5.20), insomnia symptoms (2.33, 1.36-4.02), and poor sleep quality (2.15, 1.09-4.22). Our data suggest that working under a rotating two-shift system, which has a longer night shift, is associated with an elevated risk of sleep problems for nursing home caregivers.     

Is there a 'best compromise' shift system?

In his review Wilkinson considers the question 'How fast should the night shift rotate? He concludes quite strongly that with the possible exception of social factors, most of the evidence favours the use of prolonged or permanent night shifts. In this reply I argue that in reaching this conclusion Wilkinson has (i) overestimated the problems associated with rapidly-rotating shift systems; and (ii) underestimated the problems that might be encountered in trying to implement effective permanent night shift systems. The evidence on the various problems reviewed by Wilkinson is reconsidered. Other aspects of shift systems that were ignored by Wilkinson are then also taken into account. It is concluded that the evidence does not allow a general choice to be made between the use of either permanent night shifts or rapidly rotating, delaying, shift system. Rather the choice between them would appear to depend on the relative importance attached to safety and social problems in any given workplace.     

相关向量机超参数优化的网络安全态势预测

针对当前网络安全态势预测方法存在的过学习与欠学习、自由参数多、预测精度不高等问题,提出使用一种改进模拟退火法优化的相关向量机模型(PSA-RVM)来解决网络安全态势预测问题。在预测过程中,首先对网络安全态势样本数据进行相空间重构形成训练样本集;然后,利用Powell算法改进模拟退火(PSA)法,并将相关向量机(RVM)嵌入到PSA算法的目标函数计算过程中,优化RVM超参数,以得到学习能力、预测精度提升的网络安全态势预测模型。仿真实例表明,所提方法具有较高的预测精度,平均相对误差(MAPE)和均方根误差(RMSE)分别为0.39256和0.01261,均优于Elman和PSO-SVR模型;所提方法能够较好地刻画网络安全态势的变化趋势,有助于网络管理人员把握未来网络安全态势发展趋势,从而提前主动采取相应的网络防御措施。     

Does individual choice determine shift system acceptability?

The relationship between individual control of hours of work and tolerance of shiftwork was examined in a group of nurses and midwives. Two levels of individual control were studied: (i) choosing to work on a regular shift system, e.g. a permanent night shift; and (ii) working on a flexible, rotating shift system where individual choice of shift-sequencing is taken into account. Greater tolerance to shiftwork was found to be associated with more control over hours of work. The advantages of flexible as opposed to irregular shift-rostering, and of choosing to work on a regular permanent night shift were highlighted clearly. The results offer some contribution to the permanent night versus rapidly-rotating shift system debate.     

Gender,ageing, and shiftwork intolerance

The study investigated the hypothetical differences between male and female shiftworkers in their susceptibility to shift work-related health and social problems, with the special reference to the role of the age factor. The comparison concerned two matched-for-age-and-occupation groups of men and women, each of 83 persons, selected from the larger studied population of more than 700 workers in a Polish steel plant. The subjects were crane-operators employed in the same forward-rotated, three-shift, four-team shift system, 4:4:4 with shift changes at 06:00, 14:00, 22:00; and 48 h off following each shift block. The investigation comprised a battery of questionnaires on demographic characteristics, sleep quantity and quality, subjective health complaints, and opinions on shiftwork. The analysis of data revealed that men slept more than women, especially when working on the afternoon and night shifts. The differences became more striking and significant for all work shifts and days-off when related to declared individual sleep requirements. Women experienced more sleep disturbances than men and suffered more frequently from drowsiness during work, especially when working the morning shift. The ratings of subjective health were lower in women, with exception of respiratory complaints. Women generally suffered more than men from symptoms considered as specific to the ‘intolerance syndrome’, i.e. psychoneurotic, digestive, circulatory, and those of chronic fatigue. However, after passing the ‘critical decade’ of 40–50 years their subjective health generally improved, whereas in males one observed the consequent deterioration of health with advancing age. Women more often complained about their health and went to see the doctor, but on the other hand, they did not tend to quit shiftwork as often as did their male counterparts.     

Anthropometric variability, equipment usability and musculoskeletal pain in a group of nurses in the Western Cape

This study examined the anthropometry and anthropometric fit of a group of nurses in Western Cape private hospitals. Anthropometric variables were measured using a sample of nurses and a correlation matrix generated. All nurses were given a questionnaire concerned with operational problems in the work environment and musculoskeletal pain. The nurses reported numerous problems in the working environment, including lumbar backache, inadequate space and equipment that caused bodily discomfort. There were consistent, statistically significant associations between the frequency of occurrence of these problems and the anthropometric data indicating that the problems were caused or amplified by body size variability and were not simply general usability problems which would affect all nurses irrespective of their body dimensions.     

Performance on a simple response time task: Is sleep or work more important for miners?

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the impact of work- and sleep-related factors on an objective measure of response time in a field setting. Thirty-five mining operators working 12-h shift patterns completed daily sleep and work diaries, wore activity monitors continuously and completed palm-based psychomotor vigilance tests (palmPVT) at the start and end of each shift. Linear mixed models were used to test the main effects on response time of roster, timing of test, sleep history and prior wake. The time at which the test occurred was a significant predictor of response time (F_3,403.4 = 6.72, p < .01) with the end of night shifts being associated with significantly slower response times than the start of night shifts, and the start or end of day shifts. Further, the amount of sleep obtained in the 24 h prior to the test was also a significant predictor of response time (F_3,407.0 = 3.05, p < .01). The results suggest that, as expected, the end of night shift is associated with changes in response time indicative of performance impairments. Of more interest however is that immediate sleep history was also predictive of changes in response time with lower amounts of prior sleep related to slower response times. The current data provides further evidence that sleep is a primary mediator of performance, independent of roster pattern.     

The effect of night-time naps on recovery from fatigue following night work

Abstract

A questionnaire was performed in order to investigate the effect of naps during duty on recovery from fatigue. Studies were performed on 12 male computer operators in each of two chemical plants working a four-team three-shift system. In one of the plants, the shift workers were able to take a 2 h nap during the night shift (nap group). In the other plant, no nap was taken (no-nap group). Before and after the two consecutive night shifts, both the nap and no-nap groups greatly extended their night sleeps, but the daytime sleep taken by the no-nap group during this period was significantly longer than that of the nap group on both the first and second days. No significant difference was found when comparing the length of the day sleep of the no-nap group with the total sleeping time (night-time nap plus subsequent day sleep) of the nap group. Therefore a night-time nap enables part of the essential sleep to be taken in advance of the day sleep following night work. During night work, both tbe nap and no-nap groups exhibited an increase in the sleepiness scores and also in the subjective feelings of fatigue concerning the complaints related to drowsiness, dullness and difficulty in concentration. However, it was found that for the no-nap group these effects continued for a large part of the recovery period following night work. It can therefore be surmised that naps taken during night-time work can be to a certain extent aid recovery from the fatigue caused by that work.     

Night shift paralysis in air traffic control officers

Abstract

In an earlier paper (Folkard et al. 1984) we reported on the incidence of a temporary but incapacitating paralysis known as ‘night shift paralysis’. This appeared to be a special form of sleep paralysis that occurs when night workers manage to maintain a state of wakefulness despite considerable pressures to sleep. The incidence of this paralysis might thus be assumed to reflect the level of sleep deprivation associated with different shift systems or individuals. The present survey was designed to examine this possibility in a sample of 435 Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs) from 17 different countries who were on a variety of different work schedules. The incidence of this paralysis was found to be affected by four main factors, all of which might reasonably be assumed to influence the night-worker's level of sleep deprivation or sleepiness. These were the time of night, the number of consecutive night shifts, the requirement to work both a morning and a night shift starting on the same day and individual differences in the flexibility of sleeping habits. These results suggest that the incidence of this paralysis may indeed prove to be a useful ‘critical incident’ for comparing the level of sleep deprivation associated with different shift systems or individuals.     

VOLTAGE REGULATION OF A BUCK BOOST CONVERTER—A HYBRID CONTROL APPROACH

In this paper, the output voltage regulation problem in a buck boost converter is defined as a hybrid control problem. For control design, the mutually interacting continuous and discrete dynamics are modeled as a hybrid automaton. Thus, the control problem is defined as a guard selection problem of the hybrid automaton. The system trajectory is switched between different modes based on the guards to achieve the required voltage regulation. The guards defined are fixed surfaces represented in terms of the state variables for a given operating condition. The logic‐based switching in the state plane is stable in terms of the chaotic and bifurcation behavior. The effectiveness of the control scheme for buck and boost operation under line and load disturbances is demonstrated by simulation in the MATLAB‐SIMULINK environment and the results are presented.     

基于循环哨兵的软件保护方法研究

保护软件代码不被非法修改是软件开发者面临的严峻问题。本文基于哨兵的思想提出一种循环哨兵模型,能以更灵活的方式保护哨兵的完整性。哨兵之间形成循环链,保证每个哨兵都受到其他哨兵的保护,在保护软件完整性的同时能够确保哨兵本身的安全性。同时,提出数据完整性校验协议实时检测哨兵的完整性,并证明协议的安全性。