Injuries related to shiftwork.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to review the relationship of shiftwork to industrial injuries, and possible methods of injury control.


METHODS
The primary method was a systematic review of the published literature. The Cochrane Collaboration protocol was used to conduct the literature search.


METHODS
Studies were included if they addressed the issue of industrial injuries related to shiftwork.


RESULTS
No controlled interventions were found. All studies were observational, and most were retrospective. The studies were not comparable with one another since they refer to different industrial settings.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings from the literature indicate that shiftwork should be avoided, but that if necessary, certain patterns and rest breaks appear to be associated with fewer injuries. More and better-focused research is needed in this field of study.
Frank
A L
AL
Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Texas Health Center, Tyler, Texas 75708, USA. afrank@uthct.edu
D000056:Accident Prevention; D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D020178:Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*