Time-budget studies of policemen in weekly or swiftly rotating shift systems.
For 8 days 120 policemen kept special diaries including working time, travelling to and from work, leisure time and sleeping time. By analysing the data of leisure and sleep in relation to the time of day and the type of shift it is possible to find out critical points within a shift system. The mean duration of sleep was reduced before morning shifts, between night shifts and after a morning shift that was followed by a night shift on the same day. The leisure time was limited in connection with afternoon shifts and between the combined morning and night shift. It is recommended not to have double shifts on one day. Rapidly rotated shift systems had more advantages referring to the total amount of night sleep than weekly rotated shift systems. The backward rotation of shifts was unfavourable because of the short time off between the last afternoon shift and the first morning shift. Furthermore, short nightwork periods and a start of the morning shift which is not too early seem to be preferable.
Knauth
P
P
Institut für Arbeitsphysiologie an der Universität Dortmund Ardeystr 67, 4600 Dortmund 1, Federal Republic of Germany.
Kiesswetter
E
E
Ottman
W
W
Karvonen
M J
MJ
Rutenfranz
J
J