title: Work-related accidents and daylight saving time in Finland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent research has indicated that transitions into and out of daylight saving time (DST) unbalance the physiological circadian rhythm and may lead to sleep disturbance. Sleep deprivation may have negative effects on motivation, attention and alertness and thus it is possible that transitions into and out of DST may increase accident rates.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the impact of DST transitions on the number of occupational accidents in Finland.
  
  
  METHODS
  For the study, we analysed all occupational accidents that happened in Finland 1 week before and 1 week after DST transitions during the years 2002-06.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Transitions into and out of DST did not significantly increase the number of occupational accidents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It seems that sleep deprivation after DST transition is not harmful enough to impact on occupational accident rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Mannerheimintie 166, FI-00300, Helsinki, Finland. tuuli.lahti@thl.fi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lahti
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sysi-Aho
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haukka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Partonen
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D017440:Photoperiod; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000209:etiology; D020178:Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm / Q000150:complications*; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000502:physiology