Shift work and the incidence of injury among police officers.
BACKGROUND
Police officers may be injury prone due to fatigue, erratic work hours, and insufficient sleep. This study explored injury incidence among police officers across shifts.


METHODS
Day-to-day shift data from computerized payroll records (1994-2010) were available from a mid-sized urban police department (n = 430). Sleep duration, shift activity level, returning to work after days off, and injury incidence over time were also examined.


RESULTS
Age-adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) for injury on the midnight shift was 72% larger than the day shift (IRR = 1.72; 95% CI = 1.26-2.36) and 66% larger than the afternoon shift (IRR = 1.66; 95% CI = 1.23-2.25). Injury incidence for the first day back on the midnight shift was 69% larger than day shift (IRR = 1.69; 95% CI = 1.23-2.32) and 54% larger than the afternoon shift (IRR = 1.54; 95% CI = 1.36-1.76). High activity level combined with midnight shift work put officers at increased injury risk (IRR = 2.31; P = 0.0003). Probability of remaining free of injury was significantly higher for day shift than midnight shift (P < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Higher injury risk was associated with night shift work in police officers. Night shift combined with high work activity was strongly associated with injury risk. There was a significantly higher probability of not being injured on day compared to midnight or afternoon shifts.
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 14260, USA. violanti@buffalo.edu
John M
JM
Violanti
Desta
D
Fekedulegn
Michael E
ME
Andrew
Luenda E
LE
Charles
Tara A
TA
Hartley
Bryan
B
Vila
Cecil M
CM
Burchfiel
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005221:Fatigue / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016495:Police; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012890:Sleep; D016008:Statistical Distributions; D014505:Urban Population; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance; D016526:Workload