The Functional States’ Dynamics During the Shift Period of Oil Exploration Workers with Different Work and Rest Regimes as a Marker of Their Psychological Safety
Authors: Simonova N. N. , Korneeva Ya. A. 
Published: September 2024

The shift method of labor organization is widely used in various industries [1], one of which is the exploration and production of oil and gas. Scientific studies have covered in detail the adverse impact of the Far North and the Arctic conditions on the professional health of shift personnel, taking into account the polar stress syndrome [2-11]. At the same time, in the southern regions of the country the climate is characterized by pronounced continentality, characterized by dry and very hot summers, cold winters with strong winds and snowstorms [12]. These features certainly have an adverse impact on workers engaged in oil and gas exploration and production, due to the fact that their activities are carried out primarily in the open air [13]. Drilling wells involves intense muscular activity of workers and includes the performance of complex, varied and repetitive technological operations [13]. The most intense work includes hoisting and hoisting operations, in which all team members participate [13].

In this case, as a rule, the following work and rest regimes for shift personnel are applied: 15-day working periods, alternating 12-hour day and night shifts and equal rest periods (12*12 hours, 15+15 days), in other words, employees work first 15 days on day shifts, and then 15 days on night shifts, and vice versa [14]. Similar work-rest patterns are most common in Norwegian offshore oil and gas production: fixed shifts of 14 consecutive day shifts (14D) or 14 consecutive night shifts (14N), alternating in different stints, or patterns including one week of night shifts (usually first) and one week of working day shifts during the same working period (7 N/7 D) [15].

Studies by both domestic and foreign authors are devoted to the analysis of changes in the functional states of workers during the shift period [8-11]. In the work of A.M. Urazaeva and co-authors established a tendency for pre-work indicators of the speed of sensorimotor reactions to deteriorate during a 15-day night shift, and to improve when working during the daytime [14]. Foreign studies also emphasized that night shift work is more likely to contribute to sleep problems [16, 17]. At the same time, a number of authors noted better sleep quality among offshore platform personnel when working night shifts [18, 19]. A study by S. Waage et al found that there were no significant differences in sleep quality between day and night shift workers at the beginning and end of the shift period. [20]. Longitudinal study of S.A. Ferguson et al showed that pre-sleep fatigue among mining personnel was higher when working night shifts compared to day shifts, but sleep recovery was greater during night shifts than during day shifts [21]. The analysis of the research revealed inconsistency in knowledge regarding the impact of day and night shifts on shift workers in the oil and gas industry, as well as insufficient information regarding the dynamics of the functional states of workers with different shift schedules.