For instance, some air-traffic controllers get a break every 20 min. In jobs requiring repetitive physical work, brief rest breaks each hour can allow workers to recover from muscle fatigue. Attend to workers' physical and emotional needs. Shiftwork creates a night workforce that exists on junk food, feels isolated from family and friends, and that often becomes cut off from the overall goals of the organization. Shiftworkers need access to health-care advice, counseling, nutritious meals and snacks during their shifts, and even social programs or clubs that lessen the feeling of isolation.
Some consultants suggest that lighting improvements can increase alertness and improve performance.
Training, training, training. However, training must be adapted to their special needs. Select another article. Return to Quality Magazine's home page.