NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours
Injuries/Errors (Continued)
Work schedule patterns with higher risks for worker error and injury
Compared with regular day shifts starting after 7:00 a.m., risks for accidents and errors increase for these:45
- Night shifts, by 28%
- Evening shifts, by 15%
Compared with 8-hour shifts, risks for accidents and errors increase for these:45
- 10-hour shifts, by 13%
- 12-hour shifts, by 28%
One study indicates a possible “dose response”: as work hours increase, injury rates among workers increase.46
Sharps injuries associated with shift work and long hours
Researchers have reported the following increases in risk:
- A 9% increase in the relative risk of a needlestick for nurses working 12 or more hours per day, compared with those working 8 hours per day47
- A 3-fold increase in risk of sharps injury for medical residents, associated with long hours and sleep deprivation48
- Double the risk for injury with sharp objects when medical residents worked night shift and 61% higher risk when working extended hours49
- A higher risk for needlestick and other work-related injury (and missing more than 2 days of work because of these) associated with mandatory overtime50